If you're an Orbit, or even if you're aware of what goes on within the K-pop sphere, you would know that the past 2 years have been a rollercoaster for the K-pop group LOONA. The removal of the highly popular member Chuu from the lineup by their label Blockberry Creative unleashed a series of events that eventually culminated with the cancellation of the remaining 11 members' contracts and subsequent indefinite hiatus of the group as a whole. For many, this spelled the end of LOONA as we had come to know them thus far; besides, it's highly unlikely that BBC will make the reformation of the group without them an easy task. However, for the 12 members, this marked a new beginning; an opportunity for the girls to branch out and do things they were previously unable to do while under their old label. In 2023, members Heejin, Haseul, Kim Lip, Jinsoul, and Choerry signed with Modhaus, owned by LOONA's former creative director Jaden Jeong. This caused mixed reactions within the fans: some were excited to see a return of LOONA's trademark style from the days of Hi High and Butterfly, while others were concerned as to how Jaden Jeong would treat the group. Fast forward a year later, and we finally have ARTMS' official debut project Dall, following an unusually long rollout cycle for a K-pop group (Then again, Jaden did always seem to love long rollouts). With so much hype from both the fans and the label, it's impossible to not ask: "Does Dall live up to LOONA's legacy?"
Firstly, I find it important to note that Dall is a full-length album. To someone who might not be as well-versed in regards to K-pop, this might seem like nothing special, but in K-pop, groups tend to gravitate more towards releases more akin to those of EPs and singles in the form of mini albums and single albums. The main difference between these and your traditional EPs and singles is that rather than being part of a bigger era or being a precursor to a larger project, they're often promoted as their own, separate entities. In their essence, they are studio albums but with less songs. The reason why these happen to be more popular formats is essentially just because companies would rather spend the least amount of money possible on buying songs so they can distribute it into other areas of the album-making process like packaging, music videos, and other promotional material. This is why a lot of times you see cases of groups that have never released a full-length project, with some even disbanding or going on hiatus before having that chance (recent examples include CLC, Cherry Bullet, and LOONA themselves). This is why the fact that ARTMS is debuting with an LP is worth mentioning: it's an anomaly, as well as a milestone for LOONA. Not only is this ARTMS' first album, but it's LOONA's first album too. I don't really like to praise Jaden Jeong because of how he has treated the girls in the past, but I have to give credit where credit is due. This to me is a sign of ambition, and I really appreciate the amount of time and money that was placed into creating this project.
The album starts off with the semi-instrumental "url," which is yet another entry to my "intros/interludes that should be full songs" list. It features some talking, but it's mostly just a Disco-influenced pop instrumental track that only clocks in at slightly over 1 minute in length. It wouldn't surprise me if they release a full version/extended mix at some point, since that's what they did with Heejin's solo track "Kehwa", which became "Flower Rhythm." Up next is the title track (main promotional track from the album), "Virtual Angel." To me, it feels like a blend of 1980s and mid-2010s Synth-Pop. It's a nice track, but I feel like the chorus isn't as exciting as it should be. "Virtual Angel" is an energetic track and I can see why they picked it as the title track, but I feel like it's missing something. Like yeah, I can tell when the verses end and the chorus begins, but the chorus still feels a little underwhelming to the point where it kinda blends with the rest of the song. But that's honestly my main and only complaint about it; it's a good song otherwise. "Sparkle" and "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" feel like two sides of the same coin to me, which I actually enjoy because it gives the album a sense of cohesion that a lot of other K-pop albums nowadays lack. "Sparkle" feels more playful and bubbly, while "Hitchhiker" feels more ethereal. Out of the two, "Hitchhiker" feels the most fleshed out to me... probably because it's one of only 3 tracks on the record that have a length of 3 minutes or more... *SIGH* This for sure has to be one of my least favorite trends in music now. I mean, I'm not asking every song to be 10 minutes long, but geez would it kill producers to give songs proper bridges and outros? Even if it's just instrumental breaks! But anyways, I don't think the length of the songs works in the album's detriment in this case, mainly because the quality of the songs is good enough for the length (or lack thereof) of them to not be as big of a negative factor.
