Update + Review: BAP’s ‘Hurricane’

Whew, I think I got a whiplash from going back and forth between BAP and EXO. But these two have been rollin’ at full throttle these days they set my ‘loof’ on fiyahhhh! There’s no stopping me now.

News flash: BAP will soon drop their third summer title track on the heels of ‘Hurricane‘ and ‘Coffee Shop‘ while EXO will be returning with their follow-up single ‘Growl‘ and a repackaged album next week. *Screams of joy. An EXO comeback in only two months? I thought it would take them another year to return. HA! I guess it’s always a good thing to keep your expectations low. As for BAP’s third single, there’s yet to be any info about it, but I’m guessing it’s going to be the biggest hit out of the three, and for sure it’ll be very different from the previous two tracks, just like how those two are very contrasting one to another. I’m dying to know what type of music they’ll come up with this time. These days I don’t think I know anymore what I signed up for when it comes to BAP, but I have faith in TS and the boys that they’ll bring great music to the table. Besides, nice surprises never hurt, do they?

Whatever it is, I am utterly elated that there’s more stuff to come this year from both my beloved groups. I feel like I’m being very pampered lately, though that also means impending soul exhaustion and broken feels. How am I gonna survive the double hurricanes that are BAP and EXO? Heck, monogamy just doesn’t work anymore. My heart has been split into two perfect halves that beat simultaneously for them. It’s pretty intense I’d say. Sorry BAP, you’ve got to share me with EXO, but my undying love for you will never change cuz you’re forever my first KPop love.

Anyhow, let’s get down to business. Today’s review is BAP’s turn with their infamous burning ‘Loof‘  latest release ‘Hurricane‘. OMG, Him Chan, thank you! This song wouldn’t have been the same without that very special line of yours. (You know what I’m talkin’ about!) The way he delivered it had me chuckling and facepalming at the same time. It was easily the best highlight of the track – something that would be stuck on Babies/Warriors’ minds forever, just like a tag line. You can’t undo that, we can’t unhear it. I can’t help but wonder if he did it because he couldn’t pronounce the sound of R (which I believe the Korean language has, though perhaps not as rolled as in English) – or it was just something he overlooked since there’s a lack of distinction between the L and R sounds in Korean? Hey it could be intentional too just for the fun of it. Who knows. I myself was not really all that bothered by the bad English because, c’mon it’s KPop! I’ve gotten inured to it. Furthermore, I am not a native English speaker myself, so I tend to be more forgiving.

Jokes aside, I hope that Him Chan’s cute slip up would not be the only thing people remember about the song, or what made the song  memorable to them, because this track was really not bad at all despite the funny Engrish. My saying this might come as a surprise because contrary to a lot of Babies/Warriors who seemed to be on the fence about this song, I actually came to enjoy it a whole lot. Granted, it took some getting used to due to the constant change in tempo/style and the fact that it was not the expected hardcore BAP a la ‘Warrior‘ and ‘One Shot‘. It was not an instant love like what I experienced with ‘Coffee Shop‘ and neither was it a flawless production. However, it didn’t take me long to get in the groove. Now I’m strangely addicted to this song that I need my daily fix of it. (We’ll see how long it lasts.)

I remember back when BAP released ‘Stop It’, a lot of fans were disappointed and I was no exception. (The teaser and the actual song were nothing alike, seriously). This time I had to go against the grain because ‘Hurricane‘ was just so fun and catchy it made me involuntarily twirl, jump and dance in high spirit when I listened to it. While I concur that it is not their best track to date, IMO it is still light years better than ‘Crash‘ or ‘Stop It‘. At least it still enabled the members to showcase their individual strengths and their distinctive quality as a group.

In contrast to ‘Coffee Shop‘ which was more chill and subdued, ‘Hurricane‘ was just a boisterous blast . Both were invigorating in a different way. The former soothed me the latter pumped me up. The various percussions, record scratching, electronic bass, whistle sound, and all the other effects In ‘Hurricane‘ were nicely integrated to produce a club-like frenzy. Add to that Dae Hyun’s “We [‘re] hurricane” part (basically the chorus) which in and of itself was a perfect embodiment of a hurricane . My favorite part, though, came right after the chorus when Dae – Jae sang interchangeably. (The blend of Dae – Jae is always fantastic whether it be harmonizing, echoing or line weaving.) I don’t exactly know how to musically describe this post-chorus part ,but to put it figuratively, I felt like I was in a transient state of delirium after being swept away by Dae Hyun’s invincible tornado-like high notes.  It was as if I got hurled to the sky and there I was just floating and losing myself in the breeze. Before long though, I got warped back to the ground by Him Chan’s magical chant from down under the roof – to then proceed with BYG and Zelo’s rap interlude which gradually built up to another round of hurricane. Following that was the dance breakdown that served as a respite in the midst of all that turbulence.

Long story short, ‘Hurricane’ was one hell of a wild roller coaster ride. It had everything: high notes, low notes, slow rap, fast rap, awesome break dance and Him Chan’s ‘loof’. Zelo and Jong Up were killin’ it with their dope B-boy moves (and the ‘Dope’ hat of course) while my baby Dae Hyun stood out as usual with his vocal prowess. (Well how could he not when he got the entire chorus all for himself?) The boys got their Vegas swag on (sexy Yong Guk especially- with his rap, the white suit and the shades). And Young Jae!! Is he getting hotter by the day?

As for the MV, picking the Sin City for the set was perfect. The glamorous night-time Vegas backdrop worked well with the trance-like vibe of the track. Or should I say that the song was just apt for a Vegas party? I’m totally feeling it. They could’ve done so much more with Vegas, though. I mean why did the boys party all by themselves as if the city was uninhabited? Do peeps in Vegas hide in their rooms at night? At least Big Bang got themselves a hot white chick in ‘Tonight‘.

Overall Score: 4/5. The song lives up to its title. An enjoyable hurricane.

Tagged: Bang Yong Guk, BAP, EXO, Jung Dae Hyun, Kim Him Chan, KPop reviews, Moon Jong Up, Yoo Young Jae, Zelo

Posted in: BAP, K-Pop