I think many people take Astro for granted; They’ll always be ‘Eunwoo and friends’ people think, and they don’t really dig into their discography. I was kinda the same, since my first impression of them was All Night and Blue Flame, not great songs to start off with. But one of my close irl kept streaming their songs with me so I got used to them. My irl however didn’t introduce me to Hide and Seek along with their album, which sucks because I love this album.
Like my Enhypen review, I’m reviewing the album for the title track, and the reviews themselves are going to be more bite-sized than last week. Unlike Enhypen though, I actually find the mini album enjoyable. Spring Up does get overshadowed by Hide and Seek, but it’s still a great album nevertheless. I love the concept of innocence, and the era that Astro debuted in (2014-2017) was full of cute concepts and sounds. Spring Up and the group’s first few albums are the peak of boy group innocence. All in all, I love Spring Up. I don’t have much to say about my introductory thoughts, so enjoy the review! It’s going to be a positive one!
Tracklist:
OK! Ready (will not review)
Hide and Seek (single)
Innocent Love
Morning Call
Puss in Boots
Hide and Seek
Written by: Iggy (Kor), ROCKY, JINJIN
Arrangement, Composition, and Produced by: Iggy (Kor)
Thank you Iggy, for this masterpiece of a song.
How do I start? The intro already starts Hide and Seek on a high, and the verses themselves are just so energy-filling. Moonbin and MJ, especially MJ, run with this track, and do an amazing job, using all their force into this bubble of a song. The verses jump off each other, it just works really well. And the rap verses are added well too. Then the chorus starts. Oh my god. The power opens up and unleashes the most addictive chorus in all of K-pop (discounting The Chaser of course!). Words don’t express the love I have for the writing and the overall structure, especially in the final minute. The refrain comes back one last time before the fourth(!) chorus ends Hide and Seek. There’s so much going on in the track, hooks, refrains everywhere. But Hide and Seek is not cluttered with the many ideas it has to offer. The production is so delightful as well. I love the percussion, it keeps the power of the track stable, and the guitar is stellar too. But what takes the cake is the synths that come in at the chorus, they elevate the song so much. I love the change in the rap verse, where it comes electropop heavy; It’s pulled off so well! Hide and Seek is more than an uptempo track, or a cute boy group song: It’s a testament to how well K-pop can sound given the right writing and arrangements. If every K-pop fan heard Hide and Seek, then I bet no fan would underestimate cute concepts/sounds ever again.
Hooks: 10
Production: 10
Longevity: 10
Bias: 9
Total: 9.75
Innocent(/First) Love
Written by: Iggy (Kor), JINJIN, ROCKY
Arrangement, Composition, and Produced by: Iggy (Kor)
I’m not the best at explaining/evaluating ballads, so take my opinion (and opinions, but this one especially) as a grain of salt.
I always like piano. Any piano for me is good so I like this already. I enjoy the drums which enter in the second verse, I wish they came in during the first chorus though. The strings add a nice touch, though they could be a bit louder. Guitar’s nice. The production of Innocent Love is quite basic, which is also said for the writing. The only thing in the lyricism that stood out was the rap verse that Jinjin performed, it messed up the flow and I like that. Other than that however, the track is a normal, emotional ballad. There isn’t much to say, it’s a mediocre ballad, nothing wrong with that.
Hooks: 7
Production: 7
Longevity: 7
Bias: 9
Total: 7.5
Morning Call
Written by: ROCKY, JINJIN, Park Woo Sang, Seo Yong Bae
Arrangement, Composition, and Produced by: Park Woo Sang, Seo Yong Bae
Like Innocent Love, Morning Call is also going to be short. This reminds me of a disney song from Camp Rock, or a late 00’s song that would’ve gotten Top 40 radio play. Wait no, the production sounds like something which would be on a mediocre game released on the wii, or those girl PC games with dress up stuff. The guitar’s nice I guess. The writing for the chorus is catchy, so good job. But the verses fall flat. The rap verse is cool. Yeah it’s okay, there’s not much to say again. There’s not much going on. I wish there was more, but I can still enjoy listening to it from time to time you know?
Hooks: 7
Production: 7
Longevity: 8
Bias: 9
Total: 7.75
Cat’s eye
Written by: ROCKY, JINJIN, Park Woo Sang
Arrangement, Composition, and Produced by: Park Woo Sang
The verses are great. Jinjin and Rocky are really charismatic as rappers, their delivery is great in Cat’s Eye. I wish the chorus had more detail, however I’m happy there are two parts to the chorus. The use of a cat for their writing is cute, it fits their image. The production opens as a funk pop song, in the essence of early Seventeen. I love the brass used, and the drums. Keyboard chords are heard and they add so much. The piano is a nice touch too. But then synths come in for the chorus and it ruins it. There’s no keyboard, no brass. I think the track would’ve worked better as funk pop instead of just an uptempo pop song. The music video is cute.
Okay, I just looked up this song on Genius: It’s a pre-debut song. That makes wayyyyyyyyyyy more sense now.
Hooks: 7
Production: 8
Longevity: 8
Bias: 9
Total: 8
Total: 8.25/10
Credit to TheBiasList for the rating system
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
