9Muses 2015 Comeback 'Hurt Locker'!!

As my first post about 9Muses was mainly about the departure of Sera Ryu, which was in a slightly sad tone, and is the most popular post on my blog, I have decided to dedicate this new 9Muses post to their recent comeback, which is going to have all that good summer feels.

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On the 2nd July 9Muses returned with their 2015 summer comeback album '9Muses S/S Edition', with the title track "Hurt Locker". This is their 2nd comeback with recent members Lee Keumjo and Jo Sojin (their first being "Drama").

Left: Lee Keumjo                                                 Right: Jo Sojin
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Opinions:

1) Teasers (focused on the second one)

Mouth-dropping action!!!
The BEAT, the colors, the containers [like what?!?!?], drone camera action.........Kyungri.......seriously. 
My heart was on fire. THAT BEAT THOUGH......that beat seriously set the tone for me....did I mention the beat ;) 
I knew from the teasers alone that this song would be the best summer song of 2015.


2) Music Video (M/V)

The M/V itself wasn't that interesting. The highlights of the M/V were: the members themselves, the choreography, the location (container park or something) and the drone action.
The video was bright, jam-packed with colors and exhibited lots of life and energy. It is just what you would expect from a summer video (minus the location). The container warehouse/park was odd and different but helped it standout from all the staged and weird story plot themed videos for this summer. The containers were utilized really well. I mean, come on!!! They are on top off at least seven (7) containers....in the air......DANCING......and owning it. The choreography should have been showcased more in the actual music video instead of only the practice video that was released afterwards. The choreography is simple, executed fluidly and is not exaggerated. It doesn't need to be. It fit the style, tone and feel of the song.

Rating: 3/5

3) Song

It's your typical love-breakup song but the beat and flow of it really brought it to life.
The distribution of lines fit the song, however, I personally would've liked Minha to have actually sung Keumjo's beginning line like they had her do in the live shows and performances. It really helped balance out the song even more. I cannot end without talking about Euaerin's rap portion. Even though it's practically a norm now to have a rap portion in K-Pop songs, 9Muses rap portions always seem to be that 'icing on the cake' for their songs and "Hurt Locker" is no different. Even though their last few title tracks had about two (2) rap breaks, Euaerin's rap was an appropriate length and was that necessary piece to begin the the closing of the song. It flowed smoothly from beginning to end without feeling random or out of place. 

Rating: 4.5/5

4) Overall 

I believe "Hurt Locker" is the best summer K-Pop song of 2015. The summer songs for 2015 K-Pop have been a letdown with mediocre songs and recycled beats. 9Muses saved summer K-pop this year. "Hurt Locker" might have had a slightly dull video (which was mainly for visual/aesthetic purposes and succeeded at it) but the song has all the necessary components for summer (IMO): a catchy beat, a proper high and climax, and an appropriate flow. Sadly with big names like SISTAR, BIG BANG, Girls' Generation, rising stars AOA and more entering the summer field around the same time, 9Muses has been pushed to the back burner. I hope that I'll be able to see 9Muses take #1 at live shows and performances, even with the big names of K-Pop on the scene, one day in the near future.

Overall Rating: 4/5



Till next time,

Take care and may God bless and keep you during this week.