"Devil" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group

CLC CLC may refer to: Religion * Christian Life Centre, a number of individual and networked Pentecostal churches in Australia * Christian Life Community, an international association of lay Christians * Church of the Lutheran Confession, an Americ ...

. It was released by

Cube Entertainment Cube Entertainment Inc. () is a South Korean entertainment company. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management and concert production company, and music publishing house. Cube are known for h ...

on September 6, 2019, as a digital single. The song is produced by Mich Hansen, who has worked on albums with

Little Mix Little Mix are a British girl group, composed of group members Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall, and Perrie Edwards. Jesy Nelson was originally part of the group before she left in 2020. After becoming the first group to win the British ...

; Peter Wallevik, who has worked on songs with

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her campy style, she has been referred to ...

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...

and

SuperM SuperM (Hangul: 슈퍼엠) is a South Korean supergroup formed in 2019 by SM Entertainment and Capitol Music Group. The group consists of seven members from four SM Entertainment boy bands: Taemin from Shinee, Baekhyun and Kai from Exo, Taey ...

; Daniel Davidsen;

Phil Plested Philip Plested is an English singer and songwriter. He has co-written songs for artists including Lewis Capaldi, the Vamps, Little Mix, Kygo, James Arthur, Anne-Marie, and Bastille. Early life and career Plested was born in Watford, Hertford ...

, and Lauren Aquilina. The song is written by popular South Korean lyricist,

Seo Ji-eum Seo Ji-eum (; born December 15, 1986), is a South Korean lyricist and singer. She started getting recognition after writing the lyrics for Girls' Generation-TTS's "Twinkle" and f(x)'s "Electric Shock". She won the Lyricist of the Year Award at ...

and CLC’s Jang Ye-Eun. “Devil” is a song which warns the listeners of the devilish nature hidden beneath a person's calm demeanor. When the members refer to the “devil,” they are referring to themselves. The track mentions that each person is capable of having a devil awaken inside of them if they are treated badly enough, and it just so happens they are capable of getting revenge on them too. Musically, it is a primarily

retro Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from history, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. In popular culture, the " nostalgia cycle" is typically for the two decades that begin 20–30 ...

-inspired track and borrows from elements like

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

and

surf rock Surf music (or surf rock, surf pop, or surf guitar) is a genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is instrumental su ...

. The bass guitar that opens “Devil” lingers for practically the entire song, joined by handclaps and jangly

synth A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis an ...

. The rap ventures into

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

territory which adds a refreshing texture to the primarily retro track.

Background

"Devil" is CLC's third comeback in 2019 following "No" in January and "Me" in May. CLC, who has been a subjective and imposing message since the "Black Dress" early last year, has issued a straightforward warning with youthful charisma. It a modern retro sensibility, contains a final warning that will no longer endure a rude opponent. Member Jang Ye-eun participated and completed the song. In particular, the powerful and youthful choreography was choreographed by Star System.

Release and promotion

On August 28, it was revealed that CLC would come back on September 6 with their second digital single this year, ''Devil''. Lyrics spoiler was released from August 30 to September 1. Concept images were released on September 2 and 3, and music video teasers were released the next day. The song was released through several music portals, including

MelOn A melon is any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae with sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. The word "melon" can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit. Botanically, a melon is a kind of berry, specifically a " pepo". The ...

, iTunes, and

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

Commercial performance

The song peaked at number 7 on the US World Digital Songs chart, after selling 1,000 copies, five months after the official release. It was attributed to the late addition of the song to U.S. digital platforms until late February 2020.

Music video

A music video was released alongside the single on September 6. In this music video, the members are beautifully harassing each other using spooky props with the direct warning given by the lyrics. It also adds elements to the atmosphere with colorful costumes that showcase each individual's personality and intense black costumes.

Background

Release and promotion

Commercial performance

Music video

Charts

Accolades

Release history

References