Emerging as the winning female contenders of KBS’ idol rebooting program “The Unit,” the girls of UNI.T has finally embarked their debut in the music scene. Comprised of members from different groups and companies, the unit-makers had created the possibly, one of the best girl groups out there. The members include NC.A, Sonamoo’s Euijin, Ex-Spica’s Yang Jiwon, Ex-April’s Lee Hyunjoo, DIA’s Yebin, Real Girls Project’s Lee Suji, Laboum’s ZN, Ex-Hello Venus’ Yoonjo, and Dal Shabet’s Woohee. Even before their official debut, UNI.T already created a huge buzz for their Dream Concert performance that was deemed “provocative” or “too sexy”. However, behind this, many also got excited because of the girl group’s sound. Let’s see if UNI.T lived up to the bestowed anticipation with their debut EP, “Line.”
Release Date: May 18th, 2018
Tracklist:
- No More
- A Memory Clock
- STAR
- You&I
- TING
- No More (Instrumental)
- Memory Clock (Instrumental)
Total Runtime: 00:25:26
Recommended for: UNI.T fans, those who like diversity of concepts in an album.
Not recommended for: Those who tend to appreciate albums with a concrete concept and sound.
Track Review:
Track 1: No More (Title)
I must say, I’m very impressed by how the song sounds. “No More” will definitely go down to my list of best debut songs ever. The song sports a very catchy tune with elements of reggae included. If you happen to have liked Wonder Girls’ “Why So Lonely?,” you will most likely like “No More” as well. The song is not as upbeat as I expected, but the sound really blended well with the concept they went for, a sultry and mature image.
The song starts with the hook, which is a very catchy part of the song. In my criteria, a song is catchy if I listen to it once and it retains in my mind for quite a while and even I can hum or sing to the certain song at times. The “oh no, no, no more” parts are really catchy and I’d say it’s a good decision to place it in ideal parts of the song. The verses are not much dynamic too. After the slow verses, the most “exciting” part of the song comes and that is the pre-chorus. Here, things get a little bit faster not just in music but also in choreography. However, truly the best part of the song is the chorus, lead by the group’s vocalists much more specifically NC.A who single-handedly carried the song in the vocal department. The bridge is not that interesting, and the song ends with the catchy hook that will get stuck into the head of the listener.
NC.A is extremely an underrated soloist with very good songs. I’m very delighted to see her gaining a huge amount of popularity compared to what she experienced before. Without her powerful voice, “No More” wouldn’t be as good as it is. Also worth mentioning is that Yang Jiwon was highly under-utilized in the song, but that is evidently because of her vocal nodules, which I think is a good move by the company.
Overall I really enjoyed “No More” and will surely go down in my playlist.
Track 2: A Memory Clock
“A Memory Clock” is a feather-like song to brighten up your mood. It starts with an overused tune, and a predictable adlib. The chorus has a very hopeful vibe that continued up until the end. Compared to “No More,” Yang Jiwon was able to display her vocal prowess more in here. The song itself is actually good, and is very warm hearted.
Watching the live performance before listening to the actual song makes me a bit ambiguous about their unity as a group. Of course, I don’t pertain about their solidarity as a group, but the blending of their voices in a song. They are from different groups, different concepts, and different backgrounds. And since it was the public who voted for them (which is completely a popularity contest), harmony as a group of singers is out of the equation. Thankfully, the studio version erased some of my doubts but it doesn’t mean that they are gone completely.
Track 3: STAR
In a girl group album or EP, there is always that obligatory ballad or ballad-like track, and in this album, there is this song titled “STAR.” Once again, their blending as a group surfaced the question but I will review this track wit without tackling that aspect anymore.
Like “A Memory Clock,” its sound is very unoriginal, but I won’t hold that against UNI.T nor the producers of the song since the music scene is very saturated already to even create something original. Anyways, the song is not as boring as some ballads, which is a good thing. One thing about ballads is that if its bad, it’s boring, but if it’s good, it’s emotionally touching. It is also a good chance to show the members’ singing skills, and fortunately, the chance was put in good use.
Track 4: You&I
Ahhhh.. I remember being really addicted to this song when it first came out in “The Unit.” I am not lying when I say that “You&I” is the most title track worthy song in the album. “No More” is great, but “You&I” is heaps better.
The song is a pop track driven with a rhythmic guitar as evident in the beginning. Right at the first seconds of the song you can already feel that it will be amazing! The verses start slower than the other parts but it’s surely not boring. As the song progresses from verse to chorus, tension starts to build up until the burst of the upbeat and fun chorus. The hook part is an addictive feat as it adds a little spice of intimacy to the funky song. It’s also worth noting that there is a placement of a catchy whistle tone here and there!
Unlike the title track which is straightforward sexy, “You&I” exudes an entirely neutral feeling. Sort of like Lovelyz’ recent music which can not be classified as cute, nor innocent, and definitely not sexy. It’s just a breathe of fresh air and is created completely for the listeners to have a good time!
Fight me, “You&I” is the best song in the album.
Track 5: TING
A huge contrast with my perspective of “You&I,” “TING” is a very unnecessary track to even add to a song. It’s unnecessarily saturated with cute elements (for a group with members approaching 30) and unnecessarily saturated with aegyo-like singing that is not limited to Lee Hyunjoo who has a naturally squeaky voice. Sure, it’s very catchy, even catchier than any of the other songs in the album, but that’s it. The rap part is great, probably the only tolerable part of the song (props to Woohee and Euijin acing the rap!).
“TING” is reminiscent of the current trend in music where the song has very catchy hooks and choruses, but tends to have negligence over the other parts of the song.
FINAL REVIEW
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Replayability
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Cohesiveness
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Originality
Summary
"Line" is an album that can pass off as a collection of different songs from different acts. We have a Wonder Girls-esque sexy sound with "No More," an Oh My Girl like innocent sound with "A Memory Clock," an OST from a ballad singer with "Star," a Lovelyz type of song with "You&I" and a cutesy rookie girl group debut song with "TING." Its songs are really different, thus creating a diversity in sound. Personally, I don't think that's a bad thing, but some may find it lacking in cohesiveness. All-in-all, I really enjoyed UNI.T's debut album. Great job girls, and congratulations on your debut!
