ARTMS <Dall>
Five girls, destined to be together, stood at a new starting line and unveiled the name ARTMS. Kim Lip, JinSoul, and Choerry successfully completed their North American and European tours with the re-launch of ODD EYE CIRCLE and the release of their new album <Version Up>. Heejin, with her solo album <K>, was instrumental in promoting the beauty of Korea. HaSeul also successfully concluded her four-day solo concert in Seoul, demonstrating her growth as a performance-oriented idol. Having completed their warm-up, ARTMS finally released their first full-length album <Dall>, which encapsulates the paradoxes of blessings and cruelty regarding love and life.
The intro track ‘url’ is like a ritual to get to the title track ‘Virtual Angel,’ much like how we need a URL to navigate anywhere online. Beginning with Kim Lip's narration, the vigorously pouring rhythm encapsulates the album's dynamic.
For the title track ‘Virtual Angel,’ EL CAPITXN and Vendors, who previously produced ‘Generation’ and ‘Girls Never Die’ for MODHAUS's junior group tripleS, joined forces for ARTMS. Based on Y2K-inspired Euro dance, they built a sacred vibe reminiscent of a cathedral's reverberations, completing a new kind of dance track unlike anything heard before.
With the advancement of AI and the presence of virtual realities becoming concrete, this song asks whether the idols we have consumed through TV and phones all this time were not, in fact, virtual. While the feelings of love and affection towards idols might not be considered "real" relationships by others, couldn't those emotions between an idol and their fan be purely love? ARTMS sings that feelings generated beyond the screen can be real, not just virtual.
Digipedi, who collaborated on building the worldview since LOONA's debut, directed the music video, capturing the stories of ARTMS and their fans on screen.
‘Sparkle’ expresses the sparkling flames of emotion through music. Just as we speak of "sparks flying" when describing love, how many fireworks will ignite in our own love stories? The members of ARTMS engrave this excitement with their voices.
‘The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy’ was a song so cherished it was initially reserved as the title track for ARTMS's next album. However, to ensure the completeness of ARTMS's debut full-length album, it was generously included. This song was gifted to the members by producer G-high, who created LOONA's hit song ‘Butterfly,’ and thus contains a beat that can be loved by both existing and new fans.
The pre-released tracks, from ‘Flower Rhythm’ to ‘Candy Crush’ and ‘Air,’ were all completed by sampling Heejin's solo tracks ‘Blooming’ and ‘Algorithm,’ HaSeul's solo ‘Plastic Candy,’ and ODD EYE CIRCLE's ‘Air Force One.’ This signifies that their individual journeys have converged to form the complete team, ARTMS.
‘Air’의 뒤를 잇는 ‘Unf/Air’는 사랑이라는 감정의 비대칭에 대해서 노래한다. I love you, but why won't you look at me? This unfairness is expressed with calm and endearing language.
‘Distress Call’ unfortunately placed second in the ARTMS pre-release vote, but it was such a high-quality song that it was the very first track recorded during album preparation. The moment it was monitored in the first recording session, this song already defined ARTMS's style.
‘Butterfly Effect’ tells the story of how LOONA's ‘Butterfly’s’ wings flapped to become ARTMS. Inheriting LOONA's unique music style and musical legacy—a genre so distinct it could be called 'Butterfly' itself—it has taken flight with ARTMS's own wings.
The final track ‘Birth’ achieved first place with overwhelming fan support in the ARTMS pre-release Gravity. And this 'birth' proves ARTMS's existence. The already released music video captures ARTMS's aesthetic to such an extent that it is regarded as one of the most brutal and beautiful videos in K-POP history.
Having already announced their grand journey by revealing the ‘Moonshot’ world tour schedule even before the album's release, the future of ARTMS begins here and now.