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Quick Reviews: Kisnue’s “Reincarnation”, Lee Jin-ah’s “Hearts of the City”, and Loossemble’s “Loossemble”
Kisnue – Reincarnation
Release: September 8, 2023
Label: SEL
Distributor: Genie Music, Stone Music Entertainment
Genre: Rock, synthpop
Score: 
This is two autumn projects in a row from one-man project Kisnue, following after last October’s excellent A Dream of Wings. Reincarnation is noticeably more summery, though, with bright chords and giddy pace accompanying the charged youth of its stories. The album doesn’t have nearly as engaging riffs and melodies as its predecessor did, which holds its first two tracks back despite some good ideas like “Days of Dreaming”‘s nod-along prechorus riff.
The last three instead lean on harder accompaniments for vitality, and this does work: “Dive”‘s funkiness is just as curious as the question of its chorus (“If I threw myself here now // Which would land first // My hardened heavy self, or my unbearably light self”), and “Reincarnate” channels a little Bye Bye Badman in the infectious rhythm and wondrous synths, seemingly ringing and diffusing into the night.
Tracklist (recommended tracks in bold)
- Days of Dreaming
Lyrics by Song Eunsuk, Seo Jenny
Composed and arranged by Song Eunsuk - Starlight Love
Lyrics by Song Eunsuk, Seo Jenny
Composed arranged by Song Eunsuk - Dive
Written, composed, and arranged by Song Eunsuk - Life After
Written and composed by Song Eunsuk
Arranged by Song Eunsuk and Cho Junehyung - Reincarnate
Lyrics by Song Eunsuk
Composed and arranged by Cho Junehyung
Lee Jin-ah – 도시의 속마음 (Hearts of the City)
Release: September 13, 2023
Label: Antenna
Distributor: Kakao Entertainment
Genre: Jazz, pop
Score: 
The sprawling “Rum Pum Pum” felt like a bold step from Lee Jin-ah last year. Her last few albums hadn’t been shy about showing off Lee’s virtuosity on the piano and featuring harmonics and progressions from outside of pop, but “Rum Pum Pum” was an art-rock opus that took scale and experimental spirit to another level. Hearts of the City tries to cradle that kind of ambition and the saccharine spirit of Lee’s earlier work at the same time, to mixed results. Title number “Mystery Village”, with its modulating keys and moods, picks up right where the 2022 single left off, and Lee’s piano is a chameleon as it climbs in tension and rocks ominously in the choruses. Sang out in Lee’s trademark airiness, told in pastel allegory, the track is a modern fairy tale.
Other moments of beauty abound, like the gentle lullaby of “My Whole New World”, rolling strings and vocalizations of “End of the Journey”, and the lush unspoken energy of “Dreams of Sadness”. There’s a magical quality to the melodies and arrangements that Lee puts together, and she makes every interlude count. But the cheerier and vocals-forward tracks, especially towards the back end, don’t pop in the same way; they’re much more tame, often one-note (“When You Come Home”), and even generic – a far cry from the inventive catchiness of, say, “Random”. Hearts of the City may have been better, certainly more thematically consistent, by leaning harder into its more brooding side. Still, with “Mystery Village” and its like, Lee has cemented a style that may well be unique to her right now – at the least, it’s hard to envision anyone else doing it better.
Tracklist (recommended tracks in bold)
- My Whole New World
Lyrics by Lee Jin-ah, Lee Je-ha
Composed by Lee Jin-ah
Arranged by Ahn Gwang-hyun - Mystery Village
Lyrics by Lee Jin-ah
Composed and arranged by Lee Jin-ah, Simon Petrén - 여행의 끝에서 (End of the Journey) (with Stella Jang)
Lyrics by Stella Jang, Lee Jin-ah
Composed and arranged by Lee Jin-ah - 도시의 건물 (Skyline)
Lyrics by Lee Jin-ah
Composed and arranged by Lee Jin-ah, Ahn Gwang-hyun - 진정한 친구 (True Friends)
Written and composed by Lee Jin-ah
Arranged by Lee Jin-ah, Yang Young-ho, Cho Sung-jun - City Lights (with Sarah Kang)
Lyrics by Lee Jin-ah, Sarah Kang
Composed and arranged by Lee Jin-ah - 잠결의 슬픔 (Dreams of Sadness) (Feat. Jinho Hong)
Composed and arranged by Lee Jin-ah - Midnight Delivery
Composed and arranged by Lee Jin-ah - Accepting
Written, composed and arranged by Lee Jin-ah - 너가 집에 오면 난 (When You Come Home)
Written and arranged by Lee Jin-ah, Cho Sung-tae
Composed by Lee Jin-ah - Sing! (Prod. Parkmoonchi)
Lyrics by Lee Jin-ah, Minsu, Yeonsu, Deulrejang
Composed by Lee Jin-ah
Arranged by Parkmoonchi - 말 (Words) (with Lee Hyori, Lee Sang-soon)
Written, composed and arranged by Lee Jin-ah
Loossemble – Loossemble
Release: September 15, 2023
Label: CTD ENM
Distributor: Warner Music
Genre: Dance, electronic
Score:
The second Loona descendant group to release music after all the members’ departure from Blockberry Creative, Loossemble attack a somewhat different niche with its debut EP than Odd Eye Circle did. There’s a noticeable instrumental tactility to Loossemble, from the opening bass rhythm of “Sensitive” to the closing electric-guitar buzz of “Day by Day” and everything in-between; though this is still an electronic album in the end, these textures imprint a signature on Loossemble that distinguishes it from fully synthetic fare.
