IVE is back with their 3rd single album After LIKE. This is their third release in their debut year which is crazy, but they have also only released single albums so the amount of songs the group have made is still quite low. I think most people want to see them release a mini album or album very soon, because the b-sides just complete the sound and the identity of a group, and the b-sides they have released so far have been super interesting and amazing so I think it’s natural for people wanting to hear music from them that isn’t a typical title track.
After LIKE (Title Track) 7/10
After LIKE is a retro disco dance track which has a quite well known sample from the song I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor. The song is great, but the problem with the song is that it isn’t something new and interesting. Not much one can do when borrowing a sample from a well known song, but I think it’s a well executed song after all. I think that the people who are young or simply don’t know about I Will Survive will mostly love the song, because it is a freaking great sample and a super addictive one. There is another problem I think that the song is suffering from and its member identity. I found it super hard listening and to separate the different parts of the song for each member. It works great for groups that have been in the industry for a long time and doesn’t rely on creating individual identity and presence, but I find it weird for a group that isn’t a year old.
The MV is decent. I didn’t like the themes of the individual shoots and I found them to be boring to be honest. The only individual shoot I liked was the car drifting scene. I know story based MV is not popular at all and Starship Ent. is definitely not one of them to produce them, but I would really love a story based MV with this title track. The grand finale with the fireworks is stunning and freaking amazing. That finale makes the MV 100 times better (even though it is so bad for the environment).
Oh My God what an amazing song. This is exactly what I mean when we need an IVE mini album or album. It starts off with a heavy bass drum beat and the song takes off during chorus with EDM elements. The song is an amazing mix between rock and EDM. I need a performance video of this song.
Conclusion 8/10
It’s hard to imagine IVE will ever release bad music, and if they continue releasing the same quality of songs they have done they might potentially become top 3 girl groups and as I said before we really need a release with more songs.
What did you think of IVE’s comeback?
