[Review] Beautiful MAZE- DRIPPIN

DRIPPIN makes their first comeback in a year, returning with their newest single Beautiful MAZE and their 4th single album of the same name. I thought I pick up this comeback and review it now while close its official release date, rather than repeat what I did with SEVEN SINS (i.e., wait a good lengthy 7 months to review the track). Also, the group is currently promoting without Changuk, who is sitting out for medical reasons.

Beautiful MAZE is good, but it isn’t great. It is pleasant and enjoyable. But it also a ‘safe release’. It keeps close to itself and doesn’t expand into anything that memorable in the end. For a group who can definitely handle dynamism, Beautiful MAZE feels a little lackluster. Nothing comes off as memorable in its instrumental. You don’t really remember much from this department once the song wraps up. Only did I really pay attention to Beautiful MAZE did I register the fact that I liked the sprinkling of the synth pop in the background of the new wave genre. That being said, playing it safe and going with a softer toned instrumental does give DRIPPIN the opportunity to focus more on the melodic side of delivery, which helps makes this track ‘pleasant and enjoyable’ as I had already pointed out. The rapping in the track also went with a similar motif, opting for a somewhat softer demeanour. Altogether, this helps create a fluid track. I just wished that was something more to Beautiful MAZE to give it roughness and edge. Something interesting to sink our teeth in. It could have easily been an instrumental sequence somewhere in the song that could have briefly changed up the song and that the group could have used for a dance break.

The lyrics of Beautiful MAZE expresses the emotions associated with relationships and breakups as like being in a maze. And we see the members go through a rollercoaster of different emotions throughout the video. But the display of those emotions are rather subtle, and so the music video just looks like a casual video of the members hanging out together. I particularly liked the second set of the choreography scenes, with the way the drone camera pans around them. I also like the editing of the video where images of the members flash before us rapidly, just prior to the final chorus.

Dance-wise, while the song does go with a softer tone, the group still manages to make the song appear lively on stage. They also did tap into their delicate side to execute the choreography and ensure it complements the song, whist also showing some energy to the performance.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.4/10