Wonder Girls is reportedly preparing for their next comeback.
According to some media outlets, Wonder Girls is currently working on their new album and in particular, the new title track will be directly composed by them. Though the specific date hasn't been decided, it's likely that the new album will be released this year.
In regard of this, JYP Entertainment officially stated,"Nothing has been decided regarding the comeback schedule or album format","The members are all working hard to prepare for their comeback".
Wonder Girls released their third album 'Reboot' last August.
Haven’t you heard? The Wonder Girls are back with a brand new album and a new band concept! There’s Hyerim on guitar, Sunmi on bass, Yeeun on keyboard, and Yubin on drums. To hear them tell it, their producer overhead them playing around in jam sessions, and the album was born. But there’s obviously much more to it than that. Because Reboot is an all or nothing album for a group that many thought would never return after a 2013 hiatus and rumored disbandment.
And now the Wonder Girls are back with a brand new album and instruments in tow. Not only are their hopes and dreams all riding on this album, but it’s also probably the most ambitious Kpop comeback in years. No pressure, right? But will Reboot kickstart the Wonder Girls’ flailing careers, or will this be another forgotten release in a busy summer? Let’s find out.
The Music
First things first. Reboot is a full-length album with a surprisingly old school feel. From the first note, the listener is taken back to late ‘80s nostalgia when women were black widows and synth pop ruled the airwaves. And, well, Wonder Girls stays surprisingly true to that concept. The easiest way to describe Reboot would be to say that it could easily slot into Paula Abdul’s discography without anyone being the wiser.
While this creates an album that feels cohesive, it also might be to the Wonder Girls’ detriment. The ‘80s music style is not geared towards the production of club bangers, and this album very noticeably contains none. “I Feel You” is the lead single for the album, though you wouldn’t guess it. It’s a functional song, but would hardly stand out on a B-side. There’s little in the way of a hook and nothing memorable about the music. In fact, the best part of the song might be YeEun’s elongation of some of her notes, reminiscent of Prince’s vocal play in “Little Red Corvette.” That’s hardly enough for a lead single. In a comeback showcase interview, the Wonder Girls noted that they chose “I Feel You” as their lead single because “it sounded really fresh.” Of course the fact that JYP produced it had nothing to do with their choice whatsoever.
“Baby Don’t Play” or “Candle” would have been much better choices for a lead single, both having excellent hooks. But again, neither song could have gone toe to toe with a current Kpop banger, not in terms of sheer bombastic enjoyment. So why return to the ‘80s? If Kpop has progressed so far beyond the synth bliss of thirty years ago, then why build an album around that theme?
JYP had a group to reinvent, that much is clear. The idea to sell Wonder Girls as musicians was an inspired one, and sure to generate a lot of press. But what kind of music would they play? Kpop is entirely synthesized, which isn’t a bad thing for a group that just began serious musical training. But JYP needed a bold new comeback that would set Wonder Girls apart from current Kpop music. So he put two and two together and searched for an era of pop music in which live instrumentation was equally as unimportant as the current era. JYP wisely skipped the instrument-heavy mid and late nineties, which saw the rise of modern rock, grunge, garage, punk, post, and alternative. And on the other side, he found the ‘80s, a perfect blend of pop, powerful women, and synthesizers. Thus, Reboot was born.
Following a very strong and cohesive opening to the album (notwithstanding the lack of a great lead single), the mid section of Reboot is full of highs and lows. “Rewind” slows things down a bit, mainly through a very tired sounding refrain. While the upbeat music drives “Rewind” forward, the monotony of the hook drags it right back. The women sound positively pained to be singing the lyrics at times. Their decision to perform “Rewind” at Music Bank was, frankly, shocking. Even chair choreography couldn’t save it.
“Loved” and “One Black Night” are the highlights of the mid-section, and maybe even the album. Both songs feel so much more weighty and expansive than the songs around them. While “Loved” maintains the strong synth roots of the album, “One Black Night” edges closer to the current Kpop sound. It feels more like a blending of the two, and aside from some egregious rapping, is a great song that shows growth rather than mimicry.
“John Doe,” stuck in the middle of “Loved” and “One Black Night” is the kind of song that could have been sung by literally any girl group in Kpop. In a blind taste test, I would be absolutely unable to identify Wonder Girls as the performers. It’s an obvious mid-section filler song. Which brings us to “Back,” a song whose lyrics are difficult to listen to, and even worse to read.
