Sunshine Review

  The affection that Welsh singer-songwriter Hannah Grae feels for her latest project is no secret. Ever since January 31, when Nothing Lasts Forever was announced for release on March 15, Grae has been assuring fans that this album is very personal to her, a project that she's proud of. Regarding the album, Grae wrote on Instagram, “I couldn't have put more of myself into it, and it feels like an extension of me.” It's impossible not to feel these sentiments while listening to the record, comprised of nine loud, sassy, heartbreaking tracks: “The Overture,” “Typical (the Buttercup Song),” “Better Now You're Gone,” “Need Me Now,” “It Could've Been You,” “Screw Loose,” “Number 4,” “Who Dunnit?”, and “When I Had Hope, I Had It All.” “The Overture” is an instrumental opening track that builds up and bleeds seamlessly into the electric guitar riffs of “Typical”. This song is about working hard to achieve something, only to be disappointed once you actually have it. This ...

  There's certain music that you can only fully appreciate when you understand the lyrics, and The Winning by South Korean soloist IU certainly falls into this category. Hear me out: as someone who doesn’t speak Korean, I did enjoy the mini album on my first listen. The music had a calming effect, IU’s angelic vocals paired with smooth instrumentals. It wasn't until I read the lyrical translations on Genius.com, however, that tears came to my eyes from the sheer beauty of the album. Through the lyrics and sounds in The Winning, IU weaves a story of life and success, and all that lies in between. The Winning begins with “Shopper”–a song that probably brings out the stereotypical teenage girl in all of us and the desire to “shop all day.” The chorus sounds distinctly airy and light, almost dreamy. While the soloist could simply be singing about a particularly large shopping spree, the lyrics also contain a metaphor. The lines “Time is short/ Make ‘em all yours,” from the ch...

 Last week JYP and Republic Records’ American k-pop group from the survival show A2K finally debuted with the single, “Girls of the Year.” The single is accompanied by a second track, “Xo, Call Me.” So, what has VICHA brought to the table with this debut?  “Girls of the Year” is a high energy, fun and bouncy song. Similar to the group's pre-debut releases, this single is about chasing dreams without any fear. Though the song would put anyone in a good mood with its happy beat, I also found it to be a bit cheesy. While I don't have anything against chasing dreams and singing about it, especially when it's clear that the girls have worked so hard for this dream, I can't help but feel that the song is somewhat generic. It seems as if VCHA is only singing about their motivation for the future, and not necessarily the reason for it. Personally, I would love to see the group diving further below the surface level of the emotions their songs express. This is especially true in...

 Fans were shocked by the release of the music video for South Korean singer IU’s latest single, “Love Wins All”. The video features V of BTS and has piqued the interest of both artists’ respective fanbases, Uaena and Army. Though the title might suggest a soft, sweet music video, what was actually released is not what you'd expect. Yes, there are sweet moments, but there's so much more to it than just that. Many fans have said the video could easily be extended into a movie, and it does indeed have a cinematic quality. The video opens not with music, but with the sound of IU and V running and breathing heavily. The sound is sharp and foreboding against the otherwise quiet background. Right from the start, every tiny detail in “Love Wins All” serves to create a specific feeling. In this scene, it's urgency, tension, and fear. Both characters are in casual clothes which are tattered and dirty, their faces equally dirt-streaked and beat up. V’s right eye is clouded, implying ...

  Don't we all love a good motivational song about running towards your dreams? I know I do, and NMIXX’s latest album, Fe304: BREAK, offers just that. This album is the first in a new chapter of NMIXX's discography, named after the chemical formula for black iron oxide (Fe3O4). Interestingly, this compound is often used to resist corrosion, which seems to be in contrast to the album’s title: BREAK. It becomes clear throughout the album, however, that NMIXX’s goal is to break down the walls holding them back without becoming corroded themselves.  The first song on the album as well as the title track, “Dash” sounds funky and sassy, as one would expect from NMIXX. The pop song is a bit repetitive throughout the chorus and might be an acquired taste for some, but it's certainly a fun and unique listening experience. This song is about running forward no matter what, ignoring “red lights” and anything else in the way. Difficulties are acknowledged within the lyrics, “Quivering ...

