Release Date: August 30, 2024
Track Listing
- Chasing Lightning
- CRAZY
- Pierrot
- 1-800-hot-n-fun
- Crazier
Review
LE SSERAFIM have always had an air of sassy attitude around them since their debut. But it feels like they have also had a restrained wildness that has only started to become unleashed in small does. With their fourth EP CRAZY, LE SSERAFIM has released their inner Woo Girl out and let their hair down.
The EP’s self-titled lead track takes LE SSERAFIM back into clubland. Crazy is a four-to-the-floor House track that oozes gay nightclub vibes. It appeals to my DJ sensibilities, so I’m fairly biased since I’m familiar with this type of dance music. However, I can see how listeners might find CRAZY to be a bit minimalist and boring compared to the equally clubby but more intense and pop-friendly Eve, Psyche & The Blueberd’s wife.
There are many official remixes of Crazy; most are pretty bad, in my opinion. I did like the overall vibe of the Bounce Up Remix on the CRAZY Party Remixes 1 EP, but that was about it for what I found tolerable.
The David Guetta Remix did nothing for me, but I can see those who like this style of dance music giving this remix a few spins.
Lastly, there’s an edit (it’s not a remix) of CRAZY, adding additional verses from PinkPanthress (and an alternate version mashing up the edit with Dashaun Wesley on the CRAZY Party Remixes 2 EP) on top of the original instrumental. This also did nothing for me since I saw no value in having her on the track other than for name recognition for those who don’t usually listen to K-pop.
It sounds like I’m bagging on these versions of the song. Which I am, but that’s because they don’t appeal to me. I’m not the target demographic for these takes on the song, but if you are, more power to you. Enjoy.
1-800-hot-n-fun is a song that should be familiar to those who saw LE SSERAFIM’s performances at Coachella 2024. The track takes the group into edgier, guitar-heavy pop.
Unlike the other songs on CRAZY, 1-800-hot-n-fun ‘s lyrics are all in English, and LE SSERAFIM gets all potty-mouthed by saying “Shit” a few times. After hearing the studio version of 1-800-hot-n-fun, I could pick up the small details I couldn’t get while watching Coachella, such as hearing the lyrics coherently and clearly.
1-800-hot-n-fun feels like the most Western-focused song on the EP, and if you don’t like CRAZY‘s title track, this song will make permanent residence in your head in its place despite its rather cheesy/cringey title.
Of the three remaining tracks, the one that sticks out the most is Pierrot. This hip-hop-flavoured song contains a sample of Pierrot Laughs at Us by Kim Wan Sun. It can be seen as the hype track on the EP, with a sub-woofer testing beat and a chant-worthy hook of “That’s my girl” repeating throughout the song. Lyrically, LE SSERAFIM conveys a message about letting loose and going dumb, which perfectly fits the Woo Girl aesthetic of CRAZY.
The songs on CRAZY live up to the album’s title for the most part and allow LE SSERAFIM to do a bit of genre-hopping during the middle three songs. I’m pretty sure this won’t be a total crowd-pleaser, as it feels like it just gets started before a ballad cuts everything off.
That might be the one glaring fault of this EP. It could have been a few tracks longer to help bridge the transition from party time to wind-down time in a smoother manner.
