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why-so-serious-lucifer · 3 months

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K-pop Discography Deep Dives: 9Muses

A Disclaimer: I was planning, when I first started Tumblr, to be a lurker, but then I began an office job and needed something to listen to to keep myself occupied. And then, I started going through entire K-pop groups’ repertoires, album by album, and jotting down my thoughts. And then, I stumbled into K-pop tumblr and decided, you know what, there’s at least four people on this hell site who would read in depth rants about these discographies and at least five who wouldn’t read it and then get mad because it’s kind of our job as K-pop fans. My lukewarm takes should be taken with an entire silo of salt and the knowledge that this is completely for fun and occupying my very bored, very neurodivergent brain. All this to say, for the love of god, I’m a sleep-deprived student and I don’t have time for internet hate, so don’t kill me. With that being said, enjoy!

Here are my credentials: Very few, this time. I know a few of the members of 9Muses (Sera and Hyuna especially), but since there are / were so many, I don’t know them all. I think I’m too casual to be a casual fan of them, but I do really like the songs I’ve heard and I’m excited to hear more.

9Muses has since disbanded, but as of their last comeback, their members were Hyemi, Sungah, Gyeongree, Sojin, and Keumjo. Their past members were Jaekyung, Bini, Rana, Eunji, Leesem, Euaerin, Minha, and Hyuna, and due to all these lineup changes, they weren’t actually a nine member group for a sizable amount of their career.

They debuted in 2010, near the end of 2nd gen, with No Playboy, which starts with a clippy, pulsing beat that reminds me of Kara’s Lupin. It’s got that identifiable mid-2nd gen sound from the start, and 9Muses’ voices do some great harmonizing. I think that the choice of very little instrumentation during the verses works pretty well, but the choruses feel just a bit too understated when they could’ve been louder as a contrast. I did like this one, and it’s pretty emblematic of where they’d go from here. Ladies, the b-side of this single, has some interesting interpolation of speaking in English and cheering, but the song itself is a pretty standard R & B dance pop one.

Figaro is a song I’d heard before, and I’m honestly surprised how early into their careers it was released since it feels like such a classic. It does exactly what No Playboy doesn’t, expanding on what could be such a simple R & B base by adding funk and a backing section of brass, along with the electronic heartbeat in the back. The hook of “give up, up, tonight” that leads into the chorus is excellent, and always makes me want to dance. I feel like it ends a little fast, but that's a pretty tiny critique for a pretty great song.

News starts with sing-talk, which I wasn’t expecting but I shockingly don’t hate it? I know, bizarre. This one goes right into a more disco-y production, especially as that chorus takes over and I can just imagine a swirling disco ball and a rainbow floor. The sing-talk actually repeats throughout it, but paired with such a knockout of a chorus and such a great background melody line, I think it works pretty well, especially in the outro.

Ticket I had also heard before, and wastes no time getting right into the fray. It continues the trend of very minimalistic verses, this one just punctuated with a hand-clapping effect and light drums, before the incredibly catchy “one way one way one way ticket” (which I knew would get stuck in my head but oh well) hook takes over. This one also includes sing talk, which I hadn’t noticed before, and made me come to the realization that I honestly don’t mind it if it fits the song’s energy, but when it comes out of left field, it interrupts the flow too much for me. The b-side, Why RU, feels brighter and rockier than their previous songs, and I think it’d be a great summer song if it leaned more into that.

Dolls, at first, seems like it’ll go full-on ballad with that twinge of strings, but then of course, the horns come in and we’re treated to a very different song with a swingy guitar and the occasional flash of brass. This time, it’s the opposite of their previous songs, where the instrumentation is really what makes the song great and the vocals themselves are more understated. I prefer the other way around, since I’m a singer after all and I wish the voices were the star, but it’s nice to have a change once in a while. I’m not a fan of the rap here, to be honest, due to the tempo change.

Wild has a lot of layers in its background, between its pulsing heartbeat base, electronic keyboard, and the very interesting high-pitched distortion (which I didn’t catch the first time), and combined with the voices, it gives the song the feeling of never having a moment to slow down. Even the pre-choruses, though slower in tempo, don’t feel like a break, and the several raps add to this rushing forward. Every time it pulls away, it snaps back like a rubberband, stronger and higher than before. I can’t decide if I like this never-ending energy or if it's too tiring for me, since I feel as though on some days I like it more than others.

From Wild, the EP, I loved the excellent disco chorus of Action and its verses’ distortion, and the softer tone that both Paper Scraps and Living Person take, though I preferred the second.

Gun makes the choice to begin with its chorus, announcing itself with a surf rock guitar and 9Muses’ signature horns. When it returns to its verses, the song does have some time to rest and recoup, but not much; twenty seconds and we’re already gearing up for the pre-chorus. I was surprised to find that I still liked the chorus so much after hearing it first, but it’s so catchy and swingy that I couldn’t help it. Though I think the verses and chorus’ tempos don’t quite match, I really liked that bridge and its combination of sing-talk and singing works well in setting up the final moments. As a side note, I loved the dipping dance moves in this last part of the video, though I think that this one, like Figaro, ends a bit too fast.

Prima Donna is a full album, so there’s a lot to talk about. Prima Donna, the song, gives a great intro into Gun, and its hard guitar only made me like the single more. Rumor, meanwhile, has some great dramatic strings that compliment the voices well, A Few Good Men has an excellent guitar riff, Just A Girl ends with a classic fade-out, Miss Agent has a wonderful 60’s-spy-flair, and OMG has a jaunty piano. Overall, this is a very strong and surprisingly cohesive piece, so I’m sad that it’s their only LP.

