Everglow is a 4th generation girl group under Yuehua Entertainment, who debuted in 2019. They have six members: E:U, Onda, Yiren, Shiyeon, Mia, and Aisha, and recently returned from a nearly two year hiatus. As of time of writing, they’re celebrating their sixth anniversary.

Here are my credentials: Similarly to BLACKPINK, I was somewhat a fan of EVERGLOW when I was first getting into k-pop, though never quite to the point of being a Forever. But they don’t have that large a discography and with the long hiatus, my interest faded a bit. So I’m hoping that, with their return, I can go back through and rediscover my love for them.

Single #1: Arrival Of Everglow

Bon Bon Chocolat made a huge splash when it came out in 2019, and it’s easy to see why. The track starts with a bombast, and the call of “Everglow” recalls the iconic “Blackpink In Your Area”. This has a great, careful build up, too…and then just ruins it with a boring, monotone “nanananana”. This is one of my biggest pet peeves in songs, because it feels like the song gives up on itself, or like the writers were lazy and thought they could get away with it. And further on, the rest of it is pretty good, meaning that with a better chorus it could’ve been a discography highlight. But alas, no.

I didn’t have a hidden gem from this single.

Single #2: Hush

Adios was the first song I ever heard of Everglow’s, and is pretty emblematic of late 2010’s kpop girl crush. It follows a similar pattern to Bon Bon Chocolat, with a sharp opening, a good build up, and an anti-drop, but innovates on the formula more than is usual for the genre. First we have the a-capella pre chorus, then the instrumental hook, and then the catchy, solid post-chorus, and honestly, I quite like it. I’m not the biggest fan of the sing talk in the verses, though; I think they interrupt the flow. It’s definitely an improvement, though.

From the single, Hush, I enjoyed the fun-loving, marching band inspired beat of You Don’t Know Me, my hidden gem. It’s not reinventing the wheel or anything, but it’s catchy.

Single #3: Reminiscence

Dun Dun makes the choice to start with just Everglow’s intro and an interesting instrumental that I can’t quite place. It leans further into the sing-talk than Adios does, but copies its structure of build-up, then pull back, then powerful hook. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work as well here as it does in Adios, and I’m unsure why. There are parts of it that do, the excellent bridge and post-chorus chief among them, but something about it doesn’t quite flow.

From the single, Reminiscence, though I liked the catchy hook of No Lie, my clear hidden gem was Salute, with its dancefloor-ready beat and encouraging, confident lyrics. Besides that, is there a line more perfect for pride month than “Salute to my ladies, hey we will rock your world, are you ready?” I don’t think so, folks.

Single #4: -77.82X-78.29

La Di Da is really one of a kind in Everglow’s discography, which is both understandable given that it’s not their usual sound, and a shame, because it’s by far their best title. Marrying a pulsing 80’s synth beat and Everglow’s girl crush confidence, it’s infectious and utterly joyful in a way that sets it apart from the k-pop landscape of the time. By the time Yiren shouts “Everglow forever, let’s go!”, you’re hooked, and there’s no going back. I may have replayed it. Twice.

From the single, -77.82X-78.29, I enjoyed the twinkling, synthy beat of Untouchable (which was my hidden gem, though it’s not as good as La Di Da).

Single #5: Last Melody

Pirate is the opposite of First in many ways, not the least of which being that its opener is liable to turn off anyone giving them a chance. But then, something changes when it gets to its “girls, all over the world, dance with me tonight!” hook, which soon spirals into a full, melodic chorus. It’s a weird little mess of a song, to be honest, and not just because it unironically uses the phrase “shiver me timbers”. Perhaps it’s because of Everglow’s talents as performers, because of the great message, or because the hook is just that incessantly catchy, but somehow, it just works. I mean, feminist space pirates, who can resist that?

From the single, Last Melody, I enjoyed the peppy, lighthearted sound of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, though I admit the name did give me some pause.

EP #1: Return Of The Girl

Pirate is the opposite of First in many ways, not the least of which being that its opener is liable to turn off anyone giving them a chance. But then, something changes when it gets to its “girls, all over the world, dance with me tonight!” hook, which soon spirals into a full, melodic chorus. It’s a weird little mess of a song, to be honest, and not just because it unironically uses the phrase “shiver me timbers”. Perhaps it’s because of Everglow’s talents as performers, because of the great message, or because the hook is just that incessantly catchy, but somehow, it just works. I mean, feminist space pirates, who can resist that?

From the EP, Return Of The Girl, I enjoyed the passion and wistfulness in Back Together and the great vocalizing in Company’s smoother moments. But, my hidden gem was again the dancy one: in this case, the synth-focused, confident Don’t Speak, which adds a nice dose of funk.

Single #6: All My Girls

Slay arrives nearly two years after Pirate, marking the end of an incredibly long hiatus, and despite that, I hadn’t actually heard the whole thing until now. I’m in two minds about the chorus: on the one hand, I was nodding along at its catchy beat, but on another, I was disappointed that it too follows an anti-drop structure with a simple, repetitive hook that cheapens a good build up. The final chorus elevates the whole thing, though, and I wish that the other parts had this same feeling to them.

From the single, All My Girls, I enjoyed the percussive acoustic guitar of Make Me Feel.

Single #7: Zombie

Zombie just came out this morning, and I had a decent idea what to expect from it based on the patterns in Everglow’s work so far. And then the song actually started and I was thrown for a loop, because it’s nothing like their other work. Besides being set in a mental hospital—which is definitely a choice—it goes for an unsettlingly light-on-its-feet electro sound, very different from their usual dark EDM. I honestly don’t know how  I feel about the song, but I was definitely intrigued. I think it might take more time for me to make up my mind.

From the single, Zombie, I didn’t have a hidden gem.

Verdict: TL;DR

I’m glad I did this! I had fun going back and re-discovering why I enjoyed Everglow so much in the first place. I watched a few comeback interviews and fun games, though of course I wish that there were more, and the behind the scenes content that I got the chance to see was nice too. I can’t claim that I’m a fan, but I can say that I enjoyed myself.

My Top 5 songs were Pirate, La Di Da, Salute, Don’t Speak, and Adios, with Make Me Feel as an honorable mention. Everglow gets an 8 out of 10 from me. At their peak, they exemplify the best of girl crush. I think that their discography often succeeds not on its quality but on how well they perform it, and say what you will about Everglow, but they perform the hell out of their work. But sometimes, not even their talent can fix the issues with their tracks. I just hope that, with their comeback, they’ll keep getting better and better material that shows off their best.

Next time, we’re back with a couple boy groups. Tschüss!