We Back Back Back I’m Back Back Back Back on back, Back on back We have our backups behind us and we are back We Back Back Back I’m Back Back Back B-A-C-K back we back We’re back now so go back go pack
I appreciate the attempt to connect the synth pop of the ‘80s with the nascent rap scene that was developing at that same time. But, unfortunately, the playful nature of “Back” is completely overshadowed by the immaturity of the production. And it doesn’t help to be followed up by “Oppa.” I actually really dig the buildup in this one, but the hook loses me. With lyrics like “I wanna go out / I wanna have fun / I wanna dance, dance, dance all night,” it’s difficult not to assume that they have a much younger target audience in mind, an audience which has not yet come to terms with an adult lifestyle.
Which is weird. Wonder Girls are, of course, not very old themselves. But they’re not green either. They debuted over eight years ago, and have toured the world promoting their music. This album is very much a comeback, and even the title, Reboot, is intended to show a much different side of Wonder Girls. A more mature side. They are veterans now, returning with all the accumulated knowledge of their years in show business (this is another reason they are channeling the ‘80s, no, to show their mature years?). Instead, all of the illusion of childhood is still there.
“Faded Love,” only the second slow song of the album, is a much needed break. Which is good, because after “Back” and “Oppa,” I was about ready to stuff the album in my trapper keeper and never unzip it. “Faded Love” has a much more mature feel. It retains some of the synth feel, but finally seems to have transformed that style into something new. Ignoring the last two songs of the album, “Gone” and “Remember,” which seem to be true filler, “Faded Love” is where I would like to have left the album.
Overall, Reboot contains a mix of the inspired and the disappointing. The standout songs are “Baby Don’t Play,” “Candle,” “Loved,” “One Black Night,” and “Faded Love.” An astute observer will note that only two of these songs have been promoted yet by the Wonder Girls, suggesting that they might not be putting their best foot forward in performances.
The Live Performance
At the time of writing, Wonder Girls have so far performed in Music Bank (8/7/15), Show! Music Core (8/8/15), and Inkigayo (8/9/15). Of those performances, Inkigayo was the most fun and the most assured. Some of that has to do with becoming comfortable on stage, so the third performance in as many days will feel more practiced than the first. But another major part of it has to do with song selection. See above for why “Rewind” and “Back” failed to impress. Without a doubt, “Candle” made a bigger impression at Inkigayo.
But honestly, reviewing Wonder Girls’ performances on the major music shows isn’t very helpful, as none of them are set up for live instrumentation. Given that a hefty portion of the Wonder Girls’ comeback campaign has been reliant on promoting as musicians (they’re in a band now, did you hear?), to adequately review their comeback we need to see them performing live. And seeing as how they already admitted to not recording any of the instrumentation on their album, our only option is Yoo Hee Yeul’s Sketchbook.
During the segment, Wonder Girls performed “Nobody,” “Tell Me,” a mashup of their teasers, and “I Feel You.” It should be immediately apparent from the song selection that Reboot was in no way ever envisioned as an album to be performed live. This should have been an opportunity for Wonder Girls to perform three or four of their best new songs. Instead, they brought out old material and had to rework their teaser segments to fill the time.
I can’t complain too much, however. The reworked version of the 2012 song “Nobody,” though a little toned down, a little slow, was actually a killer rendition. The Wonder Girls sounded great, and their instrumentation was spot on. The only thing missing from their performance was a little showmanship. They looked completely frozen on stage, maybe by nerves.
But “Tell Me” fixed that. The Wonder Girls used their 2007 hit song as a clever way to work a few instrumental solos into their performance. And rather than fumbling over their instruments, the Wonder Girls absolutely nailed it. After Sunmi finished her solo, a smile broke across her face. Then Hyerim hit her notes, and another smile and a nod to the rest of the group. Finally, they started to have some fun on stage! It wasn’t long after that Sunmi started strutting around the stage. It wasn’t much, just a few walk backs, but it made a huge difference. Finally, they started looking like a band instead of robots. Even the typically badass Yubin cracked a smile! And that confidence and joy was obvious as they began their interview segment.
The Wonder Girls were still riding high off their earlier success when they performed the teaser mashup, and they nailed that one too. Hyerim stole the show, but there’s a reason why the guitar player is so often the frontman of a group - their instrument is the loudest and most noticeable!
And then, the Wonder Girls performed their lead single from Reboot, “I Feel You.” Suddenly, it was very apparent that these rocker chicks were all wearing heels. Yeeun’s keyboard was replaced with a keytar, and Yubin was forced to play a drum set that belonged in a video game (so they could both dance along of course). The band concept gave way to a choreographed line dance involving instruments as props and plenty of hip thrusting. It felt ugly. It felt like an unfair reversion to women being treated like objects, women who had just spent the last fifteen minutes proving that they could rock.