The middle section of the album is almost exclusively reserved to the album's pre-release singles, except "Birth" which is featured at the very end. I'm gonna be very honest, I wasn't sure what to expect from this album based on the singles alone since all 4 of them are so different from each other. "Flower Rhythm" features a Future Bass approach that calls back to the sound that originally brought LOONA to fame; "Candy Crush" is a slower-tempo City Pop song which in a way circles back to the Disco-influenced "url"; "Air" continues the mellow atmosphere of the previous track, this time incorporating an Afrobeats-esque rhythm. Looking at these tracks, it's not hard to see why they were picked out as the leading singles from this album: all of them belong or take notes from genres that are currently or have been popular or trendy in K-pop. What's interesting is how all of them sample previously-released songs from the ARTMS project:
Out of all of these, "Flower Rhythm" is done the best; "Kehwa" was an instant favorite for me on Heejin's album so having a full/extended version of the track on this album is a real treat. I'm not as keen on the sampling done for "Air," it feels a bit clumsy and out of place. Otherwise, it's a fine track. A short track, but a fine one. As for "Candy Crush," I wasn't originally wowed by "Plastic Candy" and my feelings are pretty much the same with "Candy Crush." It's a lovely song, but in 2024 it feels as though City Pop has been done to death in K-pop, so it's not necessarily eliciting any big reactions from me anymore, especially when this isn't even one of the best instances of City Pop in K-pop (see YUKIKA's 2020 SOUL LADY album). Wrapping up this section of the album is "Unf/Air," which was not one of the singles. Contrary to what the title might suggest, this song has really nothing to do with "Air." It's not an "Air" part 2, nor does it sample it (that I could tell). The only thing that kinda carries over is the positive energy from both songs and the minimalistic production.
With "Distress," we move on to the final, and most sonically distinct section of the album. "Distress" ditches the sugary-sweet pop sounds of previous tracks for a dark, yet smooth Alternative R&B style that emulates the style of popular Western artists like Childish Gambino and Kali Uchis. In it, the members' vocals really shine through while still showcasing an intriguing and masterful production. "Butterfly Effect" references LOONA's hit "Butterfly" in more ways than just sharing a title. The production yet again calls back to LOONA's signature sound, which almost creates an entire new universe that the listener can explore with each listen. Dall takes a note from Lady Gaga's book by ending the album with the lead single, "Birth." Despite the last 2 tracks having a relatively dark soundscape, I don't think they could fully prepare the listener to how different, and sonically interesting this song is. "Birth" is unlike any other K-pop song I have heard before: it's dark, mysterious, eerie, and at times even macabre in a way. Even if it's not something one might want to listen to all the time, it's a track that becomes more and more interesting each time you listen, because every single time you will find something new in the production. It's hard to believe that such a song came from the debut album of a K-pop idol group, but I guess the stakes are lower when you're relatively not as well-known compared to other acts and this is your very first offering as a group. It's also a perfect way to end the album, because of how much of a ying-yang effect is created when compared to the album's title track. Maybe that's why the album's full title is Devine All Love & Live: devil + divine = devine? Or maybe it was just a typo; the world may never know.
Dall does a great job at bridging the old with the new. It's very clear that ARTMS' purpose was to keep the essence of LOONA alive while still bringing in fresh elements to the table to better adapt that essence to today's sensibilities. That being said, I'd be lying if I said I was fully blown away while listening to this album for the first time; then again, not everything has to be the next Mona Lisa. While Dall is a great album, a part of me still wanted more. I can't quite explain what it is, but maybe it was just me subconsciously missing the 7 other members. That's not necessarily fair to ARTMS or the other members, though, so I'm not sure if that is an actual valid critique of this album or just my personal feelings getting in the way... but in the end, feelings are what music is all about. It could also be the fact that we had already heard 4 out of the 11 songs, which may have killed some of the element of surprise or novelty. Either way, Dall is still a very good K-pop album. In an industry where mediocre and sloppily put together albums have become all but the norm, it's a breath of fresh air to hear an album in which you can really tell there was real effort put by the people behind it. That isn't to say that there aren't things that I would've done differently, but that can honestly be said about anything that isn't done by me lmao. Overall, Dall serves as a highly effective reintroduction to LOONA, or at the very least this part of it, and I'm excited to see what else ARTMS is capable of in the future.
