In the beginning, I was curious about 6-member K-Pop girl group Everglow. But soon after, I became extremely frustrated with the group’s uneven line distribution, evident in 2019 song ‘Adios’ and then again earlier this year with ‘Dun Dun’. However, it seems now Everglow are turning over a new leaf (or at least Yuehua Entertainment have finally started listening to disgruntled fans) with ‘La Di Da’ from their latest comeback and second mini album ‘-77.82X-78.29’.
‘La Di Da’ not only finally has more evenly distributed lines between members E:U, Mia, Sihyeon, Aisha, Onda and Yiren, but its 80s synthwave pop sounds are somewhat nostalgic and are enchantingly addictive, as the girls punch out fierce feels of female empowerment while stating that they literally have “got no time for haters”.
I personally love 80s music and was immediately hooked upon hearing the song for the first time. I admittedly have not stopped listening to it since (it’s been on repeat for days). The music video accompanying the single is equally as captivating, shot with some scenes heavily Sin City inspired in monochrome style. Everglow’s MV is visually stunning and I honestly cannot fault both the song and its MV.
The 80s sounds continue in track ‘Untouchable’, a catchy and enticing love song about love, soulmates and destiny with the lyrics blatantly stating, “You and I, untouchable”. In this song, Mia and Sihyeon’s vocals outshine the other members, but they also get the most lines. While in ‘Gxxd Boy’, the song is more rap heavy, hypnotising and is effortlessly dominated by members E:U, Aisha and Yiren. Closing out the album is sweet euphoric song ‘No Good Reason’. Probably the slowest track on the record, it appears to also be the most vocally flexible, allowing for the members to showcase their singing abilities. Although all three of these songs are uneven with their line distribution, the mini album overall is far more lyrically equal in comparison to its predecessor, Everglow’s first mini album ‘Reminiscence’. And for that, I am quite satisfied for now. However, there is plenty of room for improvement.
Overall, Everglow’s ‘-77.82X-78.29’ is an impressive album, even though I have yet to figure out the meaning behind the album title. At first, I thought they were coordinates, but when I checked them, it ended up pointing me to Antarctica. That can’t be right, can it? I mean, the album art does show an iceberg… If anyone knows the meaning, please do let me know!
Until then, I must admit that Everglow’s hero song ‘La Di Da’ off the mini album is incredibly impressive, my favourite song of Everglow’s yet, and is one of the best K-Pop girl group releases of 2020. Admittedly, I was uncertain and curious about Everglow before, I was even frustrated at some points, but now… now they have my attention. I’m hoping it’s only uphill for them from here on.
Images by Yuehua Entertainment.