But they were never supposed to rock too hard. They were never supposed to return and wow us with their transformation into mature, independent, adult women; they were supposed to return to exactly where they left off. Reboot is an album with a fun, ‘80s feel, but rather than a mature take on an old genre, JYP would have them return to childhood. They’re still the Wonder Girls, just not wonder women yet.
Zander Stachniak is a southern-born, Chicago-based writer who first discovered Kpop through ShoutCast Radio. His biases are f(x) and Block B.
They've finally gone and did it. Wonder Girls is back, Jack, and they're not an iconic group that's simply going to coast on brand recognition, no. They've entered the Girl Group fray and they're taking no prisoners. They're here to ROCK. Or...synthesize. They're here to ROCK that SYNTHESIZER. But they're not the only major group making a comeback. The Clash of the Girl Groups is a never-ending battle, so let's get going already!
Wonder Girls vs. THE 80's
The most talked-about girl group comeback in years is finally here, friends, and I couldn't be happier. Make no mistake, this is a killer comeback with an amazingly ridiculous video. Beginning with Sunmi sitting on a toilet in short shorts, and then unzipping said shorts to reveal the music video, is one of the more strange quasi-erotic moves I've seen in Kpop, and I've watched Stellar's "Vibrato."
But what's truly amazing here is that Wonder Girls has created an 80's style comeback without becoming a parody of an 80's release. It transcends even the homage, as Wonder Girls takes the 80's music and makes it their own. It's like they've created an alternate timeline where Kpop came to existence a decade earlier. Now we know that if this timeline happened, the Wonder Girls would rule all.
What can sometimes be an afterthought at this point is that Wonder Girls is coming back with a band concept, which, no matter how much they actually play their instruments live (yes, yes, I know they've said they'll play live - but how much will be live?), is still impressive to throw in with everything else they have to do as, you know, pop idols. What I find more impressive is the fact that they've written and produced all the songs, except for "I Feel You" (written and produced by JYP), in Reboot. Even if they didn't play music live, this would be a feat, friends. At Critical Kpop, we've just about always encouraged the healthy listening of an entire album. With Reboot, this is essential.
Speaking of the album, it's time to play...
PICK A BETTER PROMOTIONAL SINGLE!
"I Feel You" is a nice, mellow introduction to the rest of the retro masterpiece of Reboot, but would a different song serve better as the promotional single? Put on your Monday Quarterbacking helmet and your JYP shoulder pads, friends, as I pick three songs that are like ten times better than "I Feel You" and what were they even thinking when they picked this song ohmygodahhhhh (slight exaggeration here).
"Baby Don't Play" has the synth-rock play of "I Feel You" but with a touch more attitude, an edge, friends, along with a killer hook: "Baby don't play ah ah ah ah..." that is far more memorable than "I Feel You." This song just jams.
"Candle" (featuring Paloalto) is maybe the best song on the album. Remember when I wrote that Wonder Girls makes the 80's music their own? This is the song that solidified this for me, and having more modern touches like Paloalto and Yubin's raps really meshes the modern and the retro.
"Loved" has all the retro love but is musically complex as well, taking it a step beyond the rest of the album's synthesized charms. Perhaps it would have been too taxing to perform live? I have no idea. I'm just Monday Quarterbacking and second guessing here. Get off my back.
Goodness, "John Doe" is a stellar song too. But "One Black Night" completely slays as a darker release (probably doesn't work as a promotional single though). But there are different directions they could have went here. "Back" sounds like a perfect Beastie Boys throwback, "OPPA" is a bratty club hit, "Faded Love" is just beautiful, a gift for your ears, "Gone" is epic, "Remember" is the prerequisite ballad, but if you're not feeling something by the end of song, reconsider your humanity already!
Which is to say, if an album has twelve songs that can serve as the promotional single, that's an amazing album, and you can quote me on that, Jack. I'm sticking with my top three choices, but what would your picks be? Everyone can play, because with Reboot everyone wins.
Wonder Girls vs. The 80's: Wonder Girls OWNS the 80's
T-ara vs. T-haters
T-ara, the undisputed Guilty Pleasure of Kpop, does not disappoint with their latest foray into mayhem with "So Crazy." First, let's look at how many guilty pleasure points T-ara has raked in with this latest release.
