Photo Courtesy of Modhaus
Who is ARTMS?
ARTMS is a five-member girl group consisting of members from a previous K-pop girl group, Loona. Loona was a 12-member girl group that received a lot of mistreatment from their previous label. When the label kicked out the member Chuu, the 11 girls fought to terminate their contracts with Blockberry Creative. In the end, they were all successful, but didn’t resume activities as a full group again. Five members went to Modhaus to debut in ARTMS, two members went solo, and the other five joined CTDENM to become Loosemble.
The group ARTMS consists of Kim Lip, Heejin, Jinsoul, Cheorry and HaSeul. Modhaus is home to rookie group TripleS and has helped the girls come out with great music so far. They will debut on May 31st with their first full-length album, <Dall>. ARTMS has released four pre-release tracks with accompanying videos.
“<Pre1: Birth>” Review
“<Pre 1: Birth>” came out March 22 and has a dark, edgy vibe. The production is hauntingly captivating, with some horror elements traced throughout. ARTMS presents soft and dark vocals that help balance out the strong production. In the chorus of this track, the beat drops with screeches in the background, all while the girls take turns singing perfectly. “<Pre 1: Birth>” is very unique and signifies a new direction for the girls.
The story describes a heartbreak and the mixed feelings of love that can lead to frustration. After time has passed, the girls question if the relationship ever even happened as it becomes a faint memory. The production of the song is very aggressive and dark which helps invoke that sad-to-angry feeling.
ARTMS’ music video for “<Pre 1: Birth>” fits the dark aesthetic down to their all-black ensembles. There is a lot of creepy imagery with different creatures and evil spirits. Heejin displays great acting with her crying towards the end. ARTMS ends the video on a train, laying their shoulders on each other, appearing soulless. They seem to have become friends with an evil spirit that is trying to possess them throughout the video.
The song left you curious for what was to come on their next songs being released before the album drops on May 31.
“<Pre2: Flower Rhythm>” Review
“<Pre 2: Flower Rhythm>” is a completely different vibe from the first single. It has an ethereal concept with bright sounds throughout the instrumental. They are the flowers presenting themselves to their love interests, which is described by the lyrics. The Loona vibes radiate off of this song and, personally, I appreciate them continuing some of their old sound in this new group. Each member shines with bright vocals on this track. What I appreciate about the opportunity for the girls to be in a five-member group is that they finally get the amount of lines they deserve. Every single girl got to shine, with fair opportunities to get equal chances to sing different parts of the song.
The music video for this track is the girls showing their beautiful choreography against aesthetically pleasing backgrounds. I think this was a smart move because the first pre-release focused on the concept of the music video and not the dancing. The members are showing their range of storytelling in one video and, in the next, showing off their impressive dance skills. They are all-rounders who have been in the industry for over eight years, and Modhaus is doing a great job of showing this trait.
ARTMS “<Pre 3: Candy Crush>” Review
The third pre-release single, “<Pre 3: Candy Crush>,” is my personal favorite so far, alongside the fourth single. “<Pre 3: Candy Crush” has a ’90s R&B feel. The girls talk about how they wish this person would ask them out already. A sweet, candy love could blossom if they stopped dreaming and acted on their feelings. There are bright synths in the production, with a flute as the cherry on top.
It has a catchy chorus and showcases their impressive soprano singing throughout the song. The music video has a girl crush concept as they roller skate around happily, seemingly on a date with the person behind the camera. I think the interactiveness of the video was a cute, novel idea for this smooth song.
“<Pre 4: Air>” Review
ARTMS released “<Pre 4: Air>” on May 10 as the final pre-release single. This is tied for my favorite with the third single simply because of the good feel it gives me. There are samples throughout the song of Odd Eye Circle’s “Air Force One.” Odd Eye Circle is the three-member group that came before Modhaus re-debuted the two other members, Heejin and Haseul, alongside the rest of the girls for ARTMS. Odd Eye Circle was originally a Loona sub unit but Modhaus writers helped with their original discography. “Air Force One” was the title track of Odd Eye Circle’s re-debut under their new management, so it was cool for ARTMS to debut with it as well.
“<Pre 4: Air>” is the perfect summer track with an infectious chorus that will instantly get stuck in your head. It tells the story of starting a new life as the girls feel like the best version of themselves. The message of the song is to not live in the past because time is valuable and you have to start your best life now. I think this is such a cute concept for what they’ve been through with their previous company. ARTMS made a splash with these pre-releases and the full-length album, <Dall>, on May 31 is going to be a masterpiece.
