March Madness: A Round Up Of The Big Comebacks of March

#comebacks #gidle #redvelvet #straykids

We hadn’t gotten comebacks from many big names in Kpop in January and February. Sure there were some super popular acts who debuted and came back in the first two months of the year, but even the two months combined doesn’t hold up to the lineup of artists that came back in March.

Here are our favorite comebacks from March:

Tomboy by (G)I-dle

With their first comeback as a quintuplet, (G)I-dle take on a more punk-rock inspired sound and aesthetic. The bombastic instrumental of the track is the star of the song - especially the driving guitar riffs that give the song its characteristic edge. The members also deliver great performances in all aspects - dancing, charisma and vocals. Yuqi, with her bright pink hair, and Shuhua, who got considerably more lines and center parts than she usually does, in particular stood out for their stellar performance in this track. Soyeon’s rap segment however felt a little lackluster compared to what she has done in the past in other (G)I-dle tracks and her solos. We are willing to overlook the awkward English phrases in the lyrics because we totally vibe with this edgy sound and side of (G)I-dle.

This song is also possibly (G)I-dle’s most successful comeback to date as they got a Perfect-All-Kill on the Korean music charts for the first time in their career through it and won multiple music show awards.

Spring Again by Nu’est

Nu’est released their final comeback as a group this month and the title track, Spring Again, is as emotional as you expect it to be. The track has sentimental ballad-esq moments mixed in with dramatic anthemic parts and the ever-present piano. Overall, it brings us a warm and emotive song with heartfelt lyrics that wraps up Nu’est’s fantastic run as a group. All of the members showcase their incredible vocal talent belting out the soul-stirring melody of the song. We also want to shout out the beautiful music video of the track that references multiple things from their previous music video - bringing in another layer of reflection (over their career) to this comeback.

Maniac by Stray Kids

It’s a little difficult to accept that Stray Kids’s last comeback was over seven months ago when it feels like they have been dropping a new music video every month or so. Their latest comeback picks up right where Thunderous left off and sonically sounds like a progression of their colors and sound from God’s Menu, Back Door and Thunderous. It’s always exciting to anticipate what unconventional sound has been incorporated into the group’s songs as it feels like they are always playing around with interesting sounds and textures. This time around we got the melodic birds’ chirping and the whirring of a drill right before the chorus. The song also fully utilizes another one of Stray Kids’ trademark sounds - Felix’s super deep voice in the chorus. The choreography and the cinematography of the track is very cutting and satisfying to watch as always. All in all, a solid comeback from the group.

In another note, this is Stray Kids’ (and possibly, JYP Entertainment’s) most pre-ordered album ever. Oddinary received an impressive 1.3 million pre-orders.

Feel My Rhythm by Red Velvet

It is difficult to classify Feel My Rhythm as a definite Red or Velvet track of Red Velvet. The song has elements from both sides. It is colorful and kind of upbeat like a Red track, it also has an overall smooth, refined and mature sound that is more in line with the Velvet comebacks. While we can’t figure out where to put Feel My Rhythm on the Red to Velvet scale, there is one thing about this track that we’re certain about - we prefer this much more than last year’s tepid Queendom.

The track doesn’t play into any of the sonic or visual trends of Kpop of the moment and instead gives us an ethereal and mellow musical-esq track with a princess, ballerina, witch and murderer in Kwangya concept that only Red Velvet can pull off. The orchestral instrumentation wonderfully compliments the girls’ incredible singing. The beautiful choreography mirrors the elegance and sophistication of the song giving us delicate ballet inspired moves. The music video also deserves a special mention as it is filled with gorgeous shots and a ton of references to some really famous art.