Perfectly timed to coincide with their appearance at the 42nd Los Angeles Korean Festival, Doma Entertainment’s Pungdeng-E released “Ppi Ppi Ppa Ppa” on October 1. This comedic, three-piece girl group, whose name translates in English to “beetle,” debuted in December 2013 with the unique concept of performing in different Korean regional dialects. Pungdeng-E’s over-the-top musical […]
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Untitled-design2.png7681024Eve Backhousehttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngEve Backhouse2015-10-12 06:03:452015-10-12 06:58:26Pungdeng-E’s ‘Ppi Ppi Ppa Ppa’ Music Video & Song Review + Autographed Album Giveaway
For every person in Seoul, it seems there are three coffee shops. To go along with the caffeine addiction that has affected much of South Korea, many Korean artists have sung about coffee or being caffeinated. Kick-off this week not only with an actual shot of caffeine but an auditory pick-me-up as well. Coffee seems […]
Perfectly timed to coincide with their appearance at the 42nd Los Angeles Korean Festival, Doma Entertainment’s Pungdeng-E released “Ppi Ppi Ppa Ppa” on October 1. This comedic, three-piece girl group, whose name translates in English to “beetle,” debuted in December 2013 with the unique concept of performing in different Korean regional dialects. Pungdeng-E’s over-the-top musical […]
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Untitled-design2.png7681024Eve Backhousehttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngEve Backhouse2015-10-12 06:03:452015-10-12 06:58:26Pungdeng-E’s ‘Ppi Ppi Ppa Ppa’ Music Video & Song Review + Autographed Album Giveaway
For every person in Seoul, it seems there are three coffee shops. To go along with the caffeine addiction that has affected much of South Korea, many Korean artists have sung about coffee or being caffeinated. Kick-off this week not only with an actual shot of caffeine but an auditory pick-me-up as well. Coffee seems […]
Perfectly timed to coincide with their appearance at the 42nd Los Angeles Korean Festival, Doma Entertainment’s Pungdeng-E released “Ppi Ppi Ppa Ppa” on October 1. This comedic, three-piece girl group, whose name translates in English to “beetle,” debuted in December 2013 with the unique concept of performing in different Korean regional dialects. Pungdeng-E’s over-the-top musical style has frequently been described as “aegyo hip hop,” but the term doesn’t even begin to describe the girls’ unabashed eccentricity. Frankly, no other Korean girl group is as willing to look so totally ridiculous, as demonstrated amply in “Ppi Ppi Ppa Ppa.”
Song
In the same vein as Pungdeng-E’s previous songs, “Ppi Ppi Ppa Ppa” is a highly unusual composition which, against all the odds, manages to successfully combine such varied elements as traditional German brass band music, with circus overtones and a Latin interlude. For good measure, there is even a catchy saxophone solo towards the song’s conclusion. Blue and Red, known as the rappers of the group, feature prominently, yet blend perfectly with Yellow’s sweet and understated vocals. “Ppi Ppi Ppa Ppa” has a chorus which is impossible not to sing along to and will remain in your head long after the track has finished – in other words, an indisputable earworm.
This highly inventive music video opens with a rural setting shown on a retro TV, to the loud accompaniment of a cockerel crowing twice. The camera pans down to reveal the members of Pungdeng-E living in a dilapidated shack, which appears to be somewhere in Europe. The girls wake up from sleeping on the floor and merrily go about their daily routine, marching everywhere with boundless energy. The video is full of hilarious moments, most notably the members messily eating a celebratory cake with their hands and toasting each other with wine glasses full of milk.
“Ppi Ppi Ppa Ppa” takes an even more bizarre turn when Pungdeng-E watch themselves on TV, displaying incredible super powers and dancing to their own song. We see Yellow lifting cattle in the air, Blue zipping around like Road Runner, and Red flying past jumbo jets, having been launched into space. There is an obvious movie reference to “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” when the girls take off in a flying car, followed by another to “ET” at the end of the video, when the same car is silhouetted against the moon.
via thegifmill @ Tumblr
Styling
In keeping with the song’s European rustic concept, the girls are styled in peasant ensembles, with Yellow wearing dungarees and Blue and Red in dresses. All the members have their hair in plaits or bunches and these are maintained throughout the video. In stark contrast to the muted and earthy colours of their previous outfits, Pungdeng-E are seen in ‘90s style hip hop gear for the dance breakdown and wear colourful baseball caps, hot pants, and pedal pushers, covered in glitter. Of particular note is Red’s short sleeved basketball jersey, which bears the phrase “Norway 22.” Several YouTube users have mentioned this in the comments section and stated that they hope the group will subsequently gain more attention from European fans.
