ARTMS pre-released their track Born Stunner a couple weeks ago and it would be an understatement to say I disliked that song. Every once and awhile, some poor release bears not only the brunt of its own shortcomings but the brunt of being the latest in a long line of similar songs with similar shortcomings. In other words, it was a straw that broke the camel’s back. But to my welcome surprise, the preview for their album sounded much better and that quality bears out on title track Blue Blood.
It’s shocking how uniformly (and quickly!) girl group trends have congealed into this hyperpop-tinged take on early 2010s electro and bloghouse sounds. Blue Blood is a bit more melodic than most of these efforts so far, but still has that artificial — almost tinny — sheen to it. At just under two and a half minutes, the song has been trimmed of any bells and whistles in favor of a brief, concentrated blast of high-tempo electronica.
Because of this approach, it’s hard not to come away from Blue Blood with two opposing feelings. On one hand, I appreciate the energy and love how the track boasts a fully sung chorus that attempts to provide some sort of payoff. On the other hand, everything about Blue Blood is so fleeting. Everything could have been fleshed out so much more than it is and feels rushed without the kind of build that makes these electro-bangers so satisfying. It’s a dynamics issue — all light and no shade. An extended mix would work wonders.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8.25 |
Grade: B
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
THIS is the kind of trend I need girl groups to do. Like no more of that “hyperpop” bullcrap which is just sanitised completely of its colour, give us more blippy-bloppy songs with a sense of drive! But yeah, it could do better and extended.
8.5 (8, 9, 8, 9) for me
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I LOVE IT however I can’t help but be a bit sad that the song doesn’t sound like it did in the demo. I feel like the bass was stronger and the overall production was more hype and in the version they released it sounds a bit more light and fluffy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPqo9t4SHwY
The original Blue Blood is at 1:38
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This sounds like lazy hyperpop to me. Melody is beyond generic and the instrumental is barely more than a snippet. I had to check out at the 2:00 mark which is insane for such a short song. Very b-side coded. Maybe with a richer production and vocal variations I would have liked it more. I still have my coins on KiiiKiiii!
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I like this kind of approach to hyperpop more compared to KiiKii pre-release track with more fleshed-out structure and melody. I also get the feeling that it was so rushed too on the first listen, but I really appreciate the energy and it got better with more replay. I got really hooked on the electronic-infused verse and the high-energy chorus, despite the lack of obvious hook verse like Bad Bad or This & That, thanks to its engaging melody Thank God its not the same song concept like the unspeakable Born Stunner.
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“An extended mix would work wonders” THIS. Just why, ARTMS’ producers, a bridge + a confetti-worth-moment final chorus (possibly with outro) would simply make it feel more completed. I’m currently rating it a 8.75, but I could feel it’ll be getting lower soon, as I just annoyed each time I replay.
This EP is quite… lazy, as mentioned by the comment above. Yes it goes a step forward to those hyperpop theme, but every song sounds like using the same beat, same percussive and same effect, with the twist of the melody only.
Pixel Memory would be the buries treasure for me, though it still lack of the good finale.
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This is probably one of the most remarkable releases this week. The hyperpop trend has been pretty hit or miss in KPop, and I think this song lands in the middle. It is a step forward after Stunner, which was definitely so not it haha.
However, I do appreciate the attempt ARTMS and their team are doing to actually lean into the sound in a serious way. The EP isn’t great but as a listener, I can definitely see that there’s an intentionality to actually go all in with hyperpop and exploring a few variations of it through the tracklist. If they’re moving forward with this sound, I can see that for them. They’ve always been a dance-pop-leaning group so I think it suits them.
This track is just okay, but Pixel Memory and Hyper Crush felt like highlights on their EP.
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I wish they stacked more vocals on the chorus. The melody is nice, but I’m losing it in the Production. Definitely better than born stunner though, but I don’t know if I’d actively seek this out either
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