Upon the release of LE SSERAFIM’s most recent album, the track Eve, Psyche & The Bluebeard’s Wife seemed to spark a lot of online discussion. So, I’m not surprised it’s been given a music video and follow-up promotions. While Unforgiven attacks with its central catchphrase, Eve maintains the stylish — almost monotone — air of the group’s debut Fearless. I prefer this sound from LE SSERAFIM, but I find Eve too one-note to really stand out.
In the comments section of Unforgiven‘s review, I made the following observation:
“I would compare LE SSERAFIM’s career so far to an ad in an upscale fashion magazine. It’s sleek and stylish and purports to be deep/meaningful. But, ultimately it’s designed to sell something that has little to do with the music.”
This sounds a bit judgmental, especially since this same approach is leveraged by so many K-pop acts of LE SSERAFIM’s generation. Style is important, and a good earworm is a good earworm — even if the full song doesn’t hit with as much lethality. Eve, Psyche & The Bluebeard’s Wife casts a hypnotic 90’s-inspired groove, and the carnality of its energy is quite addicting. The texture of the group’s vocals only enhances this atmosphere. But, this genre has been well-trodden over the past few years and it takes a very special song to stand out. Eve is enjoyable all the way through. However, it lacks the peaks and valleys that color the most legendary dance tracks. Instead, much of the hook revolves around “get it like boom boom boom.” The lyrics are delivered with an effortless sense of runway-strut cool and the beat is bound to get your head nodding. For me, the song just doesn’t push far enough beyond its fashionable veneer.
Hooks | 7 |
Production | 9 |
Longevity | 8 |
Bias | 8 |
RATING | 8 |
Grade: B-
I really love this, but if I was to tweak it, it’d be what you said. I wish the melody was a bit sharper, and for the final chorus to really explode. Maybe if they’d repeated that post chorus im a mess mess mess mess mess mess mess mess mess
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My main gripe with the song is the ending, which involves a random out of place ‘girl wanna have fun’ chant that is not better than the pattern already established prior (I’m a mess mess mess mess etc.)
Overall I really love this though, I find it’s hooks to be more effective than expected even if the melodic line isn’t as strong as No Return.
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I think it is very enjoyable. And also well-trodden But if this is your first time with this style of song, go for it.
Many years ago in the early 00’s, I had consulting assignments in Miami and Puerto Rico. This sounds like South Beach bars from that era. Mangos. Does Mangos still exist? Some swish place in San Juan where we got a free CD swag called “The Water Club”. Well, free, after the cover charge and the expensive libations. Free CD dates the era, yes – who has a CD player these days? I mean, I have old ones, and do hear hubby put on the “Water Music” CD once or twice a year, usually a hot summer weekend night on the patio.
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Now if we could’ve gotten MV for Fire in the Belly instead and use it as a World Cup ad… Missed opportunity. I did enjoy this song the second most on album, and I do agree it’s a bit monotone, but since I haven’t heard a kpop group pull a stylish edm dance club groove in a long while, this gets good scores from me
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i like it much better than unforgiven and the mv is fun too. a great choice for follow up promos.
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The more I listen to this album the less I like it. Its having the opposite effect on me that I wish it did. I like them but very little of this does anything for me.
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It’s my favorite from the album. It’s a runway song, and I’m always up for those, when done well, as this one is. I still think this should have been promoted as the lead single. At the end of the year, I expect it’ll be in my top 20 or 30.
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By the way, isn’t the MV filmed in the same place as Suzy’s Satellite from last year?:
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I recall Stray Kids’ Back Door was also filmed here. It seems to be filmed in a lot of K-pop MVs.
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Interesting. To be honest, I only recognize it because it reminds me so much of the hospital I’d take my mother in law to her cancer treatment here in Greater Boston, before she passed. The design and lay-out is so similar. I don’t know where it’s filmed, but it screams hospital to me, and it’s a bit traumatic to see it.
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It’s better than Unforgiven for sure but almost everything is better than THAT ,it still feels a bit empty to me
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I dont think I like it as much as some others, but honestly the choreography really makes it for me. I cant stop replaying it bc of it lol, its like its hypnotizing
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im sorry mr nick bias list but this whole review is kind of a miss for me tbh……like i dont think ive ever heard a kpop song go this hard into jersey club music and as some1 w a huge edm/adjacent hyperfixation just for that it gets a 9.25 from me. (the delivery of the “get it like boom boom boom” in particular is very prominent in that subgenre too btw) also i get what u mean abt the whole style over substance thing but if u ask me this is one of those cases where the style kind of IS the substance like u just. cant remove the production from the song without completely removing any and all of its substance ykwim?
anyways ramble over im just. very autistic abt stuff like this lol
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Autistic people are unstoppable forces of talking when our special interests are mentioned. Also, 100% agree with u.
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Don’t be sorry! It sounds like we just wanted different things out of this and that’s totally okay 🙂
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totally agree with youre take on this. the whole point of this songs the style! its even in the lyrics. like i genuinely dont understand why music cant just be fun. if le sserafim is only about style then at least they can pull off style better than anyone else imo.
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at least a 9 for me, y’all just dont get gay club music like i do
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Period, this song appeals purely to a gay club sensibility, and if you don’t know what that means then you might not get it lol. I for one welcome this and hope it becomes a trend. Drag race Korea… I know it’ll happen one day 🙂
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Oh my gosh I would LIVE for Drag Race Korea 😭
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This is glossy, aloof stylish house. It’s totally in my ballpark. Walk that f’ing duck.
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Was blown away by this song when I first heard it, but it seemed to quickly wear out for me. the “boom boom boom” parts are too repetitive. Also, has anyone actually figured out what that title meant? Putting together the pieces with my little knowledge, Eve is Adam’s wife, Psyche is Eros’ wife, and Bluebeard’s wife is, well, the wife of Bluebeard,. And who’s Bluebeard? I only encountered Bluebeard from the song “Bluebeard” by Cocteau Twins, which was later re-sung by Faye Wong, and titled it “Random Thoughts (胡思亂想),” which was one of the soundtracks to Wong Kar Wai’s “Chungking Express” film.
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I’m glad you asked, because I happen to have written about this on my Tumblr a little while ago haha. Click for some Eve/Psyche/Bluebeard’s Wife lore..
Another point on which I disagree with Nick, clearly, I find this song quite meaningful! Just the juxtaposition of the three heroines/villainesses in the title is in itself very interesting to me, and when you look at the lyrical content of the song especially in Korean, I think it has a lot to say for itself. It’s a song about Women Seeking Knowledge despite or maybe even because that knowledge is expressly forbidden to them. It’s also a gay club bop! I’m a mess mess mess mess mess mess mess
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Woah, I’ve read into analysis on the title already so I understood the comparison to the three figures but this is a really great analysis! Thanks for enlightening me, that was a good read.
(and yes, I’m also in the I-love-this-gay-club-bop gang that’s assembled in the comments)
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