Here are my credentials (again): I would consider myself a casual fan of Mamamoo. I know a decent amount of their singles, a couple b-sides, and I saw their performances on the 1st season of Queendom. I think they’re very talented, but I also know of the controversies surrounding racism (including actual blackface, which I won’t be going into detail about here, but please look it up), so I’ve kind of purposely tried not to get too invested. So, I’m doing this both to know their music better and see where they’ve gone in terms of their earlier mistakes. Let’s get started!

(Part One)

EP #6: BLUE;S

Wind Flower, though I’d heard it before, made a stronger impression on me this time around. Paired with the music video, its sleepy but uplifting R & B with touches of jazz and minimalistic vocal production are encouraging and calming, which isn’t an easy thing to achieve. I honestly don’t have a good reason for why I enjoy this one so much more than Starry Night besides the fact that I like its message, but either way, it was a nice watch! It feels very grounded and realistic, and made me think of my own friends. My favorite shot is absolutely the moment where they all run together into the street, though.

Solar’s solo, Hello (which is also the name of a previous Mamamoo track), has a lightly stepping electronic beat that slowly becomes a quasi-anthemic power ballad, and is so far my favorite of Mamamoo’s solos. Solar has an excellent voice, and manages to exercise what, as a singer, I can tell is quite impressive control. I couldn’t find a music video for this one

From the EP, BLUE;S, I enjoyed the gentleness of the intro that led into Wind Flower, the catchy hook of No More Drama, and the coffeeshop R & B of Better Than I Thought.

EP #7: White Wind

Gogobebe starts with a trippy electro beat and keeps its quirkiness throughout, with its music video being a return to their earlier brightly chaotic ones, with even its chair colors harkening back to Mr Ambigious. I’m not a big fan of this song, either, to be honest; though I like the idea of it, it’s too minimal to leave that much of an impression and just kind of pleasantly floats by. It’s alright, but I wouldn’t choose to listen to it.

Wheein’s solo, 25, has a simple electric guitar and an MV all in black and white except for a couple objects chosen for artistic purposes. Similarly to Hwasa’s Be Calm, though I can appreciate the said artistry and of course Wheein’s voice, the song itself is just not that interesting to me.

From the EP, White Wind, I enjoyed the interesting, fast percussion mixed with the breathy vocals in Waggy and the good build-up and strings in My Star.

Album #3: Reality In Black

Hip was, I think, the first track I heard of Mamamoo’s, and it was quite an introduction. On the whole, more angry and boundary-pushing than k-pop girl groups dare to go, its minimalistic percussive beat and easygoing confidence are addictive, and though I normally don’t enjoy “I’m-cooler-than-you” songs, I agree that here it has a purpose. Its brash and forward lyrics are honestly quite refreshing, and I appreciate all of the boundaries it pushes in what can be a very sanitized industry. Also, as a lover of clothes, I really loved Solar’s black and white Cruella De Vil outfit. Perfection.

From the album, Reality In Black, I enjoyed that expansive Wild West guitar riff that opens Destiny and its later excellent belting, the strings in Ten Nights, the slightly creepy rap mixed with the higher chorus in EDM 4x4ever, the frankly tearjerking lyrics of Hello Mama, and the synthy texture of I’m Your Fan.

EP #8: Travel

Aya continues the trend of more minimalistic instrumentals and chanty choruses. I can’t tell what culture they’re supposed to be imitating here, but the vaguely Middle Eastern / South Asian / Bollywood (?) inspiration is honestly uncomfortable, especially with the very sexualized music video. I wasn’t a fan of this one. I didn’t have a hidden gem from this single.

Single #3: WAW

Where Are We Now is another track I’d heard before, and, unusually for a title track, is a ballad. It marks their eighth anniversary and is a sentimental song with classical flourishes dedicated to their friendship with each other. Again, it’s not a track I would listen to every day but I do appreciate its artistry.

Single #4: Mumumumunch

Mumumumunch is based on a synthy, light beat that got me excited from its similarity to Wind Flower, which was the last title track I really enjoyed. But, though I liked this one more than the last few, it still feels very flat overall, not having many peaks or valleys. It’s…fine, but that’s about all I can say.

Single #5: Mic On

Illella is, at time of writing, Mamamoo’s most recent comeback, and somewhat brings the energy of their early work back, going for a summery feeling that’s backed up by some slight funk and a touch of surf guitar. Unfortunately though, it doesn’t go far enough into any of those influences and ends up just being a bit boring, especially for such a talented group.

Verdict: TL;DR

I’m glad I did this. I admittedly didn’t know much about Mamamoo before this deep dive, and in diving deeper into their work, I gained a deeper appreciation for their talents in singing, writing, and producing, the latter two of which I didn’t know that they did, which was a nice surprise! I don’t think I’ll ever be a fan of Mamamoo, but I do respect them more than I did before. 

My Top 5 songs are Decalcomanie, Piano Man, Ahh-Oop, You’re The Best, and Wind Flower, with I Miss You and Destiny as honorable mentions. Mamamoo gets an 8.5 out of 10 from me, because I can’t deny their incredible talents, I enjoy a lot of their titles, and I do appreciate the good work they’ve done in letting k-pop idols be more outspoken about their beliefs. But, I can’t give them a higher score for a few reasons: I have issues with the idea that over-sexualization is empowering, I think a lot of their newer tracks don’t build on their strengths, and as mentioned, I’m still not able to overlook the very real mistakes they’ve made.

Next time, we’ll be covering an older group that I’d say I know quite well. Tschüss!