One of the most surprising (and welcome) developments of the year has been the strong musical identities of a trio of survival series spawned boy groups. Close Your Eyes, AHOF and NouerA have all debuted with great material that feels unique to them. In Close Your Eyes’ case, the guys bucked expectations by emerging with a mid-00’s style mid-tempo that only grew more addictive with time. Now, it’s time to expand that sound with their first comeback Snowy Summer.
It probably won’t surprise you that a person (me) who writes about and rates songs every day loves to classify things. My brain loves putting things in their “rightful” place, so I can’t say I’ve ever been a fan of “Christmas in July.” Just the thought of listening to a carol this time of year feels deeply wrong, which makes Snowy Summer a tricky proposition. However, the song’s audio is malleable enough to work as a breezy summertime bop as well. It’s a bit more upbeat than All My Poetry but retains that track’s throwback groove.
For me, the element that stands out most about Close Your Eyes is the members’ vocal color. They have lovely, instantly identifiable voices that pull a relatively dull song like Snowy Summer over the line. On its face, this isn’t too dissimilar from the laidback coffeehouse fare I often dismiss outright, but the character of their performance elevates the material. At their best, I could see this group growing into a kind of new-gen B1A4, marrying quirky concepts with classic songwriting prowess. Snowy Summer is too tame to stand as a summer highlight, but just like its predecessor I see this having a long life on my playlist even if it’s never the track I seek out first.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8.25 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
It’s a serviceable mid-tempo that tip-toes the line between the summer vibes and winter mid-tempos (sort of like f(x)’s Wish List, but Wish List was more upbeat). Not as strong as their debut, but I see it age well.
8 (8, 8, 8, 8) for me.
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They do something in the melody that they did in All My Poetry as well and I don’t know enough about musical composition to pinpoint exactly what that is, but it is something I don’t see enough in kpop. I’m talking mainly about the notes from 1:40 to 1:44, same when they sing the “angels in the snow” part, the notes have a special 60’s pop rock touch, I think. Anyway I love it, it seems forgettable at first listen I guess but there is some actual thought behind it and they sound really really good. I would give it 8.5.
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I had wanted to look this group up because so many people had listed them on their mid-year best lists. I went back and listened to “… Poetry”, and its fine R&B, serviceable. Its a pretty old genre, and hubby plays a lot of vinyl at home, so there is far better R&B out there that wafts in the air at home.
This one here today is also Serviceable. Without the title and without understanding the Korean lyrics, it sounded neither summer nor winter to me, just a pleasant b-side-style mid-tempo.
Side note – my main listening medium is Youtube, so all the side crashes and starts and stops were very annoying. It took a full minute of (what, what was going on, where is that tab hidden) to get to the song.
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To be fair, they do upload the songs to YouTube separately from the music videos, so if you don’t want to watch the videos you can just listen to the songs… I’m pretty sure every act does this?
I personally like it when the video has something extra. Music videos used to be so much more story-driven back in the day, too.
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Oh yes there usually is a track-style video or such somewhere, but I click on the first one I see in the suggestions and not hunt around for “the music only” version.
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I recommend you look the songs up directly in Youtube Music, you’ll find the track versions right away.
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It’s nice to hear your comments about their voices, because when the CYE members were first revealed they actually got a lot of flack for not having vocalists! I think that maybe there can be an advantage to this– you end up with distinct vocal tones. Maybe voices that have been fine-tuned over many years can end up sounding samey.
I don’t have much to say about the song; it’s pleasant enough. I must say that Lee Haein’s creative direction is great once again, and I give this music video props for actually making me laugh out loud, which I don’t know if a kpop music video has ever made me done before. I love the slapstick gags in here, and the comedic timing around 3:26 is perfect.
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I like their title tracks thus far, but they need some more spunk.
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Agreed. Sometimes it verges toward the dreaded “beige” I’ve been complaining about all year…
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As someone Aussie I am the complete opposite: I LOVE Summer Christmas themes cause that’s my reality and I can enjoy songs like these when December comes rolling around.
I really like this, it remains interesting throughout its runtime and the chorus is so catchy that I went to sleep last night humming it. I don’t know if it passes ‘All My Poetry,’ I don’t think it will, but I’m happy to see them stay true to their sonic vision.
Also the MV is great, defs gonna be one of my top ones for the year.
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So supposedly Paint Candy from the album is the second title track, and it has much more personality that this song. Please look forward to it!
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It may be subdued but the chorus is so satisfying. It’s one of those song that maybe I won’t seek a lot but would never skip. 8.25
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Cute. Def brought a smile to my face. It’s not better than All My Poetry tho. This feels like a light shower. Nice but inconsequential. In the right mood I can dig this but upon first listen it’s just alright. The solid direction and commitment to sound is not unnoticed.
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The song is alright. Not bad, but kind of forgettable and pretty generic. Nothing really stood out. It’s decent for a rookie group, but with so many strong rookie groups this year, this one feels a bit underwhelming, especially compared to their debut song.
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