aespa "Black Mamba" MV

[dallinferno.livejournal.com]

Source: SMTOWN

TW: a big ass CGI snake!

Comments

[timetobegin.livejournal.com]

HI BOA

I have an incling for songs like this with a good, brassy bass chorus so I dig it, will probably replay it alot. I like the colour scheme and the digital stuff, but in the grand Kpop scheme this is pretty generic. Ningning is definitely the only stand out member here.

[honey-baymax.livejournal.com]

The song was kinda underwhelming. I was bored half way through.

It sucks cause I was looking forward to sm's new girl group for a long time, but then the ai concept killed the excitement and then this song does nothing for me. Oh well.

[neongoldtooth.livejournal.com]

Same. Hoping that maybe their next song is a banger.

[dallinferno.livejournal.com]

I'm gonna comment on my own post lol - I think it's kind of a bop, I already vibed with the chorus instrumental when the teasers came out. That break in the middle kinda took me out tho, so I'll have to listen to the spotify version and see what it's like!

But all in all, not bad. I don't get why Karina is so pushed tho ... To me, she kind of blends in the background, while Ningning is really the standout member in the MV.

[dallinferno.livejournal.com]

Oh right, one other thing - the MV is a mess and moves too damn fast, I had a really hard time concentrating on what was happening ... And idk, the choreo is not much to look at? I hope there'll be a showcase or something so we can actually see what it is.

[benihime99.livejournal.com]

This is tragic
Had a GG from a small company released this people would be crying at the cheap special effect, the weak choreo, and the lack of... well everythig is lacking



MV is pretty from a distance, but there's no giffable moment, so again, it's lacking. At this point it's pretty obvious SM just want to bury RV.
With the speedy fandom name announcement, the insider rumors about new members being added later... messy mess

[in-noctem.livejournal.com]

lol yup

this just feels like a mish mash of so many gg concepts this year (

[yankies.livejournal.com]

this is... a lot. like, doing way too much just to deliver one of the most soulless kpop debuts i've ever seen. yikes

[broadcities.livejournal.com]

i like the way this mv was filmed and i liked some of the visuals too.

however, the song does not feel 'sm' at all, it's pretty generic, it could have been released by any other group

are they pushing some sort of superhero/villain storyline with those last few scenes? i think we're getting another mv/comeback soon

[torontok.livejournal.com]

Very Blackpink reject but with vocals.

I'm whelmed, it feels too basic for an SM debut imo but lets see how the lives go.I will say SM made the wrong choice making Karina the center because Winter and Ningning ate her up in terms of presence.
Also why couldn't they give them longer skirts or pants if they wanted them doing that chorus squat move.

[aridnili.livejournal.com]

Karina has zero charisma. Girl is on another level of bland, sorry.

[benihime99.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry, but I haven't witnessed such a weak debut in years
And I've been there for a while. Without SM this would be ignored. Not even criticize, just completely ignored

[mortkero.livejournal.com]

They're really pushing that aespa thing. The whole song is explaining the ai world.

I wonder if they will go with a continual storyline concept, as in carry it on with the next few songs.

Song wise it's Kpop catchy. The camera was a little too fast paced, I couldn't concentrate on the girls I want to see the choreo properly.

I can see other groups doing something similar.

I think I would have enjoyed this more without the avatar thing. Actually maybe I wouldn't even have minded the avatar thing if it weren't for the way the avatars looked and what LSM wanted to do with it.

I'm trying to remember if there was a rap in it now...

[adlyeith.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty underwhelmed by this. Pretty much the only reason I kept watching was because I wanted to see Boa lol

The AI looks cheaply animated, and if they're trying to piggyback off KDA's success, this aint it. The only reason people are paying attention to this is because it's an SM GG

[in-noctem.livejournal.com]

they look like an itzy cover group but without the charisma.

[uledy.livejournal.com]

Oh wow.

[chikage-chan.livejournal.com]

That was all I could say too. Oh wow. A very bad wow.

[aures.livejournal.com]

the snake really freaked me out

otherwise it was alright i guess? i really liked the styling, super pretty, they look stunning

i keep wondering how the girls really [secretly] feel about their agency thinking they can be replaced by an avatar. it would make me feel really bad ngl

[broadcities.livejournal.com]

this last part also really doesn't sit right with me with this group! i think i mentioned this before in another post, but girl groups are already pressured enough to look a certain way, imagine having a male gazey avatar as part of your group concept leading to easy comparison with unreachable beauty standards :( i would feel so insecure

[jyushimatsu.livejournal.com]

Alright, why does this song sound so dated? And why is SM pushing Karina so hard?

[benihime99.livejournal.com]

Got to bury those articles about her past somehow

[babyjenkski.livejournal.com]

The MV, I don't like the snake.

Good vocals. I wonder how they sound live (if SM allows them to ever sing live).

