[Review] HANDS UP – MEOVV

MEOVV is gearing up for a comeback in May. But before we can hear their 1st mini-album, MY EYES OPEN VVIDE, the group pre-released the single HANDS UP (the focus of this post) on Monday. The future album release will follow their TOXIC and BODY comeback from November 2024.

HANDS UP has garnered a lukewarm response from me since its release. I liked certain elements, while other parts of the song felt very beige. Let’s start with what I liked, namely the delivery of the chorus. I really enjoyed the hooks, and MEOVV’s deadpan delivery of them was actually quite effective. It forges a catchy and memorable element in HANDS UP. I also enjoyed the momentum behind the song. That really helped me get through the song. I also liked how cool the ending of HANDS UP sounded, with what felt like a remix of everything before it. Beyond that, I felt HANDS UP was stuck in a bit of a rut. I find the vocals to be over-processed, particularly when they do the longer notes in the choruses. I am not convinced as to why they needed to do this, and I’m unsure of its effectiveness. It did help with that deadpanness, but I am sure the members could handle that part without the autotune. HANDS UP also has a beige problem with its instrumental, where everything felt overly similar throughout the song until the final moment. I wish there were more variety in the music and that it wasn’t linear as it was. The verses, as well as the rapping, were also dull and unimaginative. Overall, what I liked from HANDS UP has helped the song grow on me ever so slowly, but I don’t think I will reach the point of really enjoying the track.

The music video revolves around the Korean game arkkagi, where players flick their own stones to knock off their opponent’s stones off the board. I really like the aesthetic of the setting, which felt very clean and modern. The intense focus on the members and various hand formations displayed prominently throughout the video are probably representative of the intense focus needed to play the game and the necessary hand formations to flick a stone (particularly when it is in a precarious location on the board). I also like how, during the second verse, the stones are flying by the members as per the game. But interestingly, the most memorable moment for me was watching the kid feel so stressed about his next move against another MEOVV member during the second chorus. For some unknown reason, that scene spoke to me and was memorable.

The choreography for HANDS UP was actually quite cool. Obviously, there were a lot of arms and hands up in the air throughout the routine. But there was also an element of intensity, attitude and sassiness from the members that I quite enjoyed.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.8/10