Summer is always a busy a time: people go on vacations, there are several holidays, and most importantly, it’s the busiest comeback season of the year. While so far we’ve been graced by a number of summer jams, it’s easy to have overlooked a few songs while the market was saturated. In the hopes of bringing just a little extra attention to the following videos, I bring you the July edition of Unsung Artists:
Bang Yongguk, “Yamazaki”
As the Seoulbeats resident Baby, I had to include “Yamazaki” for several reasons beyond my obvious fandom. The visuals on this video are crazy, though they are admittedly similar to DPR‘s “Eung Freestyle.” I’m not well versed in Japanese imagery and so I was hoping someone would review it and go in depth about it. One other visual note I enjoy are the cameos from Yongguk’s friends, including his sister’s beau Charu and labelmate Sleepy of Untouchable.
The video hits high marks not only because it’s the first proper solo from Yongguk in ages, but because of the dynamics of the video. It’s dark and gritty. He takes full advantage of his low tone. And while it’s all so fitting, it’s also amazing to see this fully realized stage persona in contrast to the personality that’s exhibited during group promotions.
Favorite, “Party Time”
“Party Time” is Favorite’s debut song and MV and is a pretty strong outing. The MV is in the same vein as Dreamcatcher‘s first two videos, where there’s a heavy dark influence on the visuals. However, the video manages to maintain a lightness to it that pairs well with the cheeriness of the song. “Party Time” is a mix of the peppy girl group concept, but makes it interesting by adding the fairy tale elements to it. There’s magic and mystery, but no one is a princess. It manages to be eerie without making the viewers uncomfortable. And bonus points for the break down having an obvious middle eastern influence without any part of the song or video reverting to dangerous stereotypes.
Jessi, “Gucci”
Jessi has been on a roll since her time on Unpretty Rapstar, appearing on other shows and releasing music left and right. In case you forgot, Jessi is here to remind you that she’s self-made and that her confidence leads her to feel like “Gucci.” Gucci is not just a fashion brand, but is also used to describe something that is the best, high-quality, expensive, etc., just like the brand. The song is all about how Jessi is, as always, the baddest you-know-what in the room.
Hotshot, “Jelly”
I’d never heard of Hotshot before, but this song was doing the rounds on my Facebook and I gave into the temptation to watch and I’m glad I did. I am a big fan of videos being either fully performance or fully story based, but the individual member cuts in-between the dancing sequences didn’t bother me in this case. With the abundance of bright, upbeat summer songs that have come out recently, “Jelly” stands out as a more laid back but still fun song. The vocals and rap seamlessly intertwine without being overpowered by the back track and the dancing is superb. Where have these boys been all my life? “Jelly” is easily a song that could be listened to for any occasion– a long car ride, cleaning your room, hitting the catwalk, or anything else you can think of.
