Since 2016, BLACKPINK has worked hard at making themselves known worldwide. As a girl group formed by YG Entertainment in South Korea, members Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa have some impressive achivements under their belts. Two of their music videos have reached over a billion views on YouTube, they are the highest charting female Korean act on the Billboard Top 100, and one of their music videos broke three and set two different Guiness World Records. Although the girls have been active for a while (performing at Coachella, modeling for various luxury brands, performing their own concerts, attending award shows, and much more), they have only just released their first full-length studio album. Aptly titled THE ALBUM, this album had both fans and non-fans highly anticipating its release.
Although I have been keeping up with the Korean entertainment industry for a while, I am not a self-proclaimed BLINK (Blackpink’s official name for their fans). I don’t keep up with the group’s activities regularly, but I do notice their impact everywhere I go on social media. BLACKPINK has started to make their foray into foreign markets, and I can see a lot of western influence in their music production and styling. Their latest album has eye-catching names attached to it. David Guetta, Selena Gomez, and Cardi B are some of the artists who collaborated with BLACKPINK’s label to bring us the album I am about to review. While I will be mainly critiquing the music, I think it is important to note that music is just one aspect of BLACKPINK’s artistry. Their visuals, stage presence, synchronized choreography, and overall brand are so high quality that anybody unfamiliar with K-pop should explore all of these things before passing judgement on BLACKPINK or the Korean idol industry as a whole.
- How You Like That
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This song was released as a single earlier in the summer and I have to admit that upon first listen, I was not sold. The chorus’s instrumentals and lyrics are too static and repetitive for me; however, there is something redeeming about Rosé’s and Jisoo’s vocals in the final bridge. As always, the music video is extremely well shot. Even though there seems to be a lack of a consistent visual concept, it was still fun to watch!
- Ice Cream (with Selena Gomez)
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This track was also released as a single earlier in the summer with much anticipation from BLACKPINK’s and Selena’s fans. I could see that a lot of money went into promotion and production (a lot of merchandise and PR packages were created for this song). Yet, I was disappointed by the song’s composition. The instrumentals let me down again, but Lisa’s rap is catchy enough that I could probably Stockholm syndrome myself into liking this track by listening to it over and over.
- Pretty Savage
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“Pretty Savage” