Blackpink’s discography may be small, but it is certainly mighty, and Born Pink is no exception. The latest addition to this K-pop girl group’s music is only eight tracks, two of which were released before the album was dropped.
To be honest, I never really thought K-pop was for me. I had heard a few songs a couple years ago and never got into it, but something changed this past spring when I watched the dance practice video for “How You Like That” by Blackpink. The dance was so fun and the song was stuck in my head for days afterward. Over the summer, I started listening to more of their music… and now, here I am, reviewing their latest album. Oh, how the tables have turned.
Without further ado, here are my thoughts!
In my completely honest opinion, this song doesn’t really fit the vibe of the album. I did like the collab with PUBG for the music video—some of the animations were really cool, as broken down in this review video, but the facial expressions definitely could use some more fine-tuning. Overall, the song is okay, but not one that I’ll have on repeat like others on the album.
7. Pink Venom
Despite being the first single released for the new album, I felt very ambivalent about this track. There were several lyrics taken from other songs: Lisa’s line “One by one, then two by two”, while iconic, was immediately recognizable from Rihanna’s “Pon de Replay”, for example. Where that crosses the line from inspiration vs. plagiarism is something that I won’t get into here, but I did love the unique sound of the geomungo (a traditional Korean instrument) included in the introduction of the song. The chorus antidrop was unique and unexpected, and Jennie and Lisa’s raps are always iconic, though even that isn’t enough to save the rest of the song for me.
I know Rosé and Jisoo wrote part of this song, so I really wanted to love it, but I can’t say I feel that strongly about it. It’s a fun, catchy tune with lyrics that encapsulate the feeling of butterflies when you have a crush. “Just say yeah, yeah, yeah!” about sums it up, but it didn’t stand out enough for me to put it higher on this list.
5. Hard to Love
I’ll be honest, the difference between #5 and #4 is minimal. Rosé’s voice shines through in this surprise solo track and the lyrics are incredibly relatable, laid on top of a rhythmic guitar progression that gives it a slight pop-rock feel. “Hard to Love” feels like a successor to Lovesick Girls, another track that wanders from Blackpink’s usual sound but is actually one of my favorite songs of theirs. It has the same yearning, angst, and desire, showing that even though we stumble while searching for love, you just have to get up and try again.
I mean, this tweet sums it up:
This slower, soulful ballad on top of a sad piano track features all four members of Blackpink singing—including Lisa, whose vocals went viral and were praised by various sites, including Billboard, Recording Academy, and TIME magazine. This song is definitely a departure from Blackpink’s usual sound, but they’ve still managed to portray heartbreak, pining, and lovesickness poignantly.
3. Tally
Opening with “I say f*ck it when I feel it, ‘cause no one’s keeping tally / I do what I want with who I like” is such a power move—every single member of Blackpink gets to swear in this emphatic song about doing what you want once you shake off the fear of judgment from others. Maybe I put this song so high because I love and relate to the theme. It’s exactly the type of energy I need when going through all the negative things life tries to throw at me.
One lyric that I especially adore is Jisoo’s “Everybody judge but looking twice / But my body don’t belong to none of them, no / And I’m not gonna change ‘cause you say so”. That first part especially rings true, where we as a society love to judge people for making mistakes but still talk about them and look at their mistakes constantly. This whole line in the context of K-pop culture and its unattainable beauty standards also empowers women to embrace themselves for who they are without feeling the immense pressure to change their appearance in order to fit a certain beauty standard.
2. Typa Girl
Let me just start by saying: LALISA MANOBAN. This “slow hip-hop track oozing an attractive arrogance” just screams Lisa, which is only further proven by Bekuh Boom, one of the songwriters, saying that she thought Lisa would have used this song in her debut. Lisa’s rap in the second verse is like 85% of the reason this song is my #2 overall pick on this list. Another 10% is reserved for Jisoo rapping (a rare sighting!), and the other 5% is simply the immaculate confidence that all four members of Blackpink showcase when they declare “I’m the type to make you forget that you got a type.” Queen sh*t.
1. Shut Down
The fact that it’s only been a week since Born Pink was released and this is already my most-listened to song this month should tell you how I feel about it. From the second I heard the violin motif from Paganini’s “La Campanella,” I was hooked. The classical sample on top of the edgy hip hop beat was a combination I never knew I needed, and I would absolutely love to see more artists making music like this. (Classical music slaps, people! There’s a reason it’s still studied today! It needs to be appreciated more!)
Also, can we talk about that music video? I watched the countdown to its release with a group of friends, and we screamed when we saw Jennie sitting on the tank, exactly like she does in Ddu-Du Ddu-Du. The callbacks to some of Blackpink’s most iconic music videos—Lisa on the bridge, Rosé on the globe, Jisoo with the Polaroid, and, of course, Jennie on the bedazzled tank—was everything. And, at this point, I think it goes without saying that Jennie and Lisa’s second-verse raps are a highlight.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the different directions Blackpink went with this album. Some might say it was disjointed, but I liked that they were experimenting with sounds and vibes. I do wish the album was longer, especially considering they haven’t released music in 2 years and their discography for a 6-year established group is significantly smaller than other artists that haven’t been around as long.
For me, personally, it seems like the common theme is that I like Blackpink’s signature sound more—the badass, girlboss, “you can’t tell me what to do” lyrics. The sheer confidence imbued in those words is enough to make you feel like the baddest b*tch alive. Their vulnerable moments are good and I’d love to see them explored more, but where Blackpink really shines is owning the fact that they are successful, unapologetic, and, above all, iconic. And they’re not afraid to tell you that, too.