Review: MAMAMOO stay true to form in new ‘MIC ON’ mini-album

There’s a big lip-sync problem in K-Pop, but if there’s one group that always keeps their mics on, it’s MAMAMOO. After a short break from group projects, Wheein, Moonbyul, Solar, and Hwasa are officially back with a new mini-album composed of three songs in a complete shift from the emotional vulnerability of their previous EP WAW, but every bit the same commitment.

In MIC ON, MAMAMOO is celebrating life, dancing their worries away, and letting themselves go. Thematically, the band retains its usual cheek, but is more mature and explicit than ever, which works great, considering the ladies of MAMAMOO are all nearing their 30s, with Solar, the oldest, being 31 already.

They unabashedly broach topics like sex, drinking, and female empowerment (all of which can still be considered taboos in Korea, especially pertaining to women) over a backdrop of unabating beats, penetrating production, and K-Pop’s tried and true coquettish sound.

The album opens with “1,2,3 Eoi!”, whose title is inspired by the band’s usual pre-show ritual where they scream out “hana, dul, set eoi!” to get pumped for a performance, the same way this song will energize anyone who listens to it. Sonically, it doubles down on MAMAMOO’s winning mix of hip-hop, electronic, bubble-gum, and jazz, with an infectious bass line and silky smooth vocals. It perfectly sets the mood for what is to come and reigns in a new era of MAMAMOO, especially as the four members come together to sing out their iconic “I say Mama-Mamamoo” greeting jingle.

“ILLELLA”, the title track, is, arguably, the album’s best. The music video broke the band’s record for most views in the first 24 hours, proving that even after a year of diminishing group activities, the MAMAMOO fandom is still alive and well.

“ILLELLA” brings back some of “gogobebe”, “Egotistic” and “AYA”‘s Latin, and reggae influences that have worked so well for the group in the past, and work great here, again. The title perfectly encapsulates the lyrics’ daring nature as some of MAMAMOO’s most explicitly sexual yet. It’s modern, fresh, and the right amount of sexy. A great pop song, even if it doesn’t exactly match MAMAMOO’s best.

Fans have been racking their brains trying to figure out what MIC ON’s third track’s title might mean. The leading theory is that “L.I.E.C” might be a play on words with a Korean expression, pronounced “eh-la-ee-shi”, that combines the slang “에라이” (pronounced “elai”, and meaning “what the-“, or “damn”), and the start of the swear word “씨발” (pronounced “ssibal”, and meaning “f-ck”).

This might feel like a wordy introduction, but it comes in handy when listening to the song because its meaning will become a lot clearer. This is MAMAMOO saying “screw it” and doing whatever they want, living their very best lives, putting their phones down, and going down the road “without GPS.” It’s the funnest song on the album, with a booming disco sound, and a perfect statement about what they were trying to achieve with this album.

MIC ON is an absolute success in what it sets out to do: entertain, seduce, and, above all, celebrate. Although it doesn’t stir far from what MAMAMOO has proved they can do in the past and sticks to the band’s typical style, it’s still a lot of fun to listen to, and will definitely make anyone dance. If this type of sound has been so successful for them in the past, why mess with a winning formula?

It’s a shame the EP is only three tracks long because it’s nowhere near enough to quench the thirst for more MAMAMOO, especially since they have been distancing themselves from group releases recently. However, seeing as the girls have teased a world tour, maybe we won’t have to wait so long for new music again.