Review: ANTIFRAGILE by LE SSERAFIM

Dropping their comeback mini album “ANTIFRAGILE,” the five member South Korean girl group, LE SSERAFIM has blown fans away with five new songs, all unique in their own way. 

LE SSERAFIM explores the wide variety of genres in the music industry. Shifting from pop electronic dance to pop punk, they change the vibes of the EP with every song, creating anticipation for future music.

Starting off strong, the album begins with the techy, cyberpunk opening track “The Hydra” combining Japanese, English and Korean to showcase the nationalities of the group members. With this track, they establish the lyrical theme of female empowerment.   

The vibe changes come into play with the title track ‘ANTIFRAGILE’ going from the techy beat to a catchy, upbeat reggaeton-inspired song. The comeback has gained attention due to the title track having Honduran reggaeton artist Isabella Lovestory with composer and lyrical credits on the song. Soothing the thrilling mood with a soft light ballad, the b-side “Impurities” and “Good Parts (when the quality is bad but I am)” capture the elegance in each of the girls’ vocals. 

Transitioning to the pop rock track “No Celestial,” LE SSERAFIM shows an energetic, young and rebellious side of the band, showcasing their “young, wild, and free” mindset. Starting the song off with a guitar riff, the members express lyrically how they don’t want to be some fake persona. They want to live their lives as themselves and not be worshiped, as they are regular people too. They express this in a slightly vulgar way, giving off rebellious teen movie music.

As the K-Pop genre continues to grow internationally, new groups with new images begin to arise. LA SSERAFIM have already begun to catch the eyes of many, not only for their talented voices, but for their strong performances and charismatic stage presence. Showing how their months of training paid off, anticipation builds up for how the company’s creative management will allow the group to grow. With multiple nominations on MAMA2022 and a high runner up on ‘Best New Female Artist’ the rookie group has been labeled by fans as the “best 4th gen performers.” Due to the hallyu wave experimenting with multiple types of genres, the next EP or even full album is something that cannot be guaranteed being the same as the last. This makes the wait for the next comeback more exciting than the last. 

3/5