Some great music this week from 1st.One, NINE.i, CRAVITY, TWICE, &TEAM
“Wala Ng Iba” by 1st.One
“Paalam Na” has become one of my favorite tracks of the year. And it came after loving their other recent releases “Dito” and the remake of “Your Love” as well. 1st.One follows up with the cheerful “Wala Ng Iba”, definitely some warmer feelings than “Paalam Na”. But no less catchy. It’s easy to start grooving along with the catchy melody. And of course, the group delivers another strong and charismatic performance. Since their debut, 1st.One has always offered up a unique sound and style. And they continue to showcase their talent and versatility with every release!
“Mirage” by NINE.i
Meanwhile, we are finally treated with some fresh music from 1st.One’s Korean brothers NINE.i. The underrated group make their Japanese debut with “Mirage”, a refreshing love song with hopeful and positive lyrics. It definitely makes me hopeful we hear a lot more from them in 2025!
“Now or Never” by CRAVITY
Fresh off of winning Road to Kingdom, CRAVITY releases the anthemic “Now or Never”. The rock-powered track is a bit different for the group. But it is a natural progression from their continued evolution of sound. Especially as a follow up to their excellent Evershine album earlier this year. The other two tracks on this single album are also very good. Very exciting to see what’s ahead for the group in the new year!
“Strategy” by TWICE
I love how much I have increasingly enjoyed TWICE’s releases lately, both in Korea and Japan. It’s really great to see how much they’ve grown and their sound and style has evolved with them. “Strategy” is another great track and strong performance that blends together the group’s powerful charisma and signature charm. And it certainly helps that it is undeniably catchy and fun. The rest of the album follows suit as well. TWICE continues to keep up the momentum! Which is actually quite a feat nine years since their debut!
“Illumination” by &TEAM
I really enjoy &TEAM’s dreamy title tracks. And “Illumination” is another one that is perfect for the holiday season. It is a sweet and warm track. And the group’s soft vocals perfectly convey the nostalgic feelings of the song.