reviewing kpop january 2022 comebacks

Reviewing and ranking January comebacks because there were too many debuts, solo debuts and yes, group comebacks. This month was definitely lots of fun and underwhelming at the same time. No song of the year worthy titles yet but my fingers are crossed for better songs in the upcoming months. I'll only be reviewing the title tracks and not the albums. These songs are not ranked because I became too lazy to do so. If you think some comebacks are missing, either I didn't bother listening to them or I hated them so much I didn't even bother mentioning them. 

Disclaimer: There is no malicious intent through this blog and is moreover a namesake of entertainment and to engage kpop fans. Everyone has different tastes and you are allowed to disagree but please be respectful. And please feel free to leave your comments below.

GOT - Step Back

Undoubtedly, a letdown. With this kind of a revolutionary lineup, you would have thought SM would give them a good song, but nope. Seems like we expected too much. The song sounds unfinished somehow and I absolutely hated it on the first listen. After listening to it a few times though, the song has grown on me. The girls' voices really complement the backtrack of the church bells and choir motifs. Their stage outfits and performances were pleasing, but of course, they could have been a lot better considering the artists' track record. The push-and-pull concept of the chorus makes up for the weirdness of the song. The bridge especially sounds extremely weird and good at the same time. Can't really make up my mind about that. Hopefully, we shall get better songs from this group in the future.

Kep1er - WA DA DA

Being a Mnet survival show group, you would expect an earth-shatteringly incredible song but we are off to a bad start. The production does not complement the girls' vocals and clashes badly. They need better direction and I can see a lot of potential for them with a different concept. The concept is a haphazard mix of all the prevalent girl groups right now. Goes to show how cheap this industry has become. The music video is a major disappointment. Just imagine how much money would have gone into making that trash.

P1Harmony - Do It Like This

Being an underrated group with a track record of good songs, they haven't disappointed. With a catchy chorus and real and proficient rappers, this group definitely shows potential. 

Woozi - Ruby

He indirectly said, "Please focus on instrumental, the lyrics are trash." As if he knew that we would be disappointed. A major letdown, coming from one of the best producers in kpop. An English song? Seriously? I'm just gonna it on Hybe and Pledis. I know Woozi can do so much better than this. Although, as a song separately, the intricate production and the numerous instrumental used will leave anyone stunned. The adlibs and the layers are colourful additions that are extremely pleasing.

AleXa - Tattoo

Boring to say the least. Can do better. Even the music video was boring? Completely out of style, really.

ENHYPEN - Blessed-Cursed

What can I say... With such a good track record you would think, that we would get a good song or a good music video at least. I keep saying Belift is a bad company but no one listens. The song sounds unfinished. The intro eases you in, then leaves you hanging. It's as if the producers didn't want to work on the song after the first verse. The verses are next to identical. The chorus is a fucking disappointment. And the complete lack of a bridge just jarred the shit out of me. This comeback was a complete waste of time with just another b-side on the album that has already been released. They decided to give them a bad song with the hardest choreography ever just to compensate for their laziness. And the chepat music video sets do nothing but frustrate me more. Do your job Hybe, I cant tell you more than this.

Wheein - Make me Happy 

Not my style. I'm sorry, Wheein but you could do much better. With vocals like that, a pop song would be better. The music video was good though, with all the butterflies and shit.

fromis_9 - DM

Absolutely breathtaking, from the vocals to both the verses to the production. Everything makes you fall in and out of love in a matter of three minutes.  the music video could be a lot more. What is with all those traffic lights, damn it. They couldn't execute the concept well. Tight budget? I don't see what can be the reason though. The group is only getting bigger, stop being stingy Pledis.

Taeyeon - Can't Control Me

I don't like it. Can't pinpoint what exactly though.

Yena - Smiley

I honestly didn't expect much from this debut because soloists from a huge group brand tend to fall off the charts pretty quickly. But, I loved it. The concept could have been executed better but I should not complain when the production is so good. I love Bibi but featuring her seemed completely unnecessary. Very out of context, her rap verse adds next to nothing to the overall song's vibe.

BamBam - Slow-Mo

Bro... What the fuck are you doing? This was so boring I wanted to bang my head against the wall. Horrible execution. I love you bro and I know in my heart that you are better than this.

Yuju - Play

I was crying out of stress and then I belted out the chorus of this song. Goes to show how good the production is. That is all I really like about the song though. The chorus. And the music video too. Not on a tight budget are we...?

Moonbyul - Lunatic

Became boring pretty fast. Needed better promotion. The pre-release single, Shutdown, with Seori was better. I did like the chorus and the minute reference to changing MBTIs but that's all really. Even the music video and choreography were average.

Pentagon - Feelin Like

Nice beat drop. I loved the music video. Beautiful execution. I am a little iffy about the lyrics though. Overall, definitely a good comeback and should be noted and be remembered.