  Nearly everyone alive has inevitably at some point had something rude or mean spirited said to or about them, directly or indirectly. It's the same for celebrities. Yes, the amount of people saying good things about them is much higher than what ordinary people hear, but with the increased attention comes increased criticism from others. Confidence can be hard for anyone–celebrities or not–especially when everyone else has so much to say. It may be difficult, but not impossible. With their latest album, “Born to Be”, Itzy declares their choice to ignore anything said against them and to continue to be who they are, whether others like it or not. The ten-track album is itself an anthem of self-confidence. The album's first track, “Born to Be”, starts out with intense beats, leading through beautiful high notes into the electronic chorus. The group declares that, no matter what anybody else says, they are, “Born to be wild and free.”  The album's title, “Untouchable”, h...

  Can you imagine if you were an artist and one of the members of BTS–the biggest boy band in the world–was recommending your songs on his Instagram? Most people would probably freak out, and they might feel shy messaging the member about it. American singer-songwriter Umi was shy, but she still reached out after V of BTS mentioned her song, and it's a good thing she did, otherwise fans wouldn't have received a collaboration between the two incredibly talented artists, released by Umi on the BTS member’s birthday.  The collaboration, a single called “wherever u r”, really seems like a culmination of both artists’ individual styles, which already aligned quite well. The song is about a past love that's still holding on. The lyrics express regret over this ended love in Umi’s line, “I wish that I called you more/Just to make you feel better”, and the chorus concludes with the promise, “I'ma be wherever you are/Here in your heart.”  Having listened to the past work of bot...

On November 17, 2023, Enhypen released “Orange Blood” after teasing the album with special album sleeves during their second world tour: Fate. The sleeves only included part of the album's title: “______Blood.” Fans made guesses about what the first word could be, and “orange” certainly didn’t cross many minds. Still, the strange title is fitting for the 7-track album, which is softer than much of Enhypen’s previous work, but still carries the group’s unique flavor. “Orange Blood” is an aesthetically and musically beautiful ode to love. “Mortal” opens the album with a magical instrumental and Jungwon’s voice, not singing yet, but speaking in a tone that seems to come straight out of a movie trailer. The members trade lines, alternating impressively between Korean, English, and Japanese, until they break into song just under a minute in. The chorus carries the emotionally impactful melody to it’s peak before dying back down into dramatic speech for the second verse. This beautiful...

  When the remaining members of BTS finally enlisted in the South Korean military earlier this month, Armys were understandably saddened by the necessary hiatus. Surely nobody was anticipating the announcement of “Closer Than This”, a single by Jimin that would be released on the twenty-second. Clearly the singer wanted to leave something to tie fans over until the group's reunion.  “Closer Than This” is a song that can only be sung by BTS. Such is made clear by reference to June 13 (BTS’s debut date) and the phrases “Seven=1” (meaning the seven members united) and “Until the days tinge purple once again” (to BTS, the color purple is a symbol of eternal love). Jimin sings of the group's past struggles, the “Times I sang in the rain,” and about “How you smiled for me in the snow.” The singer paints a vocal picture of BTS’s story up until now, and how they weathered it all together with fans. “Closer Than This” is about everlasting love and a promise to meet again. With the lyri...

 I don't remember what I was doing when I first listened to “Golden” by Jungkook of BTS; probably either drawing or lying in bed getting ready to fall asleep. I do remember being surprised when I first heard the songs, though. Being notoriously terrible at picking up lyrics before at least the twelfth listen, I didn't at first realize that all of the lyrics were in English, but this is only one aspect of the album that came as a shock. From the flow to the subject matter to the fact that my Spotify settings skipped over two of the songs because they were explicit, none of it was quite what I'd expected. Of course, I'm not saying all of this as a bad thing; the Korean singer has never had a reputation for doing exactly what was expected of him (besides consistently impressing fans), and the album itself is a testament to Jungkook’s growth as an artist.   The first four tracks–“3D (feat. Jack Harlow)”, “Closer to You (feat. Major Lazer)”, “Seven (feat. Latto)(Explicit Ver...

