By Averi Halbert, Gio Arteaga, Kathryn Tanaka, and Laura Lipcsei
Songs: “Takedown,” “How It’s Done,” “Soda Pop,” “Golden,” “Your Idol,” “Free,” “What It Sounds Like”
Laura’s Ranking: “What It Sounds Like,” “Takedown,” “Free,” “Your Idol,” “Soda Pop,” “How It’s Done”
From inside the theater, all the songs came to life in a way I couldn’t experience from simply listening on Spotify—and in all honesty, it made ranking them all the harder. Every song is a masterpiece, even the annoyingly catchy “Soda Pop,” so it took lots of deliberation for me to finally create my ultimate ranking. But what really separated some of the songs from others for me was their emotional connection to the scenes. With some songs, like “How It’s Done,” the song itself didn’t impact the scene or the storyline as much as others, making me rank it lower than others. On the other hand, songs like “What It Sounds Like” took the scene to another level and really added to the emotions of the scene, making me rank it higher. At the end of the day, though, all the songs are masterpieces, and I love every one of them!!
Kathryn’s Ranking: “What It Sounds Like,” “Free,” “How It’s Done,” “Golden,” “Takedown,” “Soda Pop,” “Your Idol”
The songwriters did a great job of nailing contemporary K-pop style, which usually incorporates a rap verse and a vocal verse. True to this nature, both “Free” and “Takedown” blend faster beats with smooth melodies, creating a satisfying listening experience. Watching the “Golden” music video along with the fans inside the movie, its similarity to a real K-pop music video was crazy, I could almost see some group doing it live action. Overall, I can see why Huntrix is famous in their universe, and I can’t wait for the sequel!!
Averi’s Ranking: “What It Sounds Like,” “Free,” “Your Idol,” “Golden,” “Takedown,” “How It’s Done,” “Soda Pop”
Most of the time, I am not a fan of songs made specifically for a particular movie, but in this case, the soundtrack is impeccable. Each song, even my least favorite—“Soda Pop”—is so catchy. So catchy that more than one song was stuck in my head after the movie had ended. For me personally, my rating depends not only on the actual quality of the song, but also on how strong a connection the song has to the overall plot of the movie. “What It Sounds Like” is the song most closely associated with the plot and climax, and to add to that, it sounds so good. The singers and voice actors behind each character deserve so much for their work on K-Pop Demon Hunters, with each note being more impressive than the last. Honestly, if you haven’t seen the movie yet, you are seriously missing out on a masterpiece.
Gio’s Ranking: “Free,” “Golden,” “What It Sounds Like,” “Takedown,” “How It’s Done,” “Soda Pop,” “Your Idol”
Looking at my peers’ rankings, mine definitely stands out, but I want to preface this review by saying that this movie’s songs are all amazing. I also want to add to my review by saying that before watching this movie, I absolutely hated K-pop due to my fellow peer Laura Lipcsei; however, after watching the movie, I’ve become very accustomed to the realm of K-pop. Marcelo Zarvos, the songwriter for K-pop Demon Hunters, had a FIELD DAY making these songs, and you can tell through the emotions and the lyrics that these songs had thought and meaning put behind them. And I’m going to be honest, similar to what Averi Halbert remarked, even my least favorite song— ”Your Idol”—is still really good. I love how the song’s vibe went with each part of the movie, with more intimate moments playing slower songs, while towards the moments where there was tension, the song fit accordingly. Something else really interesting I noticed, too, was how similar the movies actually portray the lives of K-pop idols, specifically with the choreography of the takedown at the idol awards. Rumi’s body just started dancing without a second thought, which is very common for K-pop idols to become classically conditioned to begin dancing when they hear a song. Overall, the movie for me is an 11/10, and I recommend everyone to watch, even if you may not like K-pop (like me), step outside of your comfort zone and try it anyways.