Here are my credentials (again): So, as the title says, I’m a Neverland, or a (G)I-DLE fan (read about that here), which has meant I’ve long heard about CLC second-hand through the members’ friendships with (G)I-DLE, especially Shuhua and Elkie and Minnie and Sorn. Now, CLC is approaching their tenth anniversary, so I wanted to cover them and give them the attention they rarely get and definitely deserve. Let’s get into it!

(Read Part One here)

EP #6: Free’sm

Where Are You marks the first time that CLC’s begun their mini-album with the single, and it’s also (somewhat?) a return to the sound they debuted with. It’s not as funky or, to be blunt, as unique as their first four songs, but neither is it as harsh-on-the-ears as Hobgoblin, so, thank all the Gods in all the world, for that. The vocals are lovely as always and the gentle piano is very pretty, but that’s it. It’s fine, but it doesn’t make much of an effort to go further than that, staying in the kind of in-one-ear, out-the-other sandbox that groups like New Jeans would later make a career out of. It feels a lot more like a b-side than title track material, and for a group whose songs often feel like statements, it’s a little disappointing. Also, I’m sorry, but I found the music video so odd. Why are they staring emotionlessly at the screen in white gowns on a merry-go-round? Am I in a cult? Mom come back!

From the EP, I enjoyed the reggae influences in Bae, and the lilting piano and soaring vocals of Hold Your Hand, but I didn’t have a hidden gem.

EP #7: Black Dress

Black Dress is another of the few songs I’d heard before this deep dive, and like Hobgoblin before it, presents a sharper, perhaps more mature side to the group, albeit far more refined. It takes the central idea of Hobgoblin, the “what are you gonna do about it?” confidence and the pulsing underlying beat, but fine-tunes it, making verses that not only flow well into the rest of the song but make the pre-chorus’ build feel earned. I’m not the biggest fan of the recurring EDM hook, to be honest, both because it’s a bit harsh on the ears and because anti-drops often irritate me, but overall I do like the song. I think it works. I would totally strut down a runway to it, let’s put it that way.

“Brought to you by the writers of Black Suit,” my mother called, “We bring you: black dress.” (Side note: they don’t even wear black dresses in the song. They’re wearing black suits. And pole dancing? ‘Cause reasons? Whatever)

From the EP, I enjoyed the vocalized hook of Distance, but my hidden gem was easily To The Sky. A special single that I didn’t have the time to cover on its own, it hits the ground running, with an excited, bubbling rush of synths, and though the verses pull back a bit, the chorus’ return just makes you want to jump for joy. It’s a great song, and I wish its brightness translated to more of their singles.

EP #8: No.1

Though, as mentioned, I’d also heard Hobgoblin and Black Dress before, No was the very first song of CLC’s I heard, because it was penned by none other than (G)I-DLE’s Jeon Soyeon, which is probably the best songwriter choice if you want to go for an angry girl power EDM track, to be fair. You can feel her fingerprints all over this song, as it toes the line between harsh-on-the-ears and a softer, more melodic sound. Its hook of “Red lip? No. Earrings? No. High heels? No. Handbag? No” has been stuck in my head ever since, and where I’d normally dislike something like that in a song, I actually don’t mind it here. Part of this is because the chorus is a lot more sprawling than the hook would have you believe, and pairing the two together works well. I think the track works better as a “statement” than a song, but I don’t hate it.

(My mother, thus finished with her cleaning, listened to the hook at the beginning and wordlessly put her headphones on, so apparently she wasn’t convinced).

From the EP, I enjoyed the twist on an anti-drop in Show (my hidden gem), as well as the fun hook from Like It.

Single #1: Me

Where Pepe, Like, and High Heels felt like a trilogy of similar songs, so too do Black Dress, No, and Me. In fact, Me is pretty similar to No, all this considered. It’s probably not as unique, but has more of a melodic through-line than No does, especially in the bridge and pre-choruses. My biggest issue with it is that I think that the chorus doesn’t live up to its potential, falling back on the same anti-drop structure that’s cheapened their tracks before, but I don’t think it would bother me that much on a casual listen. The music video is also very nice, marrying the black and white aesthetics of the last few songs with a carefully crafted color palette that I think works quite well. It’s almost like the girl crush version of Where Are You—it’s fine, but that’s kind of it?

Single #2: Devil

Devil is, in my opinion, the pinnacle of CLC’s sound, combining their harsher, girl crush / girl power and funkier pop tendencies into one great track that just ticks all the boxes for me. It’s irreverent and entertaining with a delightfully colorful music video (the clothes? I’m in love) and a hook that’s catchy without being cloying. It’s almost like a grown-up sequel to No Oh Oh, with its lines of “I tried to be so polite” and “how dare you taunt me, I know all your tricks”. Before it even finished, I was singing along to the chorus, despite not having heard it in years. I’m sure I got the words wrong, but, oh well. God, I really wish that this was the sound CLC stuck with and the sound that most people associated with them, because I think their trajectory might look a lot different. Still, I’ll be enjoying Devil for a long time.

(“Yeah”, my mom admitted, now sitting in a nearby chair. “This one’s alright.”)

Single #3: Helicopter

Helicopter is, as of now, CLC’s last song, coming out almost five years ago, which is a bit sad. Girl crush to a tee, I think that it’s what Hobgoblin thought it was. It’s brash and unapologetic, with a powerful percussive beat underlying the whole thing, and doesn’t sacrifice melody for a “strong” sound. I admit I could’ve done without the rap, but that’s more of a personal preference, because even I can admit that Yeeun’s very good. The chorus, if you’ll pardon the pun, really does feel like it’s taking off, and the last one with its incredible high note is just great. The final moment of silence, where the girls all have their fists in the air, really did make me smile. All things considered, it’s not a bad note to end on.

Verdict: TL;DR

I’m glad I did this. Like I said, I’m a fan of Sorn and (G)I-DLE, so CLC has been on my radar for a while. I feel like I didn’t have the chance to learn that much about them, unfortunately, since they haven’t been active in years, but I did watch Sorn’s video with Yeeun and Seungyeon about how well they know the group, their Helicopter keyword interview, and them doing tongue twisters on Hello 82. If you have any recommendations, I’d love to know!

My Top 5 songs were Devil, High Heels, Show, To The Sky, and Helicopter, with Pepe as an honorable mention. CLC gets a solid 7.75 out of 10 from me. I think that, for me, they have a lot of songs that come close to being good, but then, whether through anti-drops or hooks that fall flat, the songs don’t live up to their potential. As sad as I am that they’re not together when they had some good songs and even more talent, I’m happier that they’re free to pursue the kind of music they want to make as soloists like Sorn, actors like Eunbin, or in different groups like Yujin (who’s now part of Kep1er). I’m glad they get the second chance that so few idols get.

Next time, we’re onto a solo artist who’s making a comeback soon. Tschüss!