LOOP

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐩!

Yves is the last LOONA member to release a project in this new “post-loona”¹ world. The name 𝘓𝘖𝘖𝘗 itself feels like a homage to LOONA. If you’re familiar with the group and its lore, you know about the Möbius strip, two separate timelines happen at the same time on each side of the strip, without ever crossing each other. And a Möbius strip looks like a loop.

I was a bit surprised to see that Yves has not been involved in this project. She co-wrote Loossemble’s “Strawberry soda” and “Truman Show”, and yet not even some lyrics somewhere. on her release. I’m curious to know why, as I don’t think it’s something that was imposed on her by the company. She spent a lot of time picking the right one, and with her experience, I am sure she chose a place that let her be free and creative the way she wanted to. Mostly with a small label such as Paix Per Mil consisting of K-R&B artists that seem far from traditional K-Pop companies. Additionally, the label was created in 2020 by Millic, who independently made his debut as a producer in 2017.

After a first listen, it’s safe to say this EP is… well… safe. But not in a boring or generic way. It’s what you would expect from any good K-R&B act, and I’m glad to see Yves going into that path.

The gorgeous opener “DIORAMA” offers a mellow tune. The electronic bits over a laid-back R&B beat remind me of SUMIN’s music. There’s always a little thing to keep you engaged with the track. The bass in the background, the subtle guitar, the clear piano and samples, are all here to maintain your attention. Additionally, the vocal mixing in the chorus gives a new look at her voice. I think it's the perfect way to start this mini-album and this new chapter in Yves’s career. On “LOOP”, the rhythms accelerate to jump to 2-step. It’s getting harder and harder for K-pop acts to propose something original with the genre. And on “LOOP”, Yves’s producers carefully make their way and come up with a nice and catchy beat. It's closer to sounding too basic, but the synth hits add a lovely touch to the production. As for Lil Cherry’s verse, I’m not convinced yet. I think it clashes with the rest of the song, but also allows for another way to make it more original.

With the two following pieces, LOONA’s 9th members leave Contemporary R&B for a sound more organic. She surprises us with “Afterglow”, where she dives into an elegant Pop Rock sound. The first few seconds allowed me to compare her delivery and tone to Baek Yerin. She sounds warm and soft, with a production that feels dreamy at times. I said in my review of aespa’s 𝘈𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘰𝘯 that “Live My Life” sounds like 90% of Pop Rock songs in K-pop. With “Afterglow”, Yves shows that it’s possible to make interesting Pop Rock tunes still; without falling into a bland hole. The last contribution to the EP almost opposes “Afterglow”. On “금붕어” (Goldfish), the singer ditches the electric guitar for an acoustic one and is joined by a quiet piano. I think this piano stops the track from being boring, the notes always bring a small touch of brightness and hope. It’s a light-hearted jam that completes 𝘓𝘖𝘖𝘗 pretty well.

It’s a nice and promising new start for Yves. I was expecting to only get tracks in the style of “DIORAMA” and “LOOP”, or find more catchy tunes derivative from Dance-Pop. But her decision to mix R&B with songs based around guitars, allows Yves to depart from other K-R&B artists. I mentioned Sumin and Yerin Baek, and if I had to resume the EP in a sentence, I’d say 𝘓𝘖𝘖𝘗 is what happens when you combine the world of both. It’s mellow, soft, dreamy, and fresh. I agree with @Urayuli on how “𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦”, but this variety also allows Yves to try different styles. She can see what she's more comfortable in, what she enjoys the most, and then perfect one of the four propositions she has here. I don't find the songs clashing with each other, and they feel complementary to me. More than anything, I'm curious to see if she will develop a genre in particular with her next releases, or continue touching various styles.

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¹ I’m writing “post-loona” in quotes because it always feels weird to imply that LOONA is the past. Thinking about it, if there is one member to remind you that LOONA is 12 and will always be, it’s Yves. You won’t find any articles about LOONA disbanding, and that’s because they never did. When referring to the members of LOONA in the present tense, Yves always uses the word “members”, because, once again, LOONA still exists, it’s not a group of the past. They’re all still making music, ARTMS, Loossemble, Chuu and now Yves, all make LOONA. All of this to say that using the term “post-loona” feels like the most appropriate way to refer to this new era. Just like Post-Rock doesn’t mean that Rock is no longer a thing, “post-loona” means it’s an evolution in time. I guess I lost myself here, but I’ve been using that term to classify music released by the members outside the group and wanted to share my thoughts.