Song Review:: NINE.i: MIRAGE {Japanese} {Debut}

• Release date: 2024 December 03

• Album tracklist: MIRAGE, MIRAGE - Instrumental

• Album runtime: 6 minutes

 Finally! I get to post a new song of theirs! Genuinely couldn't be happier that they're being active again and their careers are progressing! Or, at least are less stalled than they've been for the majority of the year. So I am a happy me. I know I don't do a lot of Japanese releases, but this is my first group I saw perform. I may wander around many groups, but I come home to roost when my groups have something for me. And this is their Japanese debut! Yay for them! As a side note, I highly recommend their Christmas song they released last year. It's so soft and sweet and adorable. And, 'tis the season right now too!

You know, one thing I really very much appreciate about NINE.i, and it's something that I also appreciate with a few other groups as well, is how bright their sound is. It's very well-produced to have multiple layers to the sound as well as a low, grounding element, but it's got just this fun vibe to it that makes me so very happy. My mouth automatically just turns up in a smile. Granted, for this song specifically, it kind of reminds of The Sims with added audience participation snapping and rocking guitar. And now that I've had that realization, I can't unhear The Sims. I apologize. It's not that this is a particularly mellow song, but there's something very chill about it that makes it fit in perfectly with the rest of the discography. It also reminds me quite a lot of Don't You Forget About Me.

I don't understand much of anything about the song's lyrics, but in the grand scheme of things, this is okay for now because the vibes are a big, warm hug and a hair ruffle. The group doesn't have someone who hangs out in the low range, as even the rappers do this in a higher or mid-range voice, but it really doesn't seem to be too much of an issue as this is just a cute, friendly song. There aren't any big belts, and it stays roughly at the same dynamic level through the entire thing, but there are some ad-libs going on in the latter part of the song, that instantly add another texture. I don't think this one necessarily stands out as a strong contender for their best song, although I'm sure some people would fight me on that. But, it's soft, and it's warm, and they sound lovely. 

I'm not really surprised this was only a performance video. I've got the feeling that they've been having to do things for themselves the last little bit. But the choreography takes advantage of their numbers, and the camera work show off the choreography well. Also, Seowon, the cutie patootie who was on Boys Planet and spent the latter half of the show being baffled that he was still there while being a happy virus for whichever group he was in (ZEROBASEONE invited him to a recent concert, where he got to use the happy virus status to make some adorable photos with the members, and Hui grabbed him to do a challenge with him when Hui debuted as a soloist earlier this year, so I'm taking that as an indication that they genuinely like him), got more lines than he used to, and really, his smile just lights up the song. He and DK should never be in the same place, because their brightness will be enough to power a small city if it could be harnessed, and I don't know that the world is ready for that. There was a little bit of a color surprise in the music video that made my eyebrows rise, because it followed the song and really hammered home what you were hearing. The costuming in pale blue against the similarly colored sky gives the whole video this very unified, lovely tone, obviously as you can tell from the thumbnail.