After a four month wait since the release of their second single, After School has come back with the single Bang. This release marks the appearance of a new member of the group, making her the eighth, Lizzy. This single is a chance to show that the girls can come back with a stronger attitude, sound and a whole new tone of music, as well as giving the new member a chance to introduce herself and show us that she's up to the task of being in the group.
This single starts off with a rather fast paced introduction. Let's Do It has a sensational use of drum beats which give off a strong marching band feel. The impressive use of these beats, tempo and overall performance of this short introduction leaves you in anticipation for the rest of the single.
The same marching band feel is used in the title track Bang. This song is very fast paced and, in addition to showing off the girls' vocal talents individually, manages to pull off a rather chanting chorus. The lyrics are catchy, the mood is what you expect from a pop song (with the obvious dance tone to it) and the beats are consistent enough to find yourself singing along with the girls as they rally you with their marching band and, for lack of a better term, cheerleading style. After School have perfected this sound, having all the right ingredients for this track and being able to, pardon the pun, bang them together and pull out this fantastic number.
With U starts off slow, with a melodic vocal tone throughout. The song doesn't match the fast pace of the previous two tracks and lowers the tone of the whole single. After listening to the first two tracks, the pace being so incredibly high and lively, this is quite a nice change and gives listeners a chance to listen to their vocals rather than be overwhelmed by drumbeats and high tempos. As mellow as this song is, it isn't as memorable as Bang. Vocals and a soft tempo are all this ballad has to offer and all it really needs. This is a good move on the girls’ part, having no need to take any spotlight away from the title track. The single closes with an instrumental to Bang which gives you a chance to listen to the impressive piece of music on its own.
All in all, Bang is a very strong release from After School, even if it only contains three tracks and an instrumental, as the title track certainly lives up to its name. Judging from this single, we can expect great things from the girls in future releases. They have set the bar high from themselves but Bang has given us confidence that the girls will not disappoint.