The variety of sound on deck is nice – the fatality of “Colouring” followed by the alien bounciness of “Newtopia” is a whiplash and a half – but the side tracks’ toplines are often uninspired and the polish lacking, and this limits the album’s potency. “Real World” overcomes this by frontloading the Red-Velvet-lite, trap-and-Gershwin verses with coy melody and interesting vocal touches, so that the lackadaisical chorus is mere punctuation. “Newtopia”‘s head-bopping rhythm and strobing synths are strong enough to carry its sometimes lazy melody. Others aren’t so lucky, and “Colouring” especially could have used another pass to make the disjointed lyrics – apparently written by eight lyricists – a bit more coherent.
Title track “Sensitive” is a different matter entirely. That timeless bass riff sets the mood, but the song moves speedily from intrigue to delight in an addictive chorus. Both the Hyeju and Vivi versions of the spoken refrain are infectiously confident, and the nonstop frills – the little harmonization on “taste”, Go Won’s fills and hums, the actual “left-right” pan as they say those words – add to the playfulness. It’s chatty and bratty, rich in harmonies and killer moments, and uses these members’ vocals in a way we haven’t seen since maybe 2018’s “Stylish”. It’s the kind of track that raises expectations for the fledgling agency and group.
Tracklist (recommended tracks in bold)
- Intro: Searching for Their Friends
Composed and arranged by OUOW - Sensitive
Lyrics by Hwang Yu-bin (XYXX)
Composed by C’SA, Clovd (WSHL:ST), Kwon Deok-geun (WSHL:ST), Puff
Arranged by C’SA, Kwon Deok-geun, Puff - Real World
Lyrics by Kim Sung-hee (Jamfactory), Jang Da-in (PNP), Lee Yeon-ji (PNP), Kim Anna (PNP), Hyeju (Loossemble), Jenabin (Jamfactory)
Composed by C’SA, Strawberrybananaclub
Arranged by Strawberrybananaclub - Colouring
Lyrics by Choi Eun-yu (Jamfactory), Oni (PNP), Cho Ara (Jamfactory), Hwa Im-hyeon (PNP), Kim Na-hee (Jamfactory), Kim Hyun-kyung (Jamfactor), Vivi (Loossemble), Yeojin (Loossemble)
Composed by Phil Schwan, J.Lu (Oceancave), Jsong (Oceancave)
Arranged by Phil Schwan, J.Lu (Oceancave) - Newtopia
Lyrics by Kyung Jin-hee (Jamfactory), Lee Da-um (PNP), Yoon Ye-ji (PNP), Go Won (Loossemble)
Composed by Kloe, Sam Preston, Alex Smith
Arranged by Sam Preston, Alex Smith - Strawberry Soda
Lyrics by Yves
Composed by Kim Min-gu (NiNE), Lee Ye-jun (NiNE), Min!n’ (NiNE), Yves, Do Min-gyu
Arranged by Lee Ye-jun, Do Min-gyu, Kim Min-gu - Day by Day
Lyrics by Hyunjin (Loossemble)
Composed by C’SA, Bymore
Arranged by Bymore - Sensitive (English Ver.)
Album cover images from Bugs Music (1) (2) (3). Lyric translations by author (jungbae@hellokpop.com).
Spotify links: Reincarnation, Hearts of the City, Loossemble
Related writing:
- Loona/Jinsoul – Singing in the Rain [2017 In Review selection]
- Loona yyxy – Beauty & the Beat [review]
- Loona – [+ +] [review]
- Loona – [X X] [review]; [2019 In Review selection]
- 250 Greatest Idol Group Songs of All Time 2020 feature:
- Loona – “Curiosity”, “Stylish”, “Butterfly”
- Loona Odd Eye Circle – “Loonatic”, “Sweet Crazy Love”
