Kep1er are a project group, formed by the survival show Girls Planet 999, and part of a small number of groups that debuted in that strange few months in between the 4th and 5th generation, so I’m not certain which they are. They debuted with nine members: Mashiro, Heuning Bahiyyih, Yujin, Xiaoting, Hikaru, Dahyeon, Yeongeun, Yeseo, and Chaehyun; Yeseo and Mashiro have since left, joining 143 Entertainment’s MADEIN.

Here are my credentials: While I don’t know much about Kep1er as a whole, I do know a little bit about a few of their members. As a fan of TXT, I know Bahiyyih through her brother Kai, and as a casual fan of the now-disbanded CLC, I of course know Yujin. I did watch the season of Queendom they were on, but I was mostly focused on LOONA and ViViZ. So I’m looking forward to learning more!

EP #1: First Impact

Wa Da Da is, as of the start of this review, the only song I know by Kep1er, which isn’t the best intro. It has some good parts, don’t get me wrong: the pre-chorus build-up is great and the post-chorus vocalizing is solid, but the central hook is kind of grating on the ears, to be brutally honest, and makes the rest of the song seem weaker too. It feels like several different songs combined, and…not in a good way.

From the first EP, aptly titled First Impact, I enjoyed the build-up in the way-too-short intro See The Light and the confident delivery of vogue-worthy MVSK (my hidden gem). I’m a little confused by the choice to make half of the album covers, though; it’s less work, sure, but it doesn’t help show potential fans who they are.

EP #2: Doublast

Up! has some good, bubbly energy, and is absolutely a summer song, in every sense of the word. Its chorus is peppy and, while not very unique, is still solid and a good amount of fun. My one quibble is that I’m not a fan of the “here…we go” before the choruses, though, as it seems a bit too childish and cheapens the track, but I did like it.

From the EP, Doublast, I enjoyed the seaside warmth and laid back guitar of Le Voyage and the peppy rush of Attention (which should’ve been the title; it’s much more cohesive).

EP #3: Troubleshooter

We Fresh has a slightly harsher, rockier sound than Kep1er has shown before, and its central guitar hook is very easily stuck in your head. This song’s build-up where all of them are singing may be their strongest yet, and I was happy to see something meatier. Unfortunately, the chorus itself is a bit of a letdown, opting for an anti-drop and a breakdown where it should’ve kept the energy going and gone for a big finish. The bridge is good, though, especially when the guitar makes its welcome return.

From the EP, Troubleshooter, I enjoyed the finger-snapping beat and self-assured delivery of Lion Tamer (my hidden gem), the combination of the breathy verses and jazzy hints in Downtown, and the light synth-based harmonizing in Dreams. This is probably their strongest EP.

EP #4: Lovestruck

Giddy follows We Fresh in terms of tone, with a self-assured, minimalistic sound a la Le Sserafim, which is a good fit for them. But just like with all of their past titles, it has a strong build-up but the pay-off is just lacking. Also, I don’t know what it was, but something in their delivery of the post-chorus just gets on my nerves, similar to Wa Da Da’s hook and Up! Spoken-word part.

From the EP, Lovestruck, though I enjoyed the “I’m in love with you” hook from Why, my hidden gem was Back To The City. Synthy and clean, it would be right at home on a dance floor, and I added it to my roller-skating playlist. And that outro? Perfect. They excel at this style, and I hope they do more of it.

EP #5: Magic Hour

Galileo is another change in sound, this time to a more acoustic-based one for its opening, and then back to straight pop for its choruses and hooks, a combination that works pretty well. And finally, we have a pay-off and tempo change that flows nicely, leading to a track that’s cohesive and catchy, and probably their best yet.

From the EP, Magic Hour, I enjoyed the city pop of The Door (which isn’t quite as great as Back To The City, but I’ll take it!), and the unique whistling hook of Tropical Light.

Album #1: Shooting Star

Kep1er’s Shooting Star, thankfully, it builds off of what Galileo started, going with a synthy base and a beat that rushes forward. It has an interesting, stuttering pre-chorus, that’s mostly a-cappella, and finally gives them the chance to spotlight their vocals, which is always welcome. Overall, this is absolutely their best, most cohesive, and catchiest release. This is my favorite single by far, which makes me sad it was their last one as nine members.

From the 1st album, Kep1going, I enjoyed the heartfelt piano of way-too-short Last Carnival, the minimalistic beat of Curious, the ethereal sound of Problem, and the brassier hooks of Straight Line. My hidden gem was definitely Double Up, with its unique combination between sweet vocals, a strange underlying EDM, and even a little sing-talking that never slows down.

EP #6: Tipi-Tap

Tipi-Tap is Kep1er’s first release as a seven-person group, and I was hoping for an expansion of the sound they aimed towards with Shooting Star, but…nope. It’s not that it’s a bad song, not at all, but it’s nothing unique from the six other songs I’ve listened to just like it in the last week. The operative word is ethereal, a sound that’s become inescapable from Fifty Fifty’s Cupid to New Jeans’ Super Shy, and a sound that I admit I have a low tolerance for. So, I give it a resounding shrug, which is a shame.

From the EP, I enjoyed the sing-talk mixed with harmony and the very queer lyrics of Drip, and the moody, easygoing sound of Bitter Taste (which reminded me a bit of a Purple Kiss song, in a good way).

Verdict: TL;DR

I’m glad I did this. I learned a lot about Kep1er; I watched a couple interviews and get-to-know-the-members content from their Kep1erving2, Bahiyyih’s vlogs with her family, and Chaehyun’s cover of When This Rain Stops by Wendy, which is one of my all-time favorite k-pop tracks. And she did a great job!

My Top 5 songs are Galileo, Back To The City, Up!, Lion Tamer, and Tropical Light, with Downtown as an honorable mention. Kep1er gets an 8.25 out of 10 from me. Their work is a little disappointing to be honest, because of how much potential it had that it fails to live up to. Look, the girls clearly have a lot of talent, and work well together. They’re all still very young, and I hope that whether they renew their contracts in Kep1er again or move on to different groups or solo work, they get better material that takes full advantage of their skills.

Next time, we’re doing another soloist round-up! Let’s see how the boy groups and girl groups stack up to each other. Tschüss!