I nearly selected CRAVITY’s Cloud 9 as a “buried treasure” back when it was first released in April. I’m glad I didn’t, because now it’s been chosen as a summer follow-up single. And while the track isn’t anything revolutionary, its bright, upbeat sound is a welcome salve for all of the edgy, moody boy group muck that’s been forced upon us over the past few months. This is the poppy sound I had hoped CRAVITY would debut with, and the fact that they chose this to promote gives me hope that they’ll steer further in this direction.
Cloud 9 is a basic, cute boy group track. It’s a little too light and fluffy to stand as a seasonal classic, but I appreciate its devotion to a strong pop hook and upbeat, percolating production. The chorus has a welcome breeziness to it, bringing together a hooky melody and rousing chant to satisfying (if expected) effect. Better yet, Cloud 9 maintains this energy throughout its verses. Rather than drop into some awful half-time breakdown, the song forges a consistent groove, powered by tropical synths and hand-clappy beat.
With this said, Cloud 9 still feels more like a strong b-side than a memorable title track. As much as I enjoy its chorus, there’s a risk of over-repetition as we veer toward the climax. This is held in check by additional chanting elements, which bring a sense of bigness to the song’s final moments. But, an additional counter-melody would have been even better. If Cloud 9 had been released two or three years ago, I probably wouldn’t have given it the time of day. But, it has the benefit of emerging within the dark disappointment of 2020, and that makes its sunny disposition all the more attractive.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8.25 |
Be sure to add your own rating by participating in the poll below!
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
It’s repetitiveness was a big turn off for me when I first heard it but its grown on me since. Its nice, fun, and I like it, but don’t love it.
Also that Seventen mini album sounds really strong! I love that they’re doing more rock again and the title track sounds great!
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Nick , you call this basic? I’ll say this , I disagree (one of the rarest times I have disagreed) *Check* June had started off pretty average and then turned down worse than april for me , so many comebacks and debuts have fallen for me (E’last – Swear , Super Junior KRY – When we were us , Seventeen – My My and all the may songs have fallen) They gave us the most average comebacks and debut I didn’t bother to listen more. Now , We have Cloud 9 which is amazingly fun! Reminds me so much of Golden Child mixed in with a bunch of soft healing Seventeen! And I can see Some happier SHINee material in there.
Cloud 9’s attack of bubblegum hooks is what I like and since it’s a summer song , I’ll ring in the golden buzzer and allow it as a candidate in My Top 3 Songs of June , 2020.
I’d give it a 9! and it’s probably gonna be a grower
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Starship should give them a brave brothers or sweetune track and try to revive what they lost in Boyfriend with CRAVITY
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that would be so good. Boyfriend has a lot of classics.
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I’d love for a new-gen group to follow in Boyfriend’s footsteps! Of course, that would require the return of Sweetune…
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On one of your recent rant posts, you or someone commented that Bright Boy Band concepts need not wear sailor suits to express youthful sentiments. Gotta say, I thought of that comment during this whole video. They are not sailor suits, technically. They may as well be sailor suits. On that helipad. Does every boy band rent that helipad at least once?
I think this is basic summer boy band song.
OT: If anyone wants to listen to bright boy band concept without sailor suits, may I recommend TST “Wake Up” from last year. I played the shit out of this song last year. Even with my itunes count reset late last year, it is still in my top 5 played of all, well all time since late last year.
Rest in peace, Yohan.
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Also going to throw in Mind Control (also by TST, but from back when they were still called TopSecret). The shouty, energetic postchorus is a bit of an acquired taste, but it’s consistently made my most played/favorites lists since it came out in 2017. A real earworm and a jolt of fun for anyone who could use one right now. ❤️
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Another good one! All goofy good fun!
Plus as a bonus, one gets to type in “Top Secret Mind Control” to find the song which is a hoot in and of itself.
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nobody:
this man: 2020 KPOP…
do you have another thing to say or
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Well, I’m not just going to lie, if that’s what you mean. If we keep hearing these same exact trends and structures, I’m going to keep writing about them as such.
And judging from what I see online, I don’t think I’m alone in my thoughts about 2020. So, that “nobody” feels a bit misplaced.
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Nice summertime pop, it’s well done if nothing else.
Also, they fits this much better than the debut tough guy one
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Definitely a more convincing fit.
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