Release Date: March 24, 2016
Track Listing
- Pretty
- Afterglow
- Are You OK?
- You
- Candy
- Better Without You –Retake Version– (iTunes only)
Review
In July of 2013, AVEX teased a new girl group called FAKY through their avex trax YouTube channel, and at the end of that month, the promotional video for their debut song Better Without You, was released.
The following year they started to release digital singles, but in the summer of 2014, it was announced that the group would cease activities and go on hiatus for the rest of the year. A revamped version of the group, minus original members Diane and Tina, was teased in September 2015. The following month the new FAKY was revealed, and new member Akina was introduced.
The result of all this teasing was FAKY’s second digital mini-album and the first for the new version of the group.
Based on the content of this album, this new generation of FAKY is a slightly different kind of beast from their days of yore. The core of what made them appealing is still intact. However, their musical direction has changed. There’s an edge to the songs within this EP, and the typical AVEX stuck in the 90s sound is nowhere to be heard. The productions are well within the current era of dance/pop and feature influences from both U.S. and South Korean pop music.
The prime examples of this change lie in 3 songs. Pretty, You and the title track Candy. If you enjoyed their older songs, such as Better Without You or Girl Digger, you might be a little S.O.L. in those types of tracks if that was your expectation. Even though there is an updated version of the former available on this album, it feels out of place among the newer selection of songs ahead of it.
With the rug pulled out from under this group so early in their career, it would have been easy to write FAKY off as a failed AVEX girl group. Being put on hiatus did kill their momentum before they got a chance to get going. With Candy, it appears that the break and subsequent reboot were more of a blessing than a curse. This EP is a short but concise musical journey that represents what FAKY could be about and hopefully leads to greater things for them in the future.