Pungdeng-E’s collective sense of humour and totally unpretentious style are a breath of fresh air in a sea of Korean girl groups, who are marketed largely on conventional concepts of sex appeal. At present the girls have a relatively small fan base, but thoroughly deserve more recognition for their efforts to be highly individual. Following on from the equally innovative “Al-Tang” and “Baechu Bossam,” “Ppi Ppi Ppa Ppa” is another fine addition to Pungdeng-E’s fledgling discography.
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Untitled-design2.png7681024Eve Backhousehttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngEve Backhouse2015-10-12 06:03:452015-10-12 06:58:26Pungdeng-E’s ‘Ppi Ppi Ppa Ppa’ Music Video & Song Review + Autographed Album Giveaway
For every person in Seoul, it seems there are three coffee shops. To go along with the caffeine addiction that has affected much of South Korea, many Korean artists have sung about coffee or being caffeinated. Kick-off this week not only with an actual shot of caffeine but an auditory pick-me-up as well. Coffee seems to be a staple in practically everyone’s lives, now that there are multiple options from organic coffee (https://www.ampersand-coffee.com/organic-coffee) to over-the-top flavorings, there is something for everybody to have a cup of. So sit back with your favorite drink and pair it with some tunes.
UL, also known as “Infinite Challenge” producer-collaborator Yoo Jae Hwan and Towgeworl’s Lim Kim (Kim Ye Rim) released “Coffee” only a few days ago, and it’s one of my favorite caffeine-addled Korean songs to date (and there are a lot of them!) UL’s first song as a singer rather than a producer was produced by “Infinity Challenge” star Park Myung Soo, and it’s a heart-wrenching uptempo ballad about lovers questioning the end of their relationship. Many interpersonal relationships, and particularly dating culture, in South Korea revolves around coffee dates and “Coffee” takes this to a new level by comparing the coffee’s bitterness to the level of interest in the relationship. Even though the song is sad, the voices of UL and Lim Kim meld together well with the eerie music, creating a beautiful song while perfectly expressing the melancholy.
The love for coffee gives way to many songs with coffee metaphors, such as BEAST’s Yoseob‘s “Caffeine.” In his solo track, the singer compares his love interest with caffeine, which keeps him up all night, gets his heart rate up, and, well, is innately bad for him. Because while coffee is a cup-full of yummyness, it can be bad for you, just like some relationships are. Moreover, Yoseob’s warm vocals soothe over any broken heart, even with a break-up song. Not no mention fellow BEAST member’s Junhyung’s laid back and mellow rap.
— Alexis
Coffee to me is purely a way to survive a long and tiring day because it fills me up with much needed energy, and this song by CNBLUE’s Yonghwa expresses it well. Granted, “Energy” is directed more at the idea of a woman being the energy source of a guy in love but when you take the lyrics out of context, they literally describe me and coffee. “I’m out of energy I’m breaking down” and “I need your energy I can’t move.” Of course, the song itself is totally amazing as it adopts a laid-back but catchy feel and it is made better by Verbal Jint’s chill rapping.
Coffee makes a great analogy for relationships it seems, and well, BTS‘s “Coffee” is no different. Like the transitive nature of coffee, this mellow song compares a first date that was once so sweet like caramel macchiato to the bitter aftertaste left in one’s mouth after a breakup. And after any breakup, little things such as the minty coffee she or he used to like can instantly transport a nostalgic lover back to those dates in that one cafe. The caffeine in the brewed beverage is a little addictive, and so is returning to those memories. With many rhetorical devices and references to different types of coffee, “Coffee” is an easy listen perfect for anyone who may be experiencing similar post-relationship symptoms.
— Shelley
What’s your favorite coffee inspired K-pop song? Let us know in the comments and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.
