U-Kiss Wants You To "Stop Girl"

U-Kiss has come out with their seventh mini-album Stop Girl and a new monochrome MV, and I couldn’t be more pleased. The group is just one of those that I’ve had some difficulty getting into, with most of songs not translating well with me. This may or may not be a sentiment shared by most of the K-pop mainstream in South Korea.

Therefore, from a non-Kissme perspective, “Stop Girl” might be the best U-Kiss promotional song to be released to date. We’ll see if this comeback gives U-Kiss any edge in relevance, to help shed their near-nugu status. I have my fingers crossed that they’ll get the award they deserve with this comeback. However, the big downside is that TVXQ and G-Dragon are promoting at the same time, which could factor in an arduous climb to the top.

The song itself is near flawless, with its smooth R&B beat and laidback atmosphere that is evoked with slow and steady pacing. Kevin and Soohyun kill the song with their vocals, and Eli and Dongho finally have raps that aren’t embarrassing but flow perfectly with the song. I have little to complain about the tune, really. It was smooth enough to give me 90’s R&B vibes, and catchy enough to keep my attention and become ingrained in my mind. Although the song might bring the Supremes or Sailor Moon, depending on your generation, to mind, the song is incredibly addictive and the boys show off all their cards here. Even if South Korea doesn’t fall in love with this song, or if listeners don’t become Kissme converts, U-Kiss has definitely found a new fan in me.

The MV is simplistic yet made with just the right tone in mind. Although U-Kiss might be stuck in plain rooms, it’s understandable by how unobnoxious and chill the song sounds. The first version I came across was in black and white, and I thought it fit the mood a lot more, because the black and white gave it a toned-down, turn-off-the-lights vibe. The lighting changes looked a lot better in black and white than in colour, especially during the dance sequences, as did the costumes, except for Dongho’s. The weird cap looked hideous in whatever colour or shade it was in, though.

There were a lot of seemingly meaningless objects, like the chair and the rook piece, but I thought that Kevin’s room and the rook piece symbolized the meaning of the song, which was that love is like a game of back and forth, similar to chess in a way. The camera work in this MV was really something, with the shaky camera being used at the right time, like during the early stages of their dance sequences, and the close-up shots being edited in at just the right moment. The boys really know how to stare down a camera, particularly Kevin.

The dance sequences easily made for some of my favourite moments. This was especially so for Kevin’s dance solo with one of the female dancers, and Soohyun’s solo, as he was given multi-angles of camera time. I absolutely love boy-girl dance duets. On the whole, “Stop Girl’s” choreography seemed simple but also intense, with movements synchronized perfectly with the song and each piece of the melody building on the next piece. This might actually be one of my favourite choreographies for the year, next to that of SHINee‘s “Sherlock“.

I highly recommend “Stop Girl,” the song and the MV, and have my fingers crossed for U-Kiss to win at least one award for it. Hopefully, the K-pop Gods will have mercy on their souls and grant them this. Overall, I give the song and MV a 4.5/5. What about you, Seoulmates?

(ukiss2008, NH Media)