If Fin.K.L.’s name caught you off guard, I’m not surprised. It means “Fin Killing Liberty”, a sign that the group stands against repression across the world, a noble choice but a slightly long journey to get there. Very 1st gen. They’re considered one of the founding groups of the 1st generation of kpop. They debuted in 1998 with four members: soloist Lee Hyori, stage actress Ock Joohyun, Lee Jin, and Sung Yuri. They disbanded (unofficially) in 2005, but reunited a few years back. Today, when this review comes out, is their 27th anniversary.

Here are my credentials: Fin.K.L. will be the 5th 1st generation artist I’ve covered on the blog, after SHINHWA, BoA, Lee Hyori, and Seo Taiji. It was actually looking into her solo career that made me interested in the group. As mentioned, it’s their anniversary, and Fin.K.L.’s been on my list for a while, so I thought this would be a good time to write a review. Let’s get into it!

Album #1: Blue Rain

The thing with many first generation songs is that you really never know where they’re going. You could have the most tearjerking exploration of childhood and government repression like in Seo Taiji’s Sogyeokdong, you could have a now-iconic Britney-Spears-esque R & B song like Lee Hyori’s 10 Minutes, or you could have a messy, cultural-appropriation filled attempt to be…cool (?) that somehow includes the n-word like SHINHWA’s Yo!.

The first single Blue Rain isn’t exactly any of those things. It has an R & B base like 10 Minutes, but that’s where the similarities end. It’s much more like a classic ballad, like something that would play in the background of a classic kdrama, complete with a bopping piano and exquisitely dramatic strings. It’s really the vocals that make it something special, with the song more like a backdrop for Joohyun and Hyori especially to show off their skills. As for the music video, it’s not too different from your average kpop MV now, alternating solo shots with group ones, adding in some light dancing, and of course, making the poor girls stand out in the rain for the drama of it all. Either way, it’s a start that makes me curious to see where they’ll go from here.

Second single To My Boyfriend (내 남자 친구에게) is far less mature feeling than Blue Rain, a bit of an odd transition that sort of makes you feel like you’re going back in time. It’s very much of its time, from the excessive over-aegyo to the several different genres thrown together, but it does have its moments, specifically with its main hook of “call me, call me!” The MV, I’ll be honest, is hard to watch, between the clearly low budget CGI and the painfully high contrast used throughout, but it did get a few laughs out of me. Especially seeing the very simple choreography in comparison to the kinds of footwork heavy dances of today.

From the album, I enjoyed the melodic R & B of Scribbling (낙서), the spaghetti Western influences of Ruby (루비: 슬픈눈물) and the off-kilter sound of Blue Day (블루데이), Hyori and Joohyun’s duet. My hidden gem was easily Go (가), which immediately stood out from the crowd, with a subtly synthy beat that sounded right out of Saturday Night Fever and struck me as very ahead of its time in terms of K-pop trends. All in all, the album wasn’t really for me; a lot of the songs are similar enough that they bleed together and there are too many unnecessary rap verses. But it’s very strong and very cohesive, even if it’s not my style.

Album #2: White

Eternal Love (영원한 사랑) is not only a great single but a great album opener in my opinion. With a very 2000s futuristic, spacey sound, a solid chugging beat, and the brassy trumpeting throughout, it doesn’t waste time getting started. It reminded me of a softer version of the sound that would later make F(x) famous, especially the odd mix of genres that shouldn’t work but somehow does. The MV is trippy and got more than a few laughs out of me, not in the least because of its mix of black-and-white for the drama and eye-watering over-saturation, but I can forgive that for what’s my favorite title track so far.

See, when I hear the word Pride (자존심), my 2020s queer self immediately defaults to rainbows and pride flags. And that’s absolutely not what this song is. Instead, it’s directed to a man, telling him to be brave and tell her how he feels about her, with lines like, “Hey, why aren’t you confident?” and “I’m counting on you to accept my heart”. The song itself is fairly par for the course for their music so far, with a bubbly, aegyo-filled chorus, more R & B heavy verses, and the vocals once again taking center stage. I’d say it ranks in the middle of their discography; I’m not going to seek it out, but I’m not going to avoid it either.

