Review

Song Review: VIVIZ – Pull Up

Viviz - Pull UpVIVIZ are back with their second comeback, following last summer’s Loveade. Thus far, the girls have been trying on a variety of styles. Nothing has stuck out as much as their old GFriend sound, but their work as a trio has been pretty solid. New single Pull Up hearkens back to a mid-2010’s girl group era where brass-filled bops were all the rage. It’s a surprisingly good match for VIVIZ.

Compared to earlier singles, the ladies sound very assured here. The song allows for more personality than before, fueled by a sassy energy. This is evident right from the start as a boisterous brass loop brings us into the track. From here, Pull Up flirts with disco and funk before dropping into its percussive chorus. VIVIZ aren’t reinventing the wheel here, but the song has focus and drive. Its arrangement is varied enough to maintain interest, moving through distinct segments without sacrificing the central appeal of the track. A repeated rap during the bridge and outro is goofy fun, proving the girls aren’t taking themselves too seriously.

Over the past few years, I’ve grown more unimpressed by K-pop choruses that opt for some slinky bassline over a robust melody. Pull Up takes this approach but melds it to a hook that feels like a natural peak. This goes a long way toward making the track a satisfying whole. Though it clocks in at under three minutes, you feel like you’re getting a full experience rather than a stop/start sketch of a dance song. Time will tell how Pull Up ages, but I think this might by the group’s strongest single yet.

Hooks 8
 Production 8
 Longevity 9
 Bias 9
 RATING 8.5

Grade: B

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18 thoughts on “Song Review: VIVIZ – Pull Up

  1. It has a similar vibe and flavor as Twice “The Feels” – a little less oomph but a bit more sultry. The farty trumpet sound as a post-chorus is a bit weak and a missed opportunity for a better hook.

    Rating is a bit high, for me closer to flat 8 at best, more likely high 7’s.

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  2. I’m surprised that you liked this one. I’m not complaining, the song is a groovy, self-assured version of the girl crush trend, and the lyrics is blunt but have good meaning. I love how their vocals are utilized here. The rap from SinB and Umji is so fun, and Eunha’s vocals provided enough oomph to this track.

    Definitely not my favorite from them tho. LOVEADE is still my jam. I love you, I love you like that. ❤

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  3. I’m leaning closer to 8 right now, I think with headphones and more listens this could be a real grower. most of the kpop I listen to isn’t from recent years but 2012-2015 so I enjoy that this song sounds like it could’ve come from that period. I prefer the bright fun of loveade and bop bop more though

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  4. Sadly, it feels like nothing more than a placeholder for me. The concept itself is right there, but, unfortunately, that centerpiece was a total non-starter, and it ruined all the enjoyment. As a result, the song appears to be pretty undercooked. 7.75 at best (6,8,8,9). Though I still hope for this to grow on me…

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  5. Personally didnt really enjoy it. A few things I disliked:
    1. The chorus. It sounds wery generic and weak. Honestly you can expect whats going on just half into the chorus, with the usual chord progressions going on.
    2. The post-chorus. Honestly that sounded dangerous. Vocals went out, and there was a sudden drain in energy.
    3. Excessive sing-talk. One/two lines would be fine, but definitely no for occupying so many bars. Imho that ruined the musicality of the song.
    A few things I liked:
    1.Good production and arrangement. Vocals sound a bit overprocessed, tho acceptable.
    2. Sassy vibe is ‘accurate’. This is what one will expect if VIVIZ did a sassy concept.

    I was actually expecting BPM to release a Love Love Love 2.0 given its popularity. Seems I was wrong, nvm. The b-sides of the album are well-produced, which provides us with another enjoyable VIVIZ album. Pull up is still the title though with its vibe.

    A 7.25 for me. It’s great to see VIVIZ trying out sth new, just didnt impress me. Charts (e.g. Melon) seem to do well so I guess its good?

    Just sth personal here: As a Buddy I loved most titles of Gfriend (I’m not a big fan of the Hybe releases). I never find them boring, and they still amaze me of their high completion. VIVIZ is basically 4th gen GFRIEND. Let’s just be honest: Who doesnt wanna VIVIZ to give us another GFREIND song? Of course, the GFRIEND formula is likely to be outdated for 4th gen, but I believe this is what you expect from VIVIZ. Can you think of VIVIZ without thinking of GFRIEND? I cant, sorry. And I believe I’m not the only one. We may not need another Red Sun, but its always good to have such a song. I guess this is what I expect as a Buddy & Na.V.

    (Disclaimers: My 2 cents. Please do not feel offended if we are on the opposite side.)

    Liked by 1 person

  6. I really liked this, it sounds confident and mature. The rap/sing talk bits were actually my favorite parts of the song, as they had the same effect on me as the rap in Love Dive. Maybe it would have had more impact if saved for the last part of the song. In any case, I think Viviz just saved January for me. I also liked So Special off the album. They’re not doing anything new, but it’s done well.

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  7. This is my favourite Viviz title track so far! I think the chorus could be a little stronger but overall it beats out Bop Bop to be my new favourite and the rest of the minialbum is fantastic. Viviz always has a great selection of bsides!

    It harkens back to Fingertip a little in my opinion and also reminds me of a number of 4minute or Girls Generation TTS bsides because of the brass. The music video was a lot of fun and I loveeee the choreography. It’s slinky and sassy without sacrificing playfulness. I’d love to see a Yuju or Yerin comeback soon to wallow in Gfriend nostalgia entirely ❤

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  8. I really like them. This mini album was really really good. Pull Up is a really great song. I think Overdrive is my favorite song on their EP. Its close though. I liked all of the songs.

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