Song Review:: CREZL: HAKUNAMATATA- HAKUNA MATATA

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  •  Release date: 2025 January 07

  • Album tracklist: HAKUNA MATATA, Mangwooga, Faded Letter,

  • Album runtime: 13 minutes

 You know, sometimes I enjoy that my YouTube algorithm gives me new releases despite my never having heard of the group before. But, also, obviously I am required to love this group because it includes my dude Jinho from Pentagon. I'm a simple Fangirl. I see people from my groups, I support them and yap about them. Unfortunately, I have a lot of groups, which means there are an exhausting number of people I get excited to see in other things. But! That's okay! CREZL is a project group formed from Phantom Singer 4 which debuted in April 2024. So they're coming up on their one year anniversary in a few months, which is very exciting for them. 

Also, Mangwooga is a six minute song, which is a large surprise, and I'll be taking a look at it after I'm done with this because, yessir, I'm curious about that.

I'm a big fan of the audience participation snapping going on, as expected I'd be. I genuinely don't know what genre to call this song, though. It's big and bold and fantastic, as afro-inspired as I'd expect from that title and that's part of why I'm not sure what genre this would fit into, but it also is tickling the part of my brain that really like trot music, so I'm assuming there's some older or more traditional Korean in there. I'm also simultaneously having a hard time focusing on the instrumentals because I'm so thoroughly distracted by their voices. I am definitely hearing some traditional Korean instruments even though I have no idea what they're called. I will add that to the long list of things I need to learn, but when I can hear the instrumentals without getting distracted, I really like the drama I'm hearing. 

There's something that just is so nice to hear in classically trained voices. Also, the baritone? Hello, friend. You have a lovely voice. Maybe it's the vocals that remind me of trot music. Either way, I've been pretty vocal about how much I love Forestella because of the vocal strength of their music. CREZL hits a lot of the same piano strings for me, with the added bonus of Jinho's lovely, lovely voice. It's all just incredible.

So, this is a fantastic music video. It's simple and uncomplicated. I love the use of the hanbok and the dancing and everything traditional about it. Also, the baritone standing there like he's proclaiming something and saying "All is well, there's no problem. We are armed, like soldiers, Take over this city like outlaws with no laws to bind the paradise of fools." It's a fantastic combo. There's also a section toward the middle, where it's just silhouettes against different colored backgrounds, and it's an effective reinforcement of the more minimalistic nature of the rest.

And I'm pleased to report that the six minute song? I have absolutely no idea what any of them are saying, I think, but everyone. This is an absolutely incredible song. It's sassy. It's poignant. It could have come straight out of a musical as the token sad turns into resolve song, and I wouldn't disagree. But make sure to listen through to the end because that last minute is incredibly. I love it so much. I included the YouTube link so you didn't have to hunt it down because it's just wow.


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