For better or for worse, LE SSERAFIM has been one of the most polarizing groups in K-Pop for a while. This five-member group, made up of Chaewon, Yunjin(or Jen), Sakura, Kazuha, and Eunchae, seems to always be in the spotlight, albeit not for the right reasons. They are certainly one of the most popular groups to emerge in K-Pop over the last couple of years. Their meteoric rise has been exciting to watch but has also garnered them a lot of unwarranted criticism, in my opinion. Unfortunately, way too much of the discourse I have seen about this group online this year has been negative. From people criticizing their Coachella performances(which I think is unwarranted, because first of all, they did fine, and second of all, it had to be pretty nerve-racking for your first headlining festival performance in the United States to be on that stage in that circumstance) to criticisms of their music sounding too much like some fellow artists(which I also think is extremely unwarranted, because all art is relative and artists from all over the world are constantly drawing inspiration from each other; almost nothing is truly individual, anymore), LE SSERAFIM receives a ton of heat. So much so, that the members of the group have even turned off comments on their personal Instagrams because of the constant negativity. Regardless of some of the flack they have gotten, the group is still very relevant and has had one of the biggest years in K-Pop so far. Their EP EASY reached 8 on the Billboard Hot 200 earlier this year, and spawned two majorly viral hits: the title track, ‘EASY,’ and ‘SMART.’ Both of these are among the top tracks in K-Pop this year and have helped solidify Le Sserafim as one of the most important acts in the genre today. LE SSERAFIM seems to never take a break, as they are already back with their second EP of the year, CRAZY. Below, I wanted to give some thoughts on this new project from LE SSERAFIM. Please let me know in the comments what your favorite songs are from LE SSERAFIM’s CRAZY, and also comment on how you feel about the project as a whole!
LE SSERAFIM gets this EP off on a very bold and interesting note with ‘Chasing Lightning.’ This is certainly not a “traditional” song. It would, however, be an awesome way to start a concert. In fact, I want to see this group live because of tracks like this(the opening song for EASY had a similar energy to this one as well). ‘Chasing Lightning’ is a spoken word piece set over a super high-key Techno instrumental with a pretty harsh sound. There really is no melody for this one. Instead, ‘Chasing Lightning’ consists of a rapid, extremely intricate Techno beat that will make anyone either want to dance or strut their stuff. This instrumental has the kind of energy of the kind of underground Raves I used to go to back in the day. It may not be for everyone, but to me, it is very exciting and cool. The vocals of ‘Chasing Lightning’ consist of the five members of LE SSERAFIM talking about their wants and needs in life. This is meant to be an empowering piece where LE SSERAFIM asserts what they want and that they do not care what anyone thinks of them. ‘Chasing Lightning’ is a very fun piece of music that gets this project started with a bang. The title track and lead single,’ CRAZY,’ comes next. This has quickly turned into one of my favorite songs of the moment; I have been listening to it on repeat since it came out. ‘CRAZY’ is another high-key Electronic track that will get anyone’s blood pumping. The melody for this one is very interesting to me. It consists of a sample from the Phonk song ‘Tokyo Drift.’ There are bright synths that surround this sample that give the song a bright, shimmering feeling that reminds me of Vogueing House music from the 1990s. These bright synths that complement the melody are added to by some vocals from the members of LE SSERAFIM, which give even more depth to the melody. The beat for
‘CRAZY’ is just as intense and bold as the melody is. This beat leans into the retro House Dance music feeling we get from the melody, making this song feel larger than life. Every member of LE SSERAFIM delivers memorable vocals that hit in a very unique and fun way. I especially enjoy the performances from Eunchae, Sakura, and Chaewon, as the attitude they rap with adds to the track’s personality. ‘CRAZY’ is an eccentric banger, and serves as a great lead single from this project. ‘Pierrot’ sees LE SSERAFIM stray away from the Dance music theme we got on the first two tracks. Instead, this one has a melancholy Pop-Trap sound with a bit of grit in the beat. The melody for this track is quite intricate and interesting. I like the layering of synths that make up this pretty dark melody, as it gives the melody a layer of quirkiness that stands out. As interesting as the melody is, the beat of this song is just as engaging. ‘Pierrot’ has an intense and hard-hitting Trap beat with a rumbling bassline that will make any speaker absolutely pound. Once again, all of the members exhibit some pretty awesome vocals on this track, but one person stands out, and that is Jen. The range she exhibits on this one(especially on the hook during the operatic section) makes ‘Pierrot’ such a cool and larger-than-life track. LE SSERAFIM is definitely not known for this kind of grating Hip Hop banger, and they kill it so much on this one that it makes me want to hear more from them like this.
‘1-800-hot-n-fun’ is another track that leans into the Pop-Trap feeling we got on the last track. This song has a Rock element to it, though, which differentiates it from the first three tracks quite a bit. ‘1-800-hot-n-fun’ is driven by a tough and bluesy guitar riff with a tone of distortion and power to it. This guitar riff has a bit of a metal tone, and it will give anyone the stank face when it comes on. The beat for ‘1-800-hot-n-fun’ is not the most intense or pushy, but that is okay, as it keeps the focus on the guitar riff. Vocally, Jen and Chaewon stand out on this one, as their tones and flows work so well on this mean melody. ‘1-800-hot-n-fun’ is another entertaining Trap banger that could get any party jumping when it comes on. LE SSERAFIM really slows things down and evens things out on the final track from this project, ‘Crazier.’ This one does not have the kind of high energy of the first four songs at all, instead opting for a softer and calmer sound. ‘Crazier’ has a very warm and bubbly melody. This melody(and song in general) thrives in its simplicity, as the sweet guitar riff and piano that complement this one is very inviting. The beat for ‘Crazier’ makes the song feel so tranquil and inviting as well. This beat has the energy of early 2000s Pop and R&B music reminiscent of artists like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, or maybe even Alicia Keys. Because the instrumental is so low-key, the vocals on this track stand out. All of the vocals are great, but I especially noticed Eunchae and Kazuha. The way that their deeper and more full vocals contrast the more delicate deliveries we get from Sakura, Jen, and Chaewon gives the song a level of depth and texture that stands out in the best way. ‘Crazier’ is a very nice way to end this EP, as it shows a lighter side of LE SSERAFIM’s artistry and sends the project out on a peaceful and lovely note that contrasts the intensity of the rest of the project.
Unfortunately, the discourse around this EP online, particularly from other K-Pop stans, has been pretty negative once again. CRAZY has not been quite as ridiculed as LE SSERAFIM’s EASY was earlier this year, but it has not received the kind of hype that I feel like it deserves at all. Sometimes I struggle to understand what these fans want. If LE SSERAFIM goes way outside the box of what is expected from them, they are hated on; if they go with a more vanilla or standard sound, they are hated on. I am not going to sit here and say that CRAZY is the most boundary-pushing or sophisticated project I have ever heard, but it does see LE SSERAFIM step out of their comfort zone a significant amount, which I appreciate. Apart from the last track, which is very soothing and charming, this EP is super high-octane and fun. The first four songs are all extremely hard-hitting and all have elements about them that I love. In fact, I am debating whether or not I enjoy ‘Pierrot’ or ‘1-800-hot-n-fun’ more, because both songs are very cool in their way. I love the level of sass that the members of LE SSERAFIM deliver on both of these tracks, as they make them so entertaining and exciting. In my opinion, CRAZY is a very cool project where LE SSERAFIM branches out a bit and shows a side to their tougher artistry that I did not expect at all. This project makes me very pumped to see what this group cooks up next, and there are multiple songs on this EP I know I will be coming back to frequently over the last several months.
EAST SIDE VIBES 