[veep-throat.livejournal.com]

It’s whatever. More tolerable than itzy debut I’ll say tho

Omg the dancing is so awkward tho that choreo um and some of the shots were yikes

The nagini nonsense was totally unnecessary

[imahurricane.livejournal.com]

lmao nagini nonsense! yeah it doesn't really fit with the whole colorful, bright, vibrant mv.

[veep-throat.livejournal.com]

Omg I can’t tell who is who besides Karina 💀

[infj23.livejournal.com]

I feel like the hardcore SM fans will like it but how the weekly show performances go will influence those who are on the fence.

The teasers were definitely pre-buzz materials. They did their jobs in getting people to check this out.

[hellicoptajuuce.livejournal.com]

honeslty could not remember anything about this vid besides the big snake, the song was boring and nything else really stands out. what was the point of having digital versions of the member when only one appears for like 2 seconds

[benihime99.livejournal.com]

Winter Ai was shown but if you blinked you missed it

[nefertitii.livejournal.com]

the song is ok the bass is stuck in my head. the mv is quite colorful but it feels empty and superficial. and these are the vibes karina is giving--soulless. the others are more alive.

[nefertitii.livejournal.com]

i was waiting for the cringe rap part but there wasnt which is a massive relief. the song is quite catchy i have to admit. im interested in seeing more from them tbh.

also it doesnt seem like they were immediately rushed out of the dungeon after the irene scandal...id say this was definitely pushed up but SM had already included teasers for the group and the black mamba MV at the end of the superM and NCT MVs, which were released before any of the Irene stuff.

[katheli.livejournal.com]

honestly looks like they can't dance, that was some weak choreo
the song is meh
if this group wasn't SM they'd flop hard with this.

[reinanegra.livejournal.com]

Mte about the choreo. There's so much competition the days of getting away with basic choreos are gone, even for the Big 3. Twice had to up their game and Blackpink are still getting flak.

[cxxl.livejournal.com]

I have deleted this so many times.

It's fine. I don't love it, but I don't hate it enough to NOT listen to it, and right now it's all we got for Aespa's content. Hoping SM does like they did with RV and give us a new comeback in the coming months. You can see SM is feeling the pressure of the new girls because this goes against everything SM usually does musically for girlgroups. Like the lack of a group chorus. It's clear they are going girlcrush because it's what is in and SM can't afford to not compete with the new girls. Black Mamba feels very much like an Itzy song that I would hate.

I know there were people worried about how the group would shape up after those teasers, and predictably...they seem fine. We'll see how they perform later. But overall...it's K pop...the same industry that absolutely has NO problem putting someone in a group because they are pretty...and y'all eat them up ANYWAY. The standards are low even at SM (they have the highest of highs and the lowest of lows...). That being said...those teasers didn't do justice for the girls. Wynter (I don't acknowledge the I) being the lead vocalist makes sense considering she was the only one without a talent shown. I honestly thought SM would do like JYP and push the girl they wanted as a vocalist. I have been coming for this young lady's neck and she said aht aht! I'm sorry Wynter!
I didn't think NingNing sounded bad in her teaser, but this makes me reconsider. Something was definitely off about Run, and she sounds a lot better here...also helps that everyone is comparatively weaker than her. Makes a 6 look like an 8. Also the Disney thing is less present.
Giselle gives me Lisa. Not in talent (I don't have much to say about that), but in her role.
Karina is pretty.

The video was bright and colorful and okay. I loved the tutting sequence with Wynter. Giselle's wig didn't look bad. That Karina scene was so hamfisted in and I don't understand why, but she is very pretty. The very minimal use of the Ai was a plus.

Overall...it's fine. I don't think it has that power to be a debut, more like a third comeback. Like I can see Itzy doing this as their next one. But overall I am actually...not that mad at it. It's very not SM. Like intentionally going against everything they usually do (Even with their tryhard fellas of the N city). I won't be reading the lyrics...because I love myself.

[cxxl.livejournal.com]

Other things:
Also I already hate Marvel, so SM wanting to do that isn't the wave. I only actually care about Red Velvet and BoA. I don't want to look at your boygroup or the corpse of SNSD trying to insert themselves into what is a wonky and likely lesser version of the Loonaverse but with COMPUTERS.

But yay BoA.

The dance sequence on the subway outclassed the ones with Karina. Wynter ate and NingNing looks like she got a serve in her. Again...we'll see how this translates live.

[imahurricane.livejournal.com]

we were catfished with the dark, mysterious teaser from 2 days ago lol. i want more of that! song is quite catchy but i can't help but compare their concept/style with itzy. giselle really shines in this!!! i said before that winter is so gonna be my bias but man, giselle definitely caught my attention!

[dalpaengi.livejournal.com]

haha so the consensus is that everyone hates the song and hates the members. that’s how it usually goes for a while. I remember hating red velvets debut especially the tacky hair styles 😂

[benihime99.livejournal.com]

No one hates the girls though

[rennehollic.livejournal.com]

I'll wait until another song. Personally I never vibe with SM debuts, besides f(x), they always seem super weak to me, and I just gain interest on the second/third song.

So I'll wait