Making their grand entry on a fresh new slate is this year’s first girl group, Cherry Bullet. Housed under the same label as AOA and FTisland, FNC Entertainment, the group had a fair amount of pressure as the company’s first girl group since AOA. The 10-member girl group consisting of Mirae, Haeyoon, Yuju, Jiwon, Bora, Remi, Linlin, Kokoro, Chaerin, and May officially made their debut on the 21st of January with their debut MV “Q&A.”

The song begins with a bubbly beat, a groovy base beat and cute “level up” kind of sounds interspersed in between, resembling music you’d find on a retro video game. Refreshing and upbeat, the track bounces between the realm of cutesy and “girl crush.” The diverse verses are linked together with a chorus that is quite reminiscent of the classic K-Pop sound, making it flow quite smoothly. The song works as a sort of introductory song to the members. Without going too deep, the lyrics express the kind of curiosity listeners might be faced with upon seeing them. It also expresses the excitement of the members on finally being able to join us, the fans, and “work” together.

Both the song and the music video work together to explain the premises behind the concept of the “Cherry Bullet World,” the idea being that each of them come in the form of different robots who clear quests together. With each comeback, they clear a different kind of quest. The video is a burst of color and diversity as we run along with the members through the virtual game world. The concept gives the group a lot of room to play with their sound and look, without sticking to a certain image.

What immediately struck me was the burst of energy the song came with. Without straying too far into a certain kind of label, it floats in between and does its own kind of thing, much like how K-Pop used to be in the 2000s. While the busy nature of the song does not necessarily let the members stand out, it does a really good job of setting the atmosphere of the Cherry Bullet world that they want to create as well as letting the bright energy of the group shine through. Initially I thought the chorus fell a bit flat compared to the verses and the hook, but the upbeat tempo and repetitive rhythm of the dadada section definitely sticks with you and lures you back for more. However for their official debut, Cherry Bulletdefinitely left a lasting impression, and I can’t wait to see how they make their concept their own.