K-pop quintet LE SSERAFIM released its second studio album “‘PUREFLOW’ ,pt. 1” on May 22, providing fans with 11 new tracks and a music video for the title track “BOOMPALA.” For the powerhouse group whose past songs like “FEARLESS” and “ANTIFRAGILE,” have been cemented in K-pop’s hall of fame for their addictive tunes and dances, “‘PUREFLOW’, pt. 1” seems to be a step backwards in terms of musicality and artistic direction. Although some tracks are listenable and follow LE SSERAFIM’s signature style of edgy, upbeat pop, others feel haphazard and showcase the album’s lack of identity.
The album’s production is both its savior and ultimate failure — only some tracks managed to both be innovative in sound and uplift each member’s vocals. Tracks like “iffy iffy” and “SAKI (feat. Aliyah’s Interlude)” featured backtracks that didn’t overpower the group, allowing listeners to enjoy the unique sweetness of Chaewon’s voice and listen clearly to Kazuha’s rougher, more boyish tone. Instrumentals for those tracks were integrated well with member vocals — the same can’t be said for some songs like “Creatures” and “Need Your Company” where members’ verses feel like they go against the actual song’s productional current. On the introductory track, “Pureflow,” while fitting in with LE SSERAFIM’s tradition of including songs that are spoken to outline the overall feel of the album, strange echoey effects overlaid on Yunjin and Sakura’s lines makes it feel awkward to listen to. While strong on some songs, production choices definitely didn’t flow.
Furthermore, lyricism on the album has its vapid and empty moments, and there’s no overall solid message that LE SSERAFIM sticks with throughout the album. The album largely celebrates the inner strength of the group’s members amidst hardship and loneliness, but this is degraded by frankly half-baked repetition of verses like, “I wanna make your head bang” and “If achoo, bless me bless me.” In “CELEBRATION,” the pre-release track for “‘PUREFLOW’, pt. 1,” LE SSERAFIM repeatedly sings, “Turn up to celebrate” for what feels like hours, and the seemingly off-key backtrack and singing doesn’t help. However, “Trust Exercise” is where listeners can get a glimpse into how strong LE SSERAFIM can be when lyricism and themes are done right — lyrics flow, and the message of slowly trusting one another in a relationship is able to resonate with fans.
The arrangement of tracks on “‘PUREFLOW’, pt. 1” is also jarring. Some tracks fit with each other, like the upbeat, hardcore vibes of “Irony” and “Creatures,” but putting the loud “CELEBRATION” against ballads like “Need Your Company” and “Sonder” reveal a fractured musical direction, as if the group isn’t sure what type of music fits them best. The selection of songs that the group chose to push is also disorienting — “CELEBRATION” was selected as the album’s pre-release, but it clearly struggles when put up against inclusions like “iffy iffy” and “Saki (feat. Aliyah’s Interlude),” which features a much more harmonious and cohesive sonic direction.
Nevertheless, the album does have its strengths. Visuals and teaser images for “‘PUREFLOW’, pt. 1” deserve applause with how they showcase LE SSERAFIM’s ability to be simultaneously dreamy and commanding. Inclusions in the physical album are also interesting — the group offers a “Mini Camera Ver.” in the can version of the album, where a small camera in the shape of the group’s logo is included. However, it’s disappointing that the group pushes artificial intelligence Google Gemini in the music video for title track “BOOMPALA,” which is pretty much the antithesis of supporting and endorsing the arts as a musical group.
“‘PUREFLOW’, pt. 1” was listenable, but it wasn’t anything special or revolutionary for a group that’s shown in the past that they can do better. With half-baked lyricism and some truly questionable production choices, it’s safe to say that this album did not flow as intended.
RATING: 2/5
