If you haven’t read my kinda long story post about my relationship with Cravity (you should for context), just know that I’m a Luvity now. And this album, along with other factors, made me a stan.
There is no filler in New Wave, the songs are consistently good from start to end (except for one song). I like to think there are phases in the album: the 1st phase, being bright and party rocking, the 2nd, charismatic and electronic, and the 3rd which is grounded and youthful. But all together, the album does feel like a new wave, especially for Cravity. Many of these songs could be dismissed for kidz-bop, disney channel esque boy group music. But I see more in it. Maybe it’s me being obsessed with the members, mainly Taeyoung, but this album really is no skips, all hits (again, except for one song); and if you’re thinking of getting into 4th gen boy groups, this is an essential listen. Expect 10’s for bias.
And yes, I got the physical copy. That’s how much I love this album.
Tracklist:
Boogie Woogie (pe-release)
Party Rock (single)
New Addiction
Automatic
Colourful
Knock Knock
Boogie Woogie
Written by: Jonas Jurstom, Victor Thell, CRAVITY (yeah, I was surprised too)
Arrangement by: Jonas Jurstorm, Victor Thell
Composition by: Jonas Jurtstom, Victor Thell, CRAVITY
For many people, Boogie Woogie is a clean song that has too much energy for what it’s meant to be. I am not one of those people. To be fair, this one took a while for it to actually grow on me, but now it has, I can’t stop Boogie Wooging. The english lyrics are natural, which is something which I don’t expect from K-pop songs usually; Maybe it’s because the main writers speak english, and there’s no korean version. Cravity also sound so natural singing in english; they are very fluid.This track is meant to be catchy, and oh god is it an earworm. The chorus is very well-written, in depth yet still addictive. I don’t think much of the verses, mainly because they are so short but they are also pretty good. The production is the best part of Boogie Woogie. The verses have a driving beat whilst the bass adds a grounded atmosphere. The strings influence in the chorus along with brass blowing and the electronic chords add this nu-disco feel to the song. The piano adds house influence into the mix, and then we get this great composition and arrangement that is amazing. I’m not going in depth of the composition of Boogie Woogie since I don’t really have much thoughts, but wow it’s pretty good. It’s so sanitised and disney channel-like, but how can I not love it? It’s Cravity!
Bonus points for starting the song with the chorus.
Hooks: 8
Production: 8
Longevity: 9
Bias: 10
Total: 8.75
Party Rock
Written by: Ollipop, Hwang Yoo Bin, Brother Su, Gabriel Brandes, Realmeee, SERIM, ALLEN
Lyricism by: Hwang Yoo Bin, Brother Su, SERIM, ALLEN
Arrangement by: Ollipop
Composition by: Lollipop, Gabriel Brandes, Realmeee
The production is absolutely the best part of Party Rock. It’s so full and lively and just so, what’s the word, party rocking? The song starts with the rhythm of a distorted guitar, which plays an addictive tune. The drums thumps along as the acoustic guitar influence adds in a rocky touch. The rap verses are surprisingly well-written; I used to underestimate the rappers a lot, but they’re pretty good lyricists. The lines are sung are also pretty good. There’s a lot of detail in them, and they flow from member to member, which is what I like to see. The pre-chorus slows to build tension. The chords add this mystical influence as the percussion builds for the chorus. The chorus slams me in the face. When listening for the first time, my initial thoughts were “oh, for a chorus that’s disappointing.” But it really grew on me. I wish it was longer, but oh my god what an earworm! This track does what pop songs do best, absolutely deteriorate your mind until the chorus is what you can only think of. The beat flies as all the components teased in the previous segments join together. An electronic rhythm, the chords, and the guitar come together to bring depth and life to the chorus. There’s also background vocals, highlighting the small bits that did need highlighting. The hooks are absolutely great as well, what a way to add to a pretty good chorus. The bridge is short but sweet, having a cliched but welcomed return to the rhythm in the introduction. I don’t think I have to spell it out: I love this song. It really did grow on me and I’ll be Party Rocking for the rest of my life.
