When last we checked in with Lucy, I was bemoaning how little they were utilizing their violinist. Jogging was a perfectly serviceable track, but felt too generic for a group with a leader who also happens to play the violin. Thankfully, new single Snooze (선잠) rights this wrong and finds great use for strings within its upbeat arrangement.
I’m happy to report that Snooze is no snooze. It has a buoyant energy, with plenty of structural variance to keep it fresh. At just under five minutes in length, it’s quite a long title track by K-pop standards. But, the song uses its space fully, opening in a dreamlike haze before the sprightly beat kicks in. For the first minute or so, we’re swept along by an understated build. This sets up the chorus perfectly, as more instrumentation comes in and Snooze begins to rock out (or at least, “rock out” as much as it’s designed to). I love the fullness of this refrain. The instrumental throws everything at us at once, from extra percussion to swoops of strings to the odd synth texture. But, it’s all grounded in frontman Sangyeob’s rich tone.
So, let’s get back to that violin. Snooze showcases leader Yechan’s skills perfectly. Not only does he ornament the choruses and second verse, but he even gets his own interlude section. Just as most songs would be winding down, Snooze pauses for a gorgeous solo that imbues the track with emotion and drama. It’s not the kind of musical showcase you hear often in K-pop, and its presence is well-appreciated. Better yet, it’s just one of many surprises packed into this charming comeback.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8.25 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I have such a soft spot for this band. They’re very good at imbuing their work with a sort of nostalgia, and that’s only heightened by how earnestly everyone seems to participate. I don’t think I could dislike anything they create.
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Wow, a song that does not live to its title… Those are common.
Actually not so much, last year we had several songs that lived up to their title.
Breakthrough – Twice
Dumb Litty – KARD
Humph – Pentagon
Those titles tell you all you need to know about the song.
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Also Nick, what are your thoughts on Reol’s Q? I am hoping you will review it, I gave it 8.5 (https://108ent.blogspot.com/2020/11/review-reol-q.html), but I can see this song being divisive.
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Also Nick, what are your thoughts on the new Reol song (Q?)? I enjoyed it and gave it a quite positive review ( https://108ent.blogspot.com/2020/11/review-reol-q.html ), but I can see some loving and others hating it.
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Holy, I thought it failed to appear the first time, would you mind deleting one of the two comment replies Nick? Thanks and sorry in advance.
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I absolutely love this song. The violin is gorgeous and the track gives me jrpg soundtrack feels. Top 10 of the year for me right now.
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In my part of the world, every other band has a fiddle in it, and some have a mandolin and or double bass and or banjo as well. In typical years (not this year), there are at least three downtown festivals and one recurring summer amphitheater series where half the bands have a fiddle player. So merely having a violin does not make them a unique band to me.
What piqued my interest is that since they don’t come from the bluegrass Appalachian folk tradition, what would they do with it. How would a band that has been bathed in a kpop tradition and all their eastern folk traditions with the interesting scales, how would that influence their music.
The previous releases have all underwhelmed as the violin has played a melodic line that could have just as easily been played by a synthesizer. This song isn’t perfect, but it is closer to the interesting spaces of how I hope they would sound. It isn’t a new song as they played it on the band competition finale a year ago, but it is nice to hear it promoted. The instrumental brings out the sweetness of the violin. Starting about 1:30 the violin playing off the bass is very nice touch. And then there is the extended break which turns slower and bittersweet. Its nicely done, and I hope to hear more as they grow and evolve.
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Interesting! Over here it’s mostly just guitars, drums, and more guitars (and a keyboard, usually).
I feel the same way though. I’m usually not sold on bands with a violin (like Clean Bandit) in western pop because the violin ends up so underused. Being familiar with the instrument, I know how much interesting stuff you can do with it and it feels like a waste to have a violinist there just to play a simple melody line (like you say, that could have just as easily been played by a synthesizer). It just feels like ‘look we have a violin, isn’t that cool?’
Anyway, all that to preface: I think it is done quite nicely in this song, too. The song feels to me like a more sophisticated Coldplay number.
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