Ciipher, the first boy group under Rain’s Rain Company, have officially debuted, with the music video for their title track “I like you” released on March 15, 2021 and their debut mini-album, 안꿀려, the day after. Prior to debuting, Ciipher appeared on Immortal Songs 2, where they performed “GANG” by Rain before he joined them onstage, and members Keita, TAG, and WON feature on Rain’s track “Come Over” from his latest release, PIECES by RAIN. 

However, many of the members may seem familiar, especially if you’re a fan of survival shows. TAN was part of the 2014 survival show NO.MERCY, which formed super popular group MONSTA X, and was a former Starship Entertainment trainee. Another former Starship Entertainment trainee, Hyunbin, was on Produce X 101, but was eliminated on the eighth episode and ranked No. 32. Keita and Dohwan were both contestants on YG Entertainment’s Treasure Box survival show, but were eliminated on the second to last episode, and Keita was the first trainee for YG Japan. WON was a contestant on Under Nineteen and placed seventh, leading him to debut with group 1THE9, where he was a member until their disbandment in August 2020. TAG was a participant on High School Rapper 4. The only member who was not previously on a survival show is member Hwi.

“I like you”

“I like you” is a soft and sweet pop track that opens with a guitar and features a catchy chorus and beat. Of course, a cute track needs a music video that is just as cute, and the Ciipher boys delivered. The video opens with the boys standing in a sunflower field and sitting down on a winners’ podium, perhaps taking a shot at all of the survival shows the members went on before finally debuting as Ciipher. Shortly before the video jumps from the sunflower field to the boys working in a Costco-like warehouse store, we’re treated to a cameo appearance by Kim Taehee, famous K-Drama actress and Rain’s wife. The video goes pixelated only to reveal that the field is actually a display at their store.

Between shots of choreography in the aisles, there are scenes of the boys goofing off at work. TAG is seen riding the conveyor belt at checkout, they dance in the deli section, and ride floor sweepers. There’s also an interesting bit of the music video where, as they’re dancing, each scene is framed like a video posted on social media and the feed scrolls between the different posts. The video ends with another shot of Kim Taehee, this time listening to the song and singing along. While there doesn’t seem to be anything super special about their sound, the music video is a fun introduction to the latest boy group.

The Album

As for the rest of 안꿀려, the songs are catchy but feel slightly cookie cutter. Ciipher have a similar sound to early Tomorrow x Together (TXT), so if you’re a big TXT fan, then definitely check out Ciipher. The first track on the mini-album is “Solo,” which opens with a similar boppiness and addicting beat as the title track. “I like you” is the second track and after that comes “Give me Love,” which steers the album towards a pop-rock vibe with 808 beats. The acoustic guitar is a really interesting addition to their sound and helps to set this track apart from the rest of the album.

The fourth track is “Fire,” which, while still relatively poppy, has somewhat of an R&B feel to it and slows the tempo of the album down. The track also features a funky bass line similar to P1Harmony’s “Nemonade,” though the bass line here isn’t as prominent. The last track on the mini-album is “Fall in Love,” which slows down even further and drops the autotune that was heard in earlier tracks. The downside to this is that a lot of the vocals that don’t use autotune sound slightly strained, possibly due to many of the members being born after 2000. 

All in all, Ciipher’s debut isn’t bad. Maybe a bit formulaic, but not bad. It will be interesting to see how their vocals and style progress as the group releases more music.