LOONA comeback with PTT (Paint The Town):
firstly, it's good to see Haseul back.
aside from that, this release is a bit frustrating to me. i'm down for the indian-inspired beat the track starts off with, but Heejin and Choerry coming in with more upbeat vocals feels out of place and like some kind of early Red Velvet release. but then the track finds its legs a bit with Lip and Yves and a decent pre-chorus before pretty much falling apart for me again with the chorus. i'm generally not a fan of this trend of vocalizations or whatever it's called mostly coming from BlackPink's Ddu Ddu Ddu, but also found (done more successfully imo) in Everglow's Dun Dun and La Ti Ta. this is nothing new, but you'd also never know Gowon and Vivi are in this group. ultimately, while there are some good spots in the song, it just feels like a dime-a-dozen girl crush track and makes me feel wistful for their amazing pre-debut releases.
on a more positive note, this comeback from a week or so ago from Pink Fantasy with Poison:
comparisons to Dreamcatcher are obvious, with the music box and robes to start off, rock sound, and a couple bits of choreography. they go a bit further with the screamo screaming, but also include a more palatable high-energy chorus, and for me it all works really well.