&TEAM is back with their 1st single album, Samidare! Their first comeback of 2024 is a big one, as they begin a new era now that the First Howling series is over. Samidare appears to be the spring edition of a potential new seasonal series, and we’re already intrigued by what &TEAM might deliver in summer, fall, and winter. Drawing on the influences we’ve come to associate with &TEAM, as well as showing a more delicate side of the group, Samidare is easily in the running for our favorite &TEAM comeback… here’s why!
‘Samidare’
Better known for their intense, stunt-filled choreographies, we love seeing &TEAM show a softer side in this album’s title track. We’ve known they could do it since &AUDITION’s ‘Melody’ and ‘The Final Countdown,’ but we’ve never seen them promote something like this before. On the surface, ‘Samidare’ might seem like a typical mellow-pop number, but it’s so much richer than that. The layers are so rich, and we love that you can still hear that grunge, soft-rock influence simmering underneath.
‘Samidare,’ which is Japanese for May (or early summer) rain, is the perfect spring soundtrack. It’s so cathartic, like a release of pent-up emotions in order to make room for feelings of hope and rebirth. The use of May rain and cherry blossom in both the lyrics and the aesthetic creates such beautiful imagery! ‘Samidare’ is tentative and vulnerable, yet so full of unabashed hope. The juxtaposition is just gorgeous! The coloring and scene changes in the music video only add to this, although it seems laughing at the switch-up from the fight scene to Jo’s smiley face in the cherry blossom was a universal LUNÉ experience.
‘Samidare’ is, of course, also packed to the brim with &TEAM’s lore. The music video literally opens with the members lying on Giri’s grave. It is not subtle or chill! We see K facing challenges as the new leader of the pack, Nicholas starting fights (again), and all the members struggling to unite under tough circumstances. There are plenty more references to their lore and webtoon that LUNÉ far smarter than us have spotted, but we’ll be honest and say we’re just glad the music video seemed to have a happy ending!
‘Scar to Scar’
&TEAM is just unbelievably good at intertwining rock influences, and you can hear that in both Samidare b-sides. If you follow THP, you probably know that we’re especially obsessed with K-Pop, J-Pop, and pop-punk, so you can imagine how hard our jaws hit the floor when we first heard ‘Scar to Scar!’
The track is defiant and confident, and we cannot express just how life-changing the lyric “&TEAM. Go.” is. Delivered by leader EJ and sub-leader Fuma, it’s such a strong statement (a ‘War Cry’ if you will). And not to mention EJ’s rap verse and that bridge! &TEAM also revealed the ‘Scar to Scar’ choreo at KCON Japan, and if we don’t get an official performance video for this ASAP, we don’t know what we’ll do!
P.S. Here’s our plea for more songs with “frenemies” in the lyrics.
‘Maybe’
Closing out Is Samidare is pre-release ‘Maybe,’ a pop-ballad that really showcases &TEAM’s vocals. The classic build-up before the final chorus hits so hard, and we are entirely obsessed with the aesthetic of this music video! Plus, Jo’s whisper to end the track is another in a long list of iconic lyric deliveries in Samidare.
And as for what’s next? &TEAM just announced their second concert series (and first arena tour!), Second To None! Taking to the stage across Japan in late Summer, we can’t wait to see how much &TEAM has grown since First Paw Print! Now, we manifest a world tour soon!
From the romantic lyricism to the intricate choreography to how great the part distribution is on Samidare, there’s simply so much for LUNÉ to love in this era! What’s your favorite track from &TEAM’s Samidare? Are you as blown away by this comeback as we are? Let us know on Twitter @TheHoneyPOP, or over on Facebook or Instagram!
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