Hooks: 8
Production: 9
Longevity: 8
Bias: 10
Total: 8.75
New Addiction
Written by: Alawan, Kim Anna, Andy Love, Kyler Niko, SERIM, ALLEN
Lyricism by: Kim Anna, SERIM, ALLEN
Arrangement by: Alawan
Composition by: Alawan, Andy Love, Kyler Niko
We are now onto phase 2 of the EP, the electronic stuff begins! As I love electronic influences, it’s pretty obvious that I love this track and the one after, it’s bouncy and energetic and bold. The verses let the glitch-esque rhythm do the work, as the beat jumps occasionally. I usually don’t like this approach, but the rhythm and the vocals are so strong and cover up the weak percussion. The beat picks up in the second half of the first verse. The chords pick up in the pre-chorus, as the song-writing builds the bulk of the tension. The song-writing’s quick, and jumps from new melody to another, and this is most present in the pre-chorus. There are (I think) distorted background vocals in the second part, and oh my god the level of depth they give is just so atmospheric like I love that addition. The energy built up is now released immensely in the chorus. A wave of banging beats, electronic chords, and a more detailed rhythm adds this playful and charismatic energy into New Addiction. The blend of glitch-pop and electronic influence makes an amazing production. Don’t underestimate an amazing chorus though. Though the song-writing in this segment gives way to the composition at large, it does wonders in aiding the song and making impact with the lines, especially “I can’t wait, baby come and play.” The breakdown at the bridge is not what I expected, and I think the slow down of the drums does lessen its impact, but that is quickly made up by the electric guitar solo holy shit. Believe it or not, New Addiction is not my favourite track, but if this was on another group’s discography, it probably would be my favourite.
Bonus points for well-written rap verses!
Hooks: 9
Production: 9
Longevity: 8
Bias: 10
Total: 9
Automatic
Written by: Brother Su, Ludwig Lindell, Johan Gustafson, SERIM, ALLEN
Lyricism by: Brother Su, SERIM, ALLEN
Arrangement by: Ludwig Lindell, Johan Gustafson
Composition by: Brother Su, Ludwig Lindell, Johan Gustafon
Despite reviewing synth pop tracks, Automatic is the first actual synth wave track I’ll be doing. It goes to show how common pop can twist another genre.
There’s this subtle build up in the intro. Sure, the rhythm is in the spotlight, but we hear this bass synth lift the atmosphere. The verses are not predictable first time round: If anything it’s a refrain. The writing of the hook is moody, charismatic, maybe seductive if that’s the word, and the vocals do much of the work. Serim and Allen do a great job setting the mood of this track with their voices. The percussion bangs right out of the gate, driving along the rhythm. The bass synth works on the chords, adding a darker tone to the production. There’s some hints of a guitar in the repeat of the refrain which I find really unexpected. The pre chorus slows things down, with the beat breaking up and something muffled in the background bringing this influence of mystery. I’m not usually a fan of slowdowns or trap breaks, or the clapping sounds in the second half, but for some reason Automatic makes it work. I think it’s due to the members. Like, I know, I shouldn’t be this biased, but the head voices in the first two lines really makes the song flow. The chorus is absolutely surprising. The writing’s detailed yet simple, careless yet addictive, and it’s the best part out of Automatic. The synth piano chords add a dreamy vibe, whilst the rhythm and beat drive along. After the refrain repeats, we are surprised again by the quick rap verse. And the repeat of the chorus is where we discover the second part, and the bridge slows down to contain the energy which will release at the final chorus and the outro. There’s a lot of surprises in Automatic, and I think that’s why I gravitate to it. Though the production isn’t perfect, I find the structure of this song to be perfect, and the song-writing to be amazing too. It’s just so dreamy yet seductive and moody, like it’s no wonder it’s my favourite track off New Wave.
Hooks: 9
Production: 8
Longevity: 9
Bias: 10
Total: 9
glad to see the appreciation for this amazing album, and written so wonderfully, with many great points x 
I'll remember not to next time!
I'mma have to listen to their other songs..
Excited for the hint next week ahaha 
