PinkFantasy Fulfills all our Heavy Metal Dreams with “Poison”
Calling all former goth and emo kids! Many of us ended up in the K-Pop fandom, but remain nostalgic toward the darker, heavier type of concepts. Very few groups explore this sound and even more rarely do it more than once. Girl group PinkFantasy is one of the groups that has more often than not explored a darker type of sound, but they take it to a whole new level in “Poison.” The title track and its accompanying mini-album Alice in Wonderland is the first non-single release of the group since their debut in 2018.
The Title: “Poison”
The track kicks off with an eerie broken music box, hissing amp sounds taking over as the main heavy metal beat drops. If you’re into intense electric guitars and strong bass drums, the second the melody takes over, you’ll be in love. The beat is reminiscent of famous heavy metal bands like Atreyu or Evanescence, which is a level of intensity we haven’t seen K-Pop explore yet, even in some heavier songs. Probably the most memorable portion of the melody hits after the first chorus, where we get a full on taste of screamo. If that’s your cup of tea, it’ll be extremely satisfying and it’s actually done unbelievably well. As a long standing metal fan, “Poison” hits all the quintessential portions of a good metal song, and it’s so refreshing to see that type of concept done so well, especially from a K-Pop group. That being said, it can be a polarizing song, especially if the listener is a fan of more traditional pop.
As the track itself suggests, the music video is full of darker and even satanic imagery, highlighted by a pagan altar and the girls walking into a very ornate room in full dark robes, forming a circle that quickly shifts to a blood red image with each girl sporting horns. The outfits are all black and feature lots of leather, accompanied by dark lipstick and eye makeup. The choreography is noteworthy as well, with strong formations and sharp movements that complement the song perfectly. The cinematography is very well done as well, and shows a vast improvement from the previous single release. With the additional artistic elements of the video, the comeback is wrapped up in a perfectly dark bow.
The Album
Alice in Wonderland is comprised of two new tracks, along with new versions of the group’s old singles to create a mix of old and new. The album opens up with a 2021 version of debut track “Iriwa.” There’s not much of a notable difference, so the update for 2021 is likely due to the member shuffling that has happened and puts the new members on the track to fill in for the members that left the group. The song itself does stand in stark contrast to the title, with a more cutesy tone taking the main focus of the song.
“Fantasy” is the next updated track, also taking a similar tone to the original just with new vocalists. This song feels a bit more fit for the darker image, with a more haunting vibe in the piano melodic line and the use of electric guitars in the track. The original single did have a darker concept, and it feels like a good middle ground between “Iriwa” and “Poison.” “Fantasy” definitely gives off Dreamcatcher vibes for those that are a fan of them.
After the title comes the second new track “Alice In Darkland,” a fully instrumental track. We don’t often see these instrumental tracks stuck in the middle of the album, so it definitely throws you off a bit. It has the same type of vibe as an intro track and definitely fits the motif of the album, it just would have been nice to have a full new B-side rather than two additional instrumental tracks.
After listening through the mini, it is rather disappointing that despite appearing as an EP, there is only a new single and two non-vocal tracks added to a list of remade songs. PinkFantasy is a group that has a ton of potential, showcased in the title, but barely gets to release more than a single. You can’t blame the group for that, it likely comes down to the company, but it still sucks. In the future, we hope to get albums with more music. With the strength of the title, I have no doubt that the group is capable of great things.