From the album, while I enjoyed the effervescent peppiness and oddball energyof Kiss Me? Alright!, the fade-out and great vocals of Still In Love, and the classic ballad sound of album closer My Prayer (나의 기도), my hidden gem was probably My Beginning. The vocals are honestly some of their absolute best, and the full choir joining in at the end felt so emotional. It’s a masterclass in a song building on itself, and I’d call it quietly powerful if they weren’t belting. I definitely liked this album better than the first one; here’s hoping they all improve as they go.

Drinking game: when listening to this album, take a shot every time you’re vibing to a chill R & B song that sounds something like “boyyy I’m in loveeeee with youuuuuu” and then some random man who you’ve never heard before busts in with a rap that’s completely out of place and by the time you’ve accepted that this is happening now, he’s gone and you’re back to Yuri’s lovely voice.

[P.S.: for any lawyers reading, this is not actual advice, I do not recommend this, please don’t sue me—-]

Album #3: S.P.E.C.I.A.L.

I admit that I find it just a little bit funny that the song “White” isn’t on the album White, but I digress. White picks up where Eternal Love left off, melding their R & B style with a bombastic, brassy background that works out very well. It’s a winter holidays song if ever there was one—-the percussion’s reminiscent of Christmas bells, it’s very much the speed of a carol, and you’d be forgiven for thinking that a red-nosed reindeer’s about to jump out of your headphones and start a conga line. If you’ve read any of my past reviews of holiday music, and are already imagining my crochety Grinch face shaking my fist at joy, you might be expecting me to dislike it. But I actually don’t. A very 2000s electro sound paired with 80s synths and an almost mid century jazz sound shouldn’t work to someone with a distinctly 2020s ear and yet it does? I’m not entirely sure how, but hats off to Fin.K.L. for that.

To My Prince isn’t nearly as memorable as White, in my opinion, but it’s still very nice to listen to. It toes the line between ballad and R & B, with a lovely background piano and much gentler vocals then there’s been in Fin.K.L.’s title tracks so far, providing a nice contrast to their most bombastic work. I did really like the last minute’s blossoming power, which sets it apart from some of their other b-sides. Other than that, I confess it’s not my style, but I can still appreciate it for the kind of song it is.

From the album, I enjoyed the moody, seductive sound of Tonight and the old-school jazzy sound of Like an Indian Doll ([인디언 인형처럼], a cover of the 1989 song by Na-mi). My hidden gem was Rose, which melds R & B with a rockier edge than Fin.K.L.’s had in the past, a sound that I didn’t think would work but absolutely does.

Album #4: Now

The song Now is the start of the turn it seems like every kpop girl group will go through at some point, from the cutesy girls-next-door image to the scantily dressed femme fatale making eyes at the camera. In fact, it reminded me a lot of Hyori’s own album Get’Ya, with this very 2000s harsh EDM sound that I’m not entirely sure if I like? I’m also, as mentioned not the biggest fan of having random men do short raps in girl group songs because I found that they often sound out of place and distract from the main sound. The overall song is alright, especially the chorus, but I have my gripes with the MV. Most of it is fine, like the motorcycle riding and the dancing in well-tailored suits, but I really could do without the slow-mo gyrating in front of the screen. It’s just weird and male-gazey and so unnecessary. All in all, it’s definitely of its time, and I don’t think I want it in ours.

Feel Your Love is the second single from this album, as well as the last we’ll cover in Part One, and while there’s no official music video for it, I managed to find a performance, complete with a screeching almost-all-female audience that made me smile. It was a bit difficult to focus on the song itself, I confess, but it’s fairly similar to a lot of their other singles: R & B, good vocals, a solid bridge, etc. I appreciate that it doesn’t have a random rap, but I think I’ll leave this one be too.

From the album, I enjoyed the cute hook of First Kiss, the somewhat funky influences in One Fine Day (which also has a nice rap courtesy of Hyori) and the jazz-and-strings-driven Foundation Of Love (연애의 기초) which reminded me a lot of IU’s classic song Good Day. My favorite was absolutely the gloriously dramatic Pure Love, between its backing choir and its go-for-broke chewing-the-scenery vocals. You may think I’m bashing it, but I promise I mean it when I say that I enjoyed the hell out of it.

Next time, we’re onto Part 2. Tschüss!