Release Date: July 28, 2017
Tracklist:
- Love Cherry Motion (최리)
- Puzzle (진솔, 최리)
Total Runtime: 00:07:30
Recommended for: LOONA fans, dance pop devotees.
NOT recommended for: hard-to-please individuals like me, those who get bored easily.
The summer comeback rush has had no effect on LOONA as they continue to proceed with a new member introduction (usually done on a monthly basis), this time introducing Choerry as the group’s eighth member. No better way to introduce a member other than releasing a single album to leave a mark on the K-Pop scene. Will Choerry earn herself new fans? Will LOONA continue to justify their expensive tag with continuous high quality productions?
Track Review:
Track 1 – Love Cherry Motion (최리)
I was staring blankly at my PC monitor for hours, trying to find the right words to even start describing this song. I realized that my struggle was deeply affected by the fact that this song is a cross between a formulaic girl group dance pop song and an exultingly fresh dance track. Love Cherry Motion is far from being generic, as it is structured differently thanks to the inclusion of two trap-like beat drops but we’ll get into that later. The instrumental is soft despite its sanguine nature. If this is to eschew Choerry’s vocal from being drowned out by strident instrumental, then it’s a success. I appreciate it. Choerry is a good singer, a recurring theme among the members, and it’s very nice of them to allow us to enjoy her honey-like vocal tone in this song.
Love Cherry Motion is an upbeat dance track, and it flatters youthful Choerry well, aided with cameos from her fellow members to amplify the bright atmosphere imposed the moment the song clocked in at 00:00:01. The verses are bright and funky, and the slowed down tempo during the pre-chorus emphasizes the song’s storytelling right before the presumed climax in the form of the chorus/refrain. The chorus itself is very sweet at least for me. You could slightly bop to it whilst shaking your head from left to right. Eyes closed for a better effect. Everything is rainbows and sunshine until a sudden beat drop awakens you from your eternal slumber (yeah the chorus is a tad dull and monotonous). The beat drop is feisty, in a good way. It will feel even better if you listen to Love Cherry Motion while watching its music video. But that’s me musically speaking.
The moan-like whispers concerned me to death considering the fact that Choerry is still a minor (16 years old). Such a thought put me in an awkward situation. Some fans would say that it is best not to think about it but knowing how the mechanics behind the human mind work, I doubt that. It is actually best not to induce such thoughts. But again, that’s me morally speaking. Sigh. Honestly, this song would have been better if they dropped those parts and replaced them with normal vocals or simply omitted it.
Track 2 – Puzzle (진솔, 최리)
Puzzle is a another mandatory duet track given to most LOONA member’s, and Choerry is partnered with JinSoul for this song. At first, it felt like a full-fledged r&b track but it is actually not. Puzzle is a pop song with elements of jazz and soul courteously embedded. The line distribution in this song is quite balanced. And sadly for Choerry, JinSoul is a clear-cut winner here. Don’t get me wrong, Choerry is a good singer but JinSoul is simply better. I feel like this is a faulty match-up that does Choerry wrong (if you are less meticulous than this issue should not bother you) but again a duly expected one judging from LOONA’s recent releases and pairing patterns.
Both provide undoubtedly excellent vocals in this track. Their voices are absolute earworms. The instrumental is obviously watered down, most probably to allow them to shine. Supposedly. Albeit unfortunately, JinSoul outshined everything. Something that I like about Puzzle is it is a groovy pop song with lots of suave in it. A cool track I must say. Which means it is a grower. You might not like it now but you will later.
