Review of BIGBANG’s “Bang Bang Bang”

When I asked you to vote for what the best song of June was, to decide what I should review, this was the song that got the most votes. With over 23% of the votes, BIGBANG have earned this review.

I’ve been a big fan of BIGBANG for a while now, and consider them one of my absolute favorite groups. Their constants comebacks these last few months have put me in a state of absolute bliss. 

Song

I love it, I love it, I love it! From the second the beat kicked in I knew that this would be absolutely amazing. And then when Taeyang comes in… wow. Amazing.

I know a lot of people have been saying that they think the song is ruined by the slower chorus, but I disagree. I think the song has enough beat and party feel without a super upbeat chorus, and I really like how that was handled. I think the slowing down of the beat in the chorus almost makes the song more intense.

Every member performed really well and definitely impressed me. BIGBANG may not have released anything as a group since 2012, but they’ve most certainly not forgotten how to throw down. I’d say they’ve even gotten better.

One member that’s definitely gotten better during these last three years is Seungri. He was always the underdog when it came to BIGBANG, and the one that was sometimes even named as being “untalented” or “worthless”. I myself even thought so at times. But boy was I wrong. He’s worked hard, he’s honed his craft, and he’s a valuable part of the group.

Every member did amazing but if I would give some extra credit to one of them, it’d be Taeyang. This song is perfect for his specific vocal color, and he sounds really good.

Lyrics

The lyrics to this song are pretty much what you’d expect: a confident bordering on cocky declaration of their return and lyrics telling people to let go and party. G-Dragon and T.O.P are both listed as songwriters to this song, but I’d assume that T.O.P wrote his own parts and that G-Dragon mainly took the reins when it came to the rest. I like GD as a songwriter, even when it’s a straight-forward message like this one, he still makes it interesting.

This is one of the very first lines, and it truly announces that this is the return of some pretty damn important and powerful people.

I somehow feel like this might be a reference to the kpop world as a whole. Calling the other kpop stars fakers, so to speak. That might not be it at all, but it’s a possible way of interpreting it.

BIGBANG are so good they’ll dig into your body like an allergy.

Kind of the main message. I’ll make you go crazy, that’s how good I am.

Once again, we’re the best. I’m not sure how exactly Valhalla is relevant, but as a descendant of Vikings I appreciate the shoutout.

This is what GD wants you to do. Just let go, and let the music make you bounce.

Party hard all night.

I’m gonna assume this is a sexual reference and just smirk at GD for it.

Video

This video has no plot whatsoever, it’s just a hodgepodge of really cool scenes.

This is a really cool-looking tunnel, and that together with the cool beat really sets the mood that will continue throughout the video.

And then we see this and we know shit’s about to go down. There’s a military theme to  several of the scenes in the video and there are mentions of “valhalla” and “guerrilla” in the lyrics. BIGBANG are saying their comeback is the same thing as a military invasion, in the best possible way.

This is so cool. The styling of both the dancers and Taeyang, the dance and the whole setting is badass. Great opening.

I would not be surprised if this scene was directed by T.O.P himself. I bet it’s like this in his mind. It’s T.O.P in a cowboy hat rapping against an alien version of himself in a space suit. Why you ask? Well why not!

I see this scene as being symbolic of both BIGBANG’s comeback as a whole and Seungri’s own journey out of the shadow of his group members. Plus is looks really cool.

Daesung may not be able to see, but this scene looks cool and he looks smoking.

Cool.

Cool!

COOOL

This video is just so damn cool. That’s all I can say. It’s definitely BIGBANG, in the best way.

This though, I was a little skeptical about when I first watched the video. It seemed problematic to me. I feel a lot better about it now that I know that this woman actually choreographed the whole thing, and is not just some random dancer. I also like that she’s not completely on a leash, since that chain connects to GD’s neck as well.

Dance

This is a cool dance, no question about it. But as is the case with many YG choreographies, the majority of the dancing is done by the dancers. I’m fine with that though, it makes it possible for the guys to be more spontaneous and play around more on stage in a way that I wish more kpop stars did.

Watching this it is clear that Taeyang is definitely the best dancer in the group, but G-Dragon and Seungri also really stepped up and Daesung did his part. And T.O.P… Well… He tried. Kinda.

Outfits and Styling

First I’m gonna have to say that I wish they hadn’t included this. It’s not appropriate, and it added nothing. So why?

But besides that offensive little mishap, this is a beautifully styled video. The guys are not dressed in what an average bloke can wear, but they pull it all off. It’s edgy and hardcore, and just works.

I love G-Dragon’s red hair. He can do any color, that we know, and that cut works very well with his face.

And I love it when he sparkles.

Taeyang pulls off the floppy pink hair in a way that I never would have thought he could and even though Daesung can’t see himself in a mirror, he looks great.

Seungri looks so damn great blond that it pisses me off that he didn’t go blond earlier. And the cut looks great on him.

And then we have T.O.P, my bias. Well, as long as they don’t do this:

To his hair, he looks great. The color works well on him, and the cut has great styling potential and looks great for a few seconds here and there.

As always, G-Dragon is the star style-wise. But what else could we have expected?

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What do you think of this song and BIGBANG’s continuous comeback? Did you vote for this song to be reviewed and do you in that case agree with me?