NCT WISH - "Songbird" MV Review (+ a short "Tears are Falling" review)

"Songbird" is NCT Wish's second single and first comeback since their debut with "Wish" (Review) on February 28, 2024. The single also contains the song "Tears are Falling."

I was going to write about the Japanese release on June 25, but I forgot ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, so I decided to write about the Korean version instead. 

"Songbird"

Like their debut song, "Songbird" also has that NCT quality in its sound, but I have to say that I slightly preferred "Wish."

I loved the strumming guitar throughout the song and I enjoyed the verses and chorus, but the song lost me a bit in the break with the "songbird, songbird" chant and a bit more during the bridge as I found the instrumental to be a bit too loud and that it drowns out the vocals. 

My favorite parts of the song were the pre-chorus sung by Sion at 1:20 -his voice sounds really smooth during that part- and the verse sung by Sakuya at 1:03 -every time I hear Sakuya's voice, it lowkey shocks me-. 

By the way, Riku's voice reminds me a tiny bit of Woohyuk of H.O.T. (?

The MV of the Korean version is not bad, but it was a little bit disappointing compared to the Japanese version which even had a super short storyline at the start. 

I like the colors used in the mechanic shop set -which only appears in the Japanese version a bit-; they complement each other very well. 

My favorite scenes in this music video are the ones where Ryo and Jaehee are at the "Songbird Express" office with paper birds flying around them (example 0:27).

Style-wise, as I love matching group outfits, I liked the two outfits that appear in this MV, but I prefer the all-grey mechanic uniforms much more.

I'm not a big fan of Yushi's turquoise hair, except for the mechanic shop scenes where his hair looks really good, the dark roots give his hair more dimension, but in other scenes (like in the gif below) the all-blue dye makes his hair look really flat. I like Sion's hair colour; the pink looks really good on him and I also like the blonde highlights Sakuya has in his fringe; they look cute.

Rating

Song – 7/10

MV – 8/10

Choreography – 10/10

Style – 9/10

Overall Rating – 8.5/10

Song Credits

Release Dates: June 25, 2024 (Japanese version) July 1, 2024 (Korean Version).

Length: 3 min 01 sec.

Lyrics by: H.Toyasaki (Japanese version) and Kang Eun-Jeong (Korean version).

Music by: HONEY NOISE (THE HUB), Brown Panda (THE HUB), Jacob Aaron (THE HUB), and Frankie Day (THE HUB).

Arranged by: HONEY NOISE (THE HUB) and Brown Panda (THE HUB).

MV Directed by: Oh Ji-Won (UNDERMOOD FILM).

Produced by: BoA.

 "Tears are Falling"

Length: 3:05.

Lyrics: Ellie Suh (153/Joombas).

Music: Christopher Lund Nissen, Nicklas Sahl, Jeppe London Blisby, and Rick Bridges.

Arrangement: Jeppe London Blisby.

"Tears are Falling" really surprised me. By the name I imagined that the song was going to be a slow ballad, but the tempo is a lot faster than what I initially thought it was going to be like. The song has a summer is ending kind of feel to it.

I enjoyed "Tears are Falling," but is nothing to really write home about.

Rating – 7/10

 

Photo source: SM Ent.