Formed in 2015, there is no denying that 7-member K-Pop girl group CLC have paid their dues.
Starting from ‘cuter’ beginnings, the group consisting of members; Seungyeon, Seunghee, Yujin, Sorn, Yeeun, Elkie and Eunbin tested the girl crush waters in 2017 with ‘Hobgoblin’ and have consistently evolved since their 2018 tune ‘Black Dress’. A year after their last comeback ‘Devil’, which sadly did not have a physical release, CLC are finally back (and I do mean finally) with a newly designed logo, a more mature fierce look and an anthemic comeback single that is catchy as hell.
‘HELICOPTER’ is a trap pop and EDM powerhouse song which uses the word ‘helicopter’ as a metaphor, emphasising the need to ‘rise up’. Despite the song being titled ‘HELICOPTER’ there are no helicopters to be found in CLC’s music video, instead consisting of impressive light fixtures, lasers, gowns, army inspired matching outfits, a colourful galaxy backdrop, a random staircase (or a weird looking ceiling fixture), mirrors, and excellent choreography accompanying CLC with their own band of male soldiers (dancers) at their disposal.
CUBE Entertainment have clearly thrown in the dollars to help CLC return with a strong and solid comeback. This edgier and sassier concept shown in ‘HELICOPTER’ appears to suit the girl group better in comparison to their previous concepts. I feel it compliments them, perfectly showcases their personalities and I am really hoping that they stick with it.
As the song is a single, both physically and digitally there are only two tracks consisting of ‘HELICOPTER’ and its English version. The English version of ‘HELICOPTER’ flows quite well and the group even filmed an English version of the music video, which is practically the same except for the parts when the camera zooms in on the members singing the lyrics in English.
While ‘HELICOPTER’ is admittedly a little repetitive and structurally limits the members vocally on what they can do, lyrically it is evenly distributed between the group’s members, and the song still works well. For example; Sorn’s soft vocals surprisingly soothe and shine in this heavy hitting track, Yeeun’s rap is impressive, Seungyeon’s parts both audibly and visually are captivating throughout, and somehow Seunghee still manages to ad lib and show off her incredible vocals at the end.
Although it is a shame that we’ve only received a single and not an album this time around, ‘HELICOPTER’ is enough to satisfy the dedicated fan and is also enticing enough to take new fans under their wing (or should I say ‘blades’ – helicopter pun). I am hoping that CLC’s journey, now that they’ve found their identity, is just getting started. This group is incredibly talented and are surprisingly underrated. So, if you haven’t already jumped on ‘HELICOPTER’, you should do that now.
Images by Cube Entertainment.