Glue leans into the funk like Figaro does, though this time pairs it with a calmer guitar in the verses, before it continues into the more electronic-focused verses. There’s also a rap verse here, which I’m not the biggest fan of, I’ll be honest, though I’m not entirely sure why. I do like the choruses, but I feel as though they don’t reach as high as the ones in some of their other songs. In a way, they feel more like pre-choruses, and need a good 15 seconds more to really expand on the great ideas that they have. I like this song,

Drama starts with almost an entire verse of sing-talk, which is…not a choice I agree with, since then it goes right into a surprisingly gently-sung few lines, but then right back to sing-talk. The second sing-talk section fits the song better, but I was already a bit thrown off and felt like I didn't have time to recover before the tempo changed again. The chorus itself is pretty good, and I think that the addition of a post-chorus is an addition that fixes the issue I had with Glue’s too-short choruses. Overall, this one isn’t for me, though, and I don’t think I’ll be relistening to it. From Drama, the EP, I didn’t have a hidden gem, though I really liked the Pilot Episode intro, and wished it was a full song, and September 17th’s talking intro made me smile.

Hurt Locker builds on what Why R U started, going full-force into the happy, bubblier summer idea. It uses its electronic background to support a much more pop-leaning than R & B-leaning beat, and though I’m not mad at it, I feel as though I’ve heard this song many times before. Hurt Locker still has a few 9Muses staples: the great harmonizing, the pulsing electronic beat, the sing-talk mixed in, etc, but feels like a very different group than the one we’ve seen thus far. This is probably a me thing, but I’m a big fan of groups having a signature sound and sticking to it, because there’s just so much k-pop out there and a lot of it sounds similar. I didn’t have a hidden gem for this album.

Sleepless Night is a return to 9Muses’ formula, though in a less overt way than usual. It makes the choice to feature their voices, and take inspiration from a softer, smoother style of R & B than is usual for them, with a distinctive whistling hook. I think that this works pretty well, better than I would have expected, and is a great example of innovating on a formula without sacrificing what makes that formula work. This feels self-assured and confident in an understated way, with a good dash of vulnerability to round it out. Overall, I like this one!

From Lost, the EP, I really loved the b-side Secret, which, between the more ethereal quality of the voices, the combination of subtle strings and piano, and general vibe reminded me a lot of a Gfriend song, but with a more dancy twist that felt more like 9Muses. I also liked Koong Chit Dak Chit.

Lip 2 Lip is definitely the opposite of Sleepless Night, immediately taking off in its synth pop / disco inspired beat. It too takes the idea of not having a lot of time to breathe in the song, never going without some kind of noise for long. Though it has a great beat, it feels slightly more overwhelming than is probably intended, to be honest, and the constant switching back and forth between tempos left me wondering if I liked it or not. Maybe I need a few more listens before I decide. From the EP, Muses’ Diary Part 1, I enjoyed the mix between the classical flourishes and bubbly summer vibes of Shh!.

Remember starts only with a single guitar and a single voice, before an equally sparse drumming is added in. It builds an interesting sense of tension to the song that isn’t common in their other singles, and when the chorus takes off with somewhat hauntingly high voices and a more electronic production, it feels earned. The sing-talk’s anger here feels earned, and the minimalism seems to add to the sense of desperation fueling the pre-chorus’ sudden rush forward. It’s unique, both in 9Muses’ discography and in k-pop in general, and I especially loved the harmonizing in the last chorus.

From the EP, Muses’ Diary Part 2: Identity, I enjoyed the chugging dancefloor beat mixed with the softer moments in Pastry and the mournful R & B of the closer Hate Me. I also really liked the intro. This is quite a melancholy work as a whole, I’ll say.

I had assumed that Love City would be a return to the poppy summer sound of Hurt Locker, and though I was kind of correct—at least in the bubblier parts of the verses—the chorus feels like one from one of their older songs like Wild or Figaro. However, this combination of the bubbliness, the chorus, and the oddly intense whispered intro and hook doesn’t quite work for me. It’s a bit like Love Cherry Motion by LOONA: the quick changes are the point, but they make for more of a cool statement than an enjoyable song.

9Muses last song, also called Remember, is a disbandment song written for the fans. As many songs like this do, it’s quite slow and sappy, though it chooses to be more upbeat than an average ballad. I’m happy to hear their voices given the spotlight, but I wish they could’ve had a more interesting showcase for them that would’ve stuck out amongst the dozen other songs like this one. I did really like its louder, more emotional moments, as those felt more personal.

I’m glad I did this! As stated, I did know a little bit about 9Muses, but I’m happy I got the chance to learn more. I found a lot of great songs to add to my dance playlists, and I got to learn about where the vintage influences I love so much in k-pop got their start (at least partly). It was a bit difficult to find an interview, since they disbanded around four years ago, so I settled for watching compilations and behind the scenes, which got me some good laughs. I enjoyed seeing Sera and Hyuna much younger with very different songs from their material now, and overall I don’t have any huge criticisms.

My Top 5 songs were Figaro, News, Remember (#1), Wild, and Rumor, with Action as an honorable mention. 9Muses gets an 8.5 out of 10 from me, because other than a few quibbles, they’re pretty consistent. As mentioned, there weren’t really any songs I disliked. I’m giving them this rating because, despite having a lot of great songs, there weren’t many I personally connected to, or any that had very deep meanings (that I know of) beyond what’s pretty standard for k-pop. This isn’t a flaw in their music, but it does mean that my enjoyment of them is limited.