It is a relief to see AOA back in the game especially this year. We’ve all been witnesses and victims to the curse of the seventh year in an idol’s career. From Girls’ Generation to Sistar to EXID, their destiny always becomes vague whenever they turn seven. Worse is, we don’t get that much notice up until we hear news of a member being kicked out, a total disbandment, or the girls pursuing individual careers.

So, the Ace of Angels being active and all in 2019 (with Queendom doing them real good) is an event that is deserving of our support.

This should be easy as their new song “Come See Me” is not that difficult to get into. Although the group has found success mostly on cheeky, sexy tracks set to rehashed Brave Brothers beats, those relied heavily on ChoA’s vocal prowess leading every AOA track. With her and even Mina (who also rakes in the fans) out of the picture, it was pretty difficult to determine where the group is heading.

For some reason though, AOA’s sound found its home on some country spirit. This started with last year’s Bingle Bangle which is by all means a standard K-Pop summer song. But it sounded a tad bit fresh thanks to that random banjo hoedown throwdown in the pre-chorus. They continue this in Come See Me which a sexier dance track led by a guitar riff so distinct you can picture how they would look like a few seconds in.

Picture this: an empty road somewhere in Texas with tumbleweeds rolling and a fog of dust enveloping the area. Enter the five and strong Ace Of Angels serving yeehaw realness with leather overalls, cowboy hats, and fringe…lots of ’em. Zoom in on each girl: Hyejeong with a twig on her mouth, Seolhyun slowly feeling the edges of her hat from one end to the other, Chanmi professionally twirling a pistol, Yuna strutting with a whip on her waist, and Jimin walking seductively with all her might saying “Hey” until the song starts. That’s the whole of Come See Me actually.

I would love some poncho action in their stages too.

While their title track is totally enjoyable, their b-sides is deserving of some shine too. From the funky Ninety Nine to Magic down to the surprise city pop-inspired closer My Way, it’s a real good job on FNC for making AOA work despite the lineup changes. It kinda reminds me of how solid 9Muses comebacks are despite SE fucking them up all the time.

Their comeback isn’t really smashing the charts although they have snatched their highest first week sales (which are still pretty meager tbh) but I hope it gives them a little more shine. A win in smaller music shows isn’t farfetched and if that doesn’t happen, I hope FNC would still bank on them for at least two or three more comebacks before the curtains fall for the angels.

What did you think of Come See Me? Let me know in the comments below.