It’s been five months since we last heard from the girls of PinkFantasy, but this time we have a full group return rather than a sub-unit. Hidden member Daewang had previously mentioned that this is a pre-release to their upcoming mini-album. 

Those familiar with PinkFantasy will know that the group tends to go with darker concepts, but “Lemon Candy” definitely flips that fact on its head. The song itself has your traditional bubblegum pop type of feel, though the beat has some hip-hop influences that make it more catchy. The girls are singing in a higher vocal range to match the bubblegum pop concept, which is something that can be rather divisive in listeners depending on their perspective. There’s a clear difference here compared to their other tracks, where the vocals are given more freedom to be in different registers. What really stands out is the chorus, where there is a bit of distortion in the melody that suggests something a little darker than originally thought from the peppy opening. 

The video has been gaining commentary for being clearly low budget, likely due to the lack of proper lighting and subpar videography. The difference may be obvious if you’re used to flashy sets from big companies, but it’s important to keep in mind that PinkFantasy’s company is smaller in stature and was likely more severely impacted by the pandemic in terms of monetary gains. Regardless of any criticisms in that realm, the concept shines well through the video, with pastel pinks and yellows taking center stage. The darker aura is seen in the black and red outfits worn in the group dance shots, keeping a bit of the groups’ darker image through the punk-inspired outfits. If this is truly a pre-release as Daewang has stated, it’ll be interesting to see what direction the official comeback title will take. 

Check out the music video for “Lemon Candy” below.