*Guilty Pleasure Points*
+1 for skimpy sailor outfits. +2 for using said skimpy sailor outfits and sexy dancing to manipulate young men (who didn't give them the time of day before) to do their bidding and gain their...respect?, broadcasting confusing mixed messages yet again about gender empowerment in modern 21st century Korea. +2 BUTT +4 for having an older, perhaps less (as they say) "idol-esque" (admittedly mean) woman who has the respect of said young men because of either stately position or reputation, but is then thrown into this strange beauty contest to compete with mother f*cking T-ara of all peoples, only to be shamed and humiliated and essentially shunned by these same fickle men.
But anyway, while I would have preferred something more like last year's EDM Masterpiece, "Sugar Free," T-ara knows a thing or two about producing songs all across the Kpop spectrum. The moments when they don't deviate from their norm are notable, friends.
For one, we see, again, who I would like to call NERD JIYEON.
She just loves this look, as we've seen this Jiyeon in "Little Apple."
And, of course, while she was living all Jeon Won Diary with sup-group T-ara N4.
Yes, other T-ara members have done the nerd look (in these very videos in fact), but none of them seem to embody and revel in that role more than Jiyeon does, returning to this affectation time and time again. It's like she does a Reverse Urkel, using her transformation chamber to rid herself of her meddlesome Stefan persona. What I'm saying is, Nerd Jiyeon is Best Jiyeon. You can quote me on that.
That's not the only theme that "So Crazy" repeats from the T-ara videography. Once again, T-ara finds themselves in competition to win either male admiration or the community's respect. We saw this in N-4's "Jeon Won Diary," where they practice tirelessly to win the town's talent show. We saw this more recently in "Little Apple," where they tried to win...an apple(?) from the sleazy male producers(?), only to lose out at the very last minute. In "So Crazy," they win the beauty contest they compete in, but here's the thing, the look and feel of the presentation feels remarkably like that of certain weekly music programs that certain Kpop groups perform and essentially compete in. The very same music programs/competitions that T-ara, despite being the most consistent girl group for the last three years, hasn't won once in that same time.
Even their winning seems like an imitation of wining on these music programs, with shocked faces accompanied with hugs and tears. Is it too much to hope that T-ara is making some meta-commentary with their lack of music show victories since their fabled bullying scandal? Or even that competitions are being subconsciously skewered because of T-ara's recent history with them? Probably. But you have to admit, it's fun to see T-ara win for once.
You may have noticed that I haven't written much about the song here, and that's because, for the most part, it's standard Brave Brothers/AOA sounding fare. No major surprises or wow factor here. But maybe this more generic song is just what is needed to silence the rabid T-haters? The song has a great turn at about the two minute, sixteen second mark, where Hyomin ratchets up the intensity, and it's a solid release all together, but can it compete with the like of a rebooted Wonder Girls? Maybe more importantly, with their attention shifted to China, does T-ara even care about dominating Korean charts anymore?
T-ara vs. T-haters: T-haters are gonna hate, but T-ara has 1.3 billion new fans waiting, so.
Timothy Moore writes from Chicago. He blogs at Read My Blog Please, and edits at Ghost Ocean Magazine. His biases are T-ara, Block B, Nine Muses, Brown Eyed Girls, and Girl's Day.
Ever since JYP let it slip that Wonder Girls would be returning as a band (a real live band with instruments and everything!), we’ve been anticipating their comeback. On August 3rd, 12pm KST, Wonder Girls will return with Hyelim on guitar, Sunmi on bass, Yeeun on keyboard, and Yubin on drums (Sunye and Sohee have withdrawn from the group). That’s right, after two years on hiatus, Wonder Girls will return as a band! Which is crazy. It’s exciting, astounding, perplexing. It’s worrying! I’ve been racing through the whole gamut of emotions, and I just can’t seem to settle on one. Because while there have been so many ups and downs in Kpop over the last few months, Wonder Girls’ return is, for me, the most surprising thing that has happened all summer. And it’s going to completely change everything for one of the most well-known Kpop groups out there!
Paradigm Shift
Forming an idol band is a big deal, and there’s honestly no successful model out there for female idol groups (indie groups are not the same). AOA would probably be the closest thing with their early releases of “Elvis” and “Get Out,” and AOA Black’s “Moya.” But since then AOA’s band concept has been unceremoniously dumped in favor of an instrument-free, booty-focused approach. (FNC Entertainment has locked up the erstwhile drummer, Yookyoung, and thrown away the key, presumably to ensure she is unable to lead a revolution with her flaming drumsticks.) As much as some fans will persist that they want a return to the band concept, AOA is not a good role model.