  When I was re-reading the first book in my favorite fantasy series, I couldn’t help but think that these poor fictional people had no idea what they were getting themselves into. While most of us probably don’t experience the kind of action found in fantasy novels, the same thing can happen in our lives. Once you commit to something–a career, a relationship, or anything else–you’ll quickly become more and more invested. Eventually you’ll realize it’s not all fun and games. It will hurt sometimes. The real question is, what do you do from there? For Stray Kids, the answer is to keep on pushing.  The Korean boy group’s latest album, “Rock Star”, opens with “Megaverse”, a powerful song where Stray Kids essentially create their own world. If that isn’t commitment, I don’t know what is. In this world, the “Stray Kids Hot Megaverse”, the group is confident, doing their own thing and being their generally awesome selves, and the opinions of haters don’t matter at all. The song is a...

  A lot of us wish we could grow up faster when we're kids. As we get older, though, we start to cherish our youth, and then we're downright terrified when the responsibilities start rolling in. Growing up isn't always pretty; sometimes it hurts. This is the topic of Tomorrow X Together’s latest album, released this past October, The Name Chapter: Freefall.  “Growing Pain”, the album's first track, uses a dark rock sound to express the painful feeling of falling. The sound, unusual for kpop, allows listeners to visualize, “The sharp air that scratches my whole body.”* It's evident from the title that the pain described is the cost of growing up. Rather than running from this painful reality, the band “free-falls” directly into it, facing the uncertainty head-on even though they aren't quite sure what they're doing yet. The album’s title, “Chasing That Feeling”, describes the need to keep chasing a certain feeling even when it's hard, because, as the lyr...

  What’s one concept that drives the world? What keeps everything going? There are billions of words any reader out there could be thinking of right now. “Passion.” “Love.” “Hope.” “Determination.” “Coffee.” You get the idea. If I asked a million people to give me one word, I guarantee there would be almost as many answers, and some would probably contradict each other directly. Why? There’s one word I can think of, and it must’ve been on indie Korean band The Rose’s mind this past October, too. This isn’t the best or the only word to describe the world, but it’s one that brings harmony to all of the other words: balance. You can’t have just fire or just water, light won’t exist in the absence of darkness, and day means nothing without night. Balance is the key theme in The Rose’s October release, “Dual”. The album is artfully divided into two sections by short interludes. The introduction to the album, “Dawn” starts off barely audible, chirping birds softly transferring into a...

  "Come here." J. Y. Park utters the command with a slight hand gesture, and the girl on stage gasps and rushes to retrieve her pendant. Wearing the necklace, she goes to JYP's judging table and allows him to place a stone in one of its slots as inspiring music plays. This scene happened countless times throughout JYP Entertainment and Republic Records' collaborative survival show, A2K. Each time it did, viewers were watching a young girl coming one step closer to her dreams. A2K stands for America to Korea. The idea of the show was to take young singers and dancers from America and train them the same way k-pop idols train, in order to create an international girl group. The show was divided into several sections. First, there were six audition sites across the United States where multiple girls came to present a dance performance and a vocal performance. Of the many girls who audition, only the eleven were able to perform in front of JYP and move on to the LA boot c...

  Why do we listen to music? There are a number of reasons, but it all boils down to this: music makes us feel things. Whether it’s hard rock or bubblegum pop or the saddest ballads, it’s all infused with emotions. Musicians and artists often create music for the same reason we listen to it: to express emotions. The life of a celebrity is a lot different than the average joe on the street, though. How do songwriters and singers balance expressing their own emotions with creating music that the rest of the world can understand and feel? Eric Nam does it perfectly in his latest album, “House on a Hill” released on September 8. "House on a Hill" is the first track on the album bearing its name. This song is about being content in the moment and fighting the instinct to always strive for the next best thing. Eric sings, "What if I had everything I want? What if nothing ever fills me up? What if being happy isn't what I thought? What if more is never enough?" The l...