K-POP Reviews

Stellar - Sting [K-album Review #4]

So, girl group Stellar have come out with their second mini album 'Sting' and I listened to the title track this morning so I thought I would do the album review! 

Now, I have known this group since their song 'U.F.O' - so not exactly since their debut. But if you know that song, you know how cheesy that stuff was (and one of the guys from Shinhwa was in that weird video) and although I sort of liked it, it wasn't great music when you think about it. And then the next thing I heard about them was when they came out with 'Marionette' and there was a big deal about it because people thought it was too sexual and blah blah. That wasn't a bad song though and neither was their next song 'Mask'. Their mature concept was working pretty well and then they came out with 'Fool' which I want to forget about, let's just say that.

'Vibrato' was their best song though in my opinion. It was upbeat, had a heavy chorus and the video was actually pretty good. Like those sexual innuendo were good and I can appreciate that kind of work. I think that that song is pretty underrated and even I sort of knocked it before I tried it. So, I was looking forward to this comeback when I heard about it but maybe that's sort of because there has been basically no new songs out this month! Like other than Dal Shabet, Teen Top and that duet with Suzy and the guy from EXO, there hasn't been much happening on the K-pop scene. I was sort of excited for anything and Teen Top's song hasn't really done it for me.

I will stop blabbing on now about nothing in particular and just get into this album review!

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1. Do You Hear Me

I'm not sure if I need to mention this because it is less than a minute long but since it's there I'll give it a mention. This little number is definitely fitting to open this album up so it has a proper place here. It is quite refreshing to listen to, especially in this dull weather right before the spring. It is smooth and quite sexy but not in such an over powering way. I feel like they have matured quite a bit with their sound and you can definitely hear that straight off the bat with this one. With 'Marionette' it was very much an in your face 'I am sexy' vibe but they have done a more sophisticated sexy with this album. Seeing their progress is actually very nice to witness.

I obviously won't have this on replay since it is so short and nothing much is happening with it but when you think of the mini album as a whole this fits well so I think they have done a good job with this one.

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2. Sting

Now this is the title track in all of its glory! This is upbeat from the beginning and quite bubbly but in a maturer way - if that makes any sense at all. I actually really enjoy the beat that goes with the verse and how their voices sound with it. From what I can hear from the audio, all of the girls sound like they have good voices. 

The chorus is really catchy too and I am really wondering whether this song is becoming my favourite because it might well be! There is something about that sound that I seriously love. There is something very playful and inviting about their voices. During the second verse they kind of try a rap thing and it honestly doesn't sound out of place so well done there guys! 

The video is one of my favourites by them too. The shots are stunning and so is the colour palette that is used. It creates a soft vibe that doesn't scream sexy but it definitely is. It is like they don't have to try as hard anymore with that concept because they have already showed that side of them. So seeing this slightly more playful styling is perfect. The screen size adjusts quite a bit during the video too which I really like.

The cursor arrow is cleverly used throughout the video as is the use of mirrors. As they have become well known their video quality has grown too which I appreciate. This isn't a video that isn't unique or overdone - this is something delightfully new. I really liked the video and have no shame in saying that I have watched it about ten times now. I also liked how they left the dance sequence to the end and it looks seriously fun and cute.