Album Review - Made In Korea OST by Dear Alice (2024)

So this is a good bit later than I intended to have this done, but they haven't debuted yet, so I still count this as on time for predebut hype! This is SM Entertainment's new British boy group. They've gotten some hate since some people think they're ridiculous or whatever, but a combination of the UK and K-pop is basically my two favourite things combined, so I think I'm exactly the target audience for this - and their music so far is great!

  1. Vibes - This is the first song the boys learned on the Made In Korea TV show, but I feel like it's been a bit neglected since, having only been performed live once, in part, at the British Embassy in Korea during the show. This is a really upbeat, fun dance song which has a melody that flows really well in the chorus. I really like this song!

  2. Solar - This is one of my favourites---although the first four songs are all "some of my favourites" from this EP. This has a nice pop-rock type feel, and if you know me, you know I love pop rock!! It has fleshed-out verses, and a chorus with nice refrains, and the bridge is really cool with the building of energy using the electric guitars in the binstrumental.

  3. Life Is A Movie - I love this song! This is a bit TikTok-y, but it's great nonetheless. it flows really well, with a second-verse rap breakdown that fits in really well and is pretty epic, and its a short song without feeling cramped---every element is given the time it needs, but it's still a fast-paced, exciting ride. I really like the lyrics as well! Especially in the bridge, when Olly sings "you'll be the first name when the credits roll, cause you're incredible"---I thought that rhyme was really clever, and I still smile often when I listen to that part.

  4. Classic - I was skeptical about this one at first, for two reasons---one, there's no proper bridge, and two, I misheard "you were free baby, now you got plans" as "you a freak baby, now you got plans" and was both confused and eyebrow-raised. But this ended up being one of my favourite songs on this EP! I really like this---it's a fun, upbeat song, and yet still kind of relaxed, with an epic and catchy breakdown.

  5. Time With You - I really like this song for the most part. It's a nice, heartwarming ballad that's still rather upbeat, and it really reminds me of early 5 Seconds of Summer! My only issue with that song is that in places, the vocals seem pretty obviously autotuned. I'm pretty sure they did this for "the effect", as I doubt they need autotune that much, especially in some of the places it's used, and it takes away from the relaxed slow jam feel this song otherwise has. Overall, still a good song, though!

  6. Best Day Of Our Lives - This is honestly my least favourite song from this release, and I was disappointed that they chose this song to perform on Strictly, their first TV performance besides the Children's CBBC. It's not a bad song by any means, but it's definitely a b-side, not the kind of song you perform on its own live. It doesn't have the interest to be a title track.

In conclusion, a really good first offering. I hope the boys continue with a similar musical direction in the future and I can't wait for their debut!

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