There are healthier models in male groups CNBLUE and F.T. Island, but there’s an enormous difference: both CNBLUE and F.T. Island debuted as bands. Not as idols, but rock bands. Yes, these men have successfully navigated the thin line between idol and rock band, but they started with a guitar strapped to their chest and one foot on the kick drum and the overwhelming cultural acceptance of men in rock bands. Gender is important here! Their narrative, from start to present, has been as men that play instruments. Wonder Girls, until this point, have also had a consistent narrative: as female idols.
Now, that doesn’t mean they can’t change. Look at AOA, who changed from a band to an idol group at the flip of a switch. But here’s where gender is going to rear its ugly head. AOA’s change in narrative proceeded from a concept that was less commonly accepted for women to one that is more commonly accepted, i.e. from rockers to sexy idols. They moved in the direction that would attract the least vitriol. Going in reverse, for Wonder Girls, is going to draw a lot of attention. And that attention is most likely to take the form of netizens questioning their abilities as musicians. No matter what Wonder Girls does, no matter how much they shred, this conversation will take place in a different arena than it would for male musicians.
JYP is anticipating this conversation. There’s a reason for the reassuring notes at the end of each teaser that states that the music was recorded by the Wonder Girls members. Dismissal and disbelief are expected. So why do it at all? Why invite all the noise and nonsense? Well, because noise and nonsense gets heard! After a two-year hiatus, and a career that never fully reached the heights it was hyped to attain, Wonder Girls needs something to kickstart their return. Coming back as a band and ruffling a few feathers might be just what they need.
But Can They Melt Our Faces?
According to JYP, the women of Wonder Girls have spent one year preparing for their comeback. That’s one year spent learning guitar, bass, keyboard, and drums. It sounds like an impossible dream. Perhaps even a recipe for disaster.
To be fair, though, the one year quoted by JYP is a bit misleading. Yeeun previously knew how to play both guitar and piano. Sunmi supposedly started learning bass in her 20s (she’s 23). And doubtless, Hyelim and Yubin are not as green as JYP makes them out to be either. Some of this is an exaggeration to make us even more excited to see what these women can do. It also lowers expectations, which is a double-edged sword.
Regardless, we’re not going to see much on music shows. It’s almost unheard of for an artist to get a live band setup, even for the big groups like CNBLUE and F.T. Island. We’re almost certain to hear a pre-recorded version of the song, which won’t make it easy for Wonder Girls to impress us with their skills when they’re slapping a muted bass. On the other hand, it will allow them to focus on giving us a more dynamic performance. Because there’s a big difference in the stage of a band and an idol group. For a band, all movement becomes more static. You are physically hooked in to a piece of equipment. The thing to watch for early on will be how the members of Wonder Girls are able to connect with their instruments. For them to rock, guitar, bass, keyboard, and drums need to be more than casual props, they need to be identities that the women inhabit. The dynamic cameras in the music shows will help, but Wonder Girls will need to figure out how to go from using movement to impress and engage their audience to using a more static form of showmanship. If their teasers are any indication, they're well on their way.
Aside from typical promotions on music shows, it will be interesting to see how fully Wonder Girls embraces the band concept. Because there’s actually one other important thing we know about this comeback. And it’s actually something that we don’t know. Or, rather, it’s something we know we don’t know. Have I lost you yet? Here it is: We don’t know if this change to Wonder Girls is a permanent one or a one-time gig. JYP has confirmed several times that Wonder Girls is returning as a band, yes, but that doesn’t mean “in perpetuity.” This is Kpop after all, where things change faster than you can swing a dead cat at them.
Embracing the band concept fully will require developing a large repertoire of songs they can perform as a band, something they don’t currently have. If they’re serious about becoming a band, this would have to be a long-term play, not a one-year project. Even then, the concept would necessarily limit their range. There’s an incredible variety of sound in Kpop right now, but a somewhat limited number of sounds that can be created with a four-piece band (though a keyboard helps). That limitation, coupled with the increased training required to master their instruments, means that Wonder Girls is actually probably better off adopting a hybrid model. I can easily see this as something that the group can strategically return to from time to time. In future concerts, they might start as a band, then two songs in, throw down their instruments and light up the stage with a killer dance performance, only to return to their instruments later on.
And that’s how I can imagine Wonder Girls truly being successful with the band concept. Not as a full-on rock band, but as an idol band. So long as the netizens don’t attack, don’t make gendered and unfair assessments of perceived musical talent, so long as Wonder Girls gets comfortable in their new skin, so long as they avoid the early exit a la AOA, then they can absolutely start melting our faces off. I'll see you on August 3rd. I'll be the guy without a face!
Zander Stachniak is a southern-born, Chicago-based writer who first discovered Kpop through ShoutCast Radio. His biases are f(x) and Block B.
