[Review] LOVE RACE – SF9

Back to the week before last, today’s post reviews SF9’s latest comeback with their 15th mini-album and title track of the same name – LOVE RACE. It is their first release since Don’t Worry, Be Happy and the mini-album Fantasy last year.

If you base LOVE RACE on the first couple of seconds, you might expect to find the song subdued and coffee-shop-esque, which isn’t a style that you would expect from SF9. A couple of seconds later, LOVE RACE turns into a fast-pace pop dance track. Its instrumentation reminds me of an adrenaline pumping close-to-call motor race soundtrack – fitting for a song titled LOVE RACE and a fulfilling outcome for a song under 3 minutes. This backing is full of textures and colours that make me want to ‘go zoom’ (literally) while listening to it, making for an intriguing background piece. I find myself enjoying the rapping more in LOVE RACE. YOUNGBIN, HWIYOUNG and CHANI had a very cool presence in the song, especially during LOVE RACE‘s choruses. They themselves added to the high-octane and speedy feel of the song. On the flip side, the vocals were good. But I wished the material was more riveting. Both the melodies and hooks were underbaked in the song, leaving LOVE RACE less memorable than what it could have been. Overall, LOVE RACE is a decent song, especially if you are after something with a rush to it. But there is opportunity for the song to be more balanced and better.

It should be no surprise that LOVE RACE went with a race-themed concept. There are motorcycles, sports cars and quad-bikes in the music video, as well as elements of a car race and mechanic. Some of these are ‘driven’ by the members to look like they were driving very fast, while professionals were brought in to do wheelies and to circle around the members. Even the gear they wear throughout the video reminds me of a race. I just wished the music video was a little more than just close-ups and choreography (maybe a storyline where some of the members engage in a race somehow). But for the most part, it was a decent video.

SF9 pumps the gas in the choreography, matching the fast-paced nature of the song. The routine is intense, and you definitely see and feel when the song reaches its peaks throughout the dance. I like the idea of putting on and taking off the glove at the start and end of the routine, but I wonder if this holds any significance for the group.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8/10