A.C.E and the “SAVAGE” Comeback

On October 29, 2019, A.C.E released UNDER COVER : THE MAD SQUAD, their second release of 2019. Leading up to the release of the mini-album, individual and group concept photos were dropped, as well as individual member music video teasers for title track “SAVAGE.” Following the international success of “Under Cover,” many fans were curious to see what A.C.E would release next. UNDER COVER : THE MAD SQUAD features six tracks, including the complete version of “Take Me Higher” and “Slow Dive.”

The Music Videos

An hour before the release of the “SAVAGE” music video, A.C.E released a performance video featuring choreographer Lia Kim for the first track of UNDER COVER : THE MAD SQUAD, “Intro : escape.” This instrumental track’s eerie presence and ominous vibe set the stage for the title track to follow and introduced some of the deepest EDM beats to come from A.C.E.

After the performance video for “Intro : escape,” it’s safe to say that fans would expect an equally dark and twisted music video for “SAVAGE,” but that’s not entirely the case. With Byeongkwan channeling his inner Harley Quinn and Wow’s green hair reminding fans of The Joker from 2016’s Suicide Squad, the “SAVAGE” video is a neon madhouse filled with strobing lights, trippy graphic transitions, and the frenetic choreography that only A.C.E can pull off.

Along with the music video, A.C.E also released a full dance performance video featuring their background dancers and a group performance video for “SAVAGE.”

The Comeback Performances

A.C.E had their comeback on October 30, 2019 on Show Champion, where they performed a shortened part of “Intro : escape” before jumping into “SAVAGE.” The group wore outfits from the music video, with Chan in shorts while the other four members wore pants. While both performances showed off the group’s charisma, the “SAVAGE” stage gave it more time to shine and showed the group truly enjoying performing for fans, especially leader Jun, who can be seen grinning widely at times during the comeback stage and even giving fans a cheeky peace sign between songs. Dancing in front of large screens displaying the entrance to an abandoned asylum—yet another Batman reference— and with flames erupting at the front of the stage during the chorus, this was just one of many powerful “SAVAGE” performances A.C.E. would go on to perform. 

About seven months later, A.C.E would go on to perform B-side track “Slow Dive” on the May 5, 2020 episode of The Show. “Slow Dive,” as mentioned in our B-side article about A.C.E, is a track with a twist, transitioning from soft and slow in the verses before picking up a darker vibe and tempo for the bridges and choruses. This twist is also reflected in the choreography and the group’s outfits. While each member embraces this concept beautifully, Donghun carries it that little bit further, with his facial expressions adding a hint of mourning to the mix.

The Legacy

UNDER COVER : THE MAD SQUAD debuted and peaked at No. 7 on the Gaon Weekly Albums Chart and ranked No. 23 on the October 2019 Gaon Monthly Albums Chart. On the November 2019 Gaon Monthly Albums Chart, it jumped up to No. 18. Unlike the previous mini-album UNDER COVER and title track “Under Cover,” UNDER COVER : THE MAD SQUAD and “SAVAGE” did not chart on any Billboard charts.

Unfortunately, the release of UNDER COVER : THE MAD SQUAD was ill-timed as, that same week, MONSTA X released FOLLOW - FIND YOU, their last album to feature Wonho. With Monbebe launching the “Save Wonho” movement on social media in the hopes of bringing him back to the group and GOT7 releasing Call My Name the following week, it was a long shot that A.C.E would receive any music show wins for this comeback.

That being said, at the time of writing, “SAVAGE” is the A.C.E music video with the most views on their official YouTube channel, with only a million more views than their music video for “Under Cover.” The music video for their most recent comeback, “Goblin (Favorite Boys),” has just over half the amount of views as “SAVAGE.” It just makes you wonder: if A.C.E had released this album at any other time that year, would they have finally gotten their first music show win?