f(x) turns up the heat with "Hot Summer" --- and a little bit about Korean weather!

The girls of f(x) --- (L to R): Krystal, Amber, Victoria, Sulli and Luna

It's been an immensely wonderful year so far for female idol group f(x) with the release of their first full length album, Pinocchio. Based on information found on some blogs and forums (although I can't vouch entirely for their accuracy), the girls have managed to break sales records in Korea and abroad for the pre-sale and actual sales of their album, topping many of the popular countdowns in Korea (like Gaon and the Soompi charts). They've also managed to win the Triple Crown twice for their appearances in the three most popular music shows on Korean TV --- Inkigayo, Music Bank and M! Countdown.

It's not a surprise considering that these girls have been very active in their own projects during their hiatus (e.g. Victoria and Nickhun in "We Got Married", Krystal, Sulli and Luna appearing in reality and talk shows, Sulli and Krystal's MC stints in music shows, etc.).

They aren't stopping here though. They've just repackaged their first album and included a new title track, "Hot Summer". It's very apt since they've managed to turn up the heat for summer in Seoul with both a new song and MV that were released on June 14.

Repackaging albums is a regular thing in the Korean music industry, as is the case I guess anywhere else in the world.  I'm always at music stores here in Manila, and I've encountered artists both in the Philippines and in the US who have repackaged albums, especially if the artist and their album generates a lot of sales. Repackages are always highly anticipated because of the added goodies included in the basket --- like new photo albums and picture inserts (focusing on an entirely different image theme), or bonus singles, tracks or videos.

"Hot Summer" consists of 14 tracks in total, 10 of which were included in the last release of their full album, Pinocchio, and 2 of these a tracks are also previous releases from the group --- "La Cha Ta" and "Chu" (both released in 2009 as digital singles). If you haven't heard of the first release of their full album yet, it would be best to read my review of "Pinocchio" before you continue by clicking here.

"La Cha Ta" by f(x) (MV with Eng Subs)
It's a classic f(x) video --- you gotta love it!

There are two tracks that are new in the album --- the title track "Hot Summer", and the song "Is It OK?", which was featured in the soundtrack of the K-drama "Paradise Ranch" (starring labelmate Changmin from the male idol group Dong Bang Shin Ki / DBSK).

When I heard that name of the title track, I guess the first thing that came to my mind was to ask myself when does summer happen in Korea. The only thing I know about Korean weather is that they experience the four seasons, although I wasn't really sure of when they happen. Being the curious cat that I am, I did a little online sleuthing (aka googling... hahaha!), and I found an interesting chart that explains things.

The hottest time of the year in Korea is anywhere from June to September, and during that time they also experience increased rainfall. I guess the experience in pretty similar here in the Philippines where the monsoon season is usually accompanied by an annoying combination of humidity and heat. Although similar, it's interesting to note that the highest that their average temperature would ever get is around 25C / 77F (which doesn't come anywhere near the fever-pitch average of 32C / 88F that we regularly get in the Philippines).

Considering the timing of the release, "Hot Summer" is a very appropriate way of welcoming the rainy summer season in Korea. The song is an energetic electro-pop dance track that conjures images of an enjoyable summer vacation all splashed in hues of red and pink. It's not entirely common for mid-tempo tracks to be used for electro-pop, but I'd have to say that this creation is infectious ---- it sticks to your brain like glue when you groove to its simple chorus. I'm particularly glad to hear more of Amber in this track (she both sings and raps in this song... cool, right?). I hope SM Entertainment gives her a break soon by giving her the chance to do a solo album.

The MV is an eye-gasm, to say the least. It's become an expectation that SM Entertainment would go all-out for their MVs, and "Hot Summer" is no exception. Psychedelic sets, outrageous and dizzying (yet entertaining) camera angles, and pink tanks (yes... a pink STRIPED tank! hahaha!), combined with an enjoyable and infectious track make for an interesting video. 

"Hot Summer" by f(x) (MV with English Subs)

The fourth track of the album, "Is It OK?", as mentioned earlier, was f(x)'s contribution to the soundtrack of K-drama "Paradise Ranch". The drama was a romantic comedy, so it's easy to expect a light love song to come from the girls for this track. While listening to the song, it's interesting to note that the composition and arrangement reminded me a lot of J-pop (which got me started in listening to other Asian songs) --- I could easily imagine this song as an opening or closing theme to an anime.

"Is It OK?" by f(x) - Paradise Ranch OST (Audio Only)

f(x) has certainly done themselves proud with their new feature tracks. Have they set summer on fire with their new track --- well... let's wait and see. They've already begun their round of promotion for "Hot Summer" in Music Bank and Music Core. Hopefully they get the triple crown again, and make us all proud of their musical achievements!