Vroom Vroom 3.5/5

This is one of the songs that had to really grow on me. When I first heard this song, I was kind of disappointed. It seems too linear, and not exciting enough. The chorus and after chorus are very catchy, but the rest of the song is kind of bland. This song reminds me of a song that would have been released in the Saturday Night era of crayon pop.

Too Much 5/5

Things pick up a bit with this song. My first impression of this was that it doesn’t sound like a crayon pop song, but like any other group’s song. Even if this song has less of crayon pop’s quirkiness, it’s still really catchy! I love the chorus as well as the rapping at the end of the second chorus. This song is really cute and reminds me of something Girls’ Day would have released in their early days.

Doo Doom Chit 5/5

This is the 2nd song the group used to promote this album, the song they promoted the most, and rightly so! Doo Doom Chit is filled with energy and character. Right off from the bat, you get an explosive sax solo, with the girls chanting their group name. And the energy never goes down throughout the whole song. My favorite part is the “Baby Baby I’m so Fantastic Girl” sung at the end of each chorus. The dance, while simple, is really cute and matches the song well. This song is very “crayon pop” while still creating a new sound for the group.

Boogie Woogie 5/5

This song is the song that made me want to listen to this album in the first place in the sense that it was the first song that immediately caught my eye (ears?). The chorus is really the best part of the song with the repetition of “Boogie Woogie Baby.” The “Hey Hey leggo go” parts are really cute as well. Once again, this song could have been just a generic cute kpop song, but it’s the little added features that crayon pop adds that makes this song more than that. Unlike Too Much, this song feels more “crayon pop” to me due to its more disco instrumental.

Tonight 4/5

We get away from the more cutesy stuff for something more dark. Tonight is more serious, yet still keeps the signature playfulness of the group. It’s a pretty straight forward song that repeats the versus and chorus without change, but I like the “peek a boo” parts at the end of the chorus. Also, the screams and weird haunty noises are really cool. This song sounds a Halloween song, but yet it still fits the album nicely

Get it Here 5/5

This song is more dance and less disco, and it’s definitely one of my favorites off of the album! It combines classic k-pop with Crayon Pop’s unique sound. The chorus is so catchy with the repetition, and the raps in the song are my favorites from any crayon pop song.

Sketch Book 5/5

Things slow down even more with this song. Sketch book is the typical sweet kpop song. I could see Oh My Girl or Lovelyz singing this, even Apink. But again, it’s the vocals and delivery of the song that makes it stand out. My favorite part is at the end of the chorus where ChoA sings “Everything is Spring. Everyone’s all good. Everything all right.” In addition, when all of the girls names are mentioned near the end is also really cool. Overall, I think this song is super sweet and I was expecting something like this from this group.

Love Couple 4/5

I wasn’t expecting a song like this either. This sounds like it came straight off of a drama OST. The formula is the same! Random guy rapping + girl sings the chorus = every drama ost ever. It kind of makes me mad that this wasn’t used in a drama because it’s so perfect. Ignoring all of that, this song is pretty nice. It’s semi-up beat and pretty catchy.

Bar Bar Bar 4.5/5

Ah, the song that got the group famous (for a while). It’s not even worth debating if this song is catchy or not. Everything about it is extremely catchy and addicting! I’ve listened to this song too much to the point where it has gotten old, but I feel like this song really represents Crayon Pop’s style and image the best even if it isn’t their best song (In my own opinion of course). I love the “Hey, You Guys” part the best. It’s just so random.

Uh-ee 3.5/5

What kind of kpop group releases a trot song? Only Crayon Pop of course! Trot is seen as something only older Korean women sing, but the group pulls it off. The instrumental for this song is great, but I don’t 100% love this song. Maybe because I just don’t like the trot sound. Even if I’m not a huge fan, I think the vocals and personalities of the girls really come out in this song due to its silliness.

FM 5/5

If we’re just talking about singles (not album songs) FM is definitely the group’s strongest single ever! FM is this melancholic power ranger-esque song that still keeps the groups dance theme. I love the build up to the chorus, which is amazing. People may view the slightly monotonic vocals as boring, but it fits the song so well. The group seriously outdone themselves with this epic song.

Saturday Night 3/5

I believe this was the groups debut song, as in it was the first to have an official MV. Unfortunately, I’m just not a big fan of this song at all. I think it rightly set the tone for the groups image, as it sounds very disco and dance themed. I just feel like the vocals and the rapping are a little flat. This was not the best song to debut with because it just didn’t stand out enough.

Hello 4/5

A piano is something you never hear in Crayon Pop’s song. Oh wait. This is Strawberry Milk. The sub unit of the group made up of twins ChoA and Way! I haven’t checked out their mini album, I only know their other song OK, so I’m not sure what kind of image Strawberry Milk has. But this song is pretty nice. It’s a typical ballad in it’s structure. As stated before, the piano sounds really nice. It’s the vocals that really give this song it’s character. Way is definitely the best singer of the group. She’s proved that in lives and in other songs. But ChoA blew me away because she usually sings very “cute” so to hear her belt her lines was amazing.

 

As a jpop lover, I understand why some jpop fans do not like kpop. I feel as if kpop can sometimes be repetitive and generic (so can jpop), so I try to highlight groups that are doing something different and Crayon Pop is definitely one of those groups that aren’t choosing to conform to the generic kpop group.

Evolution Pop is probably one of my favorite kpop albums ever, even rivaling f(x)’s Pink Tape. Crayon Pop is such a diverse group full of quirky, talented members, and this album showed that they can do it all, from trot, to disco, to dance, to standard Korean pop. They are so underrated that it hurts to see how many people are sleeping on this group. I’m excited to see what the group releases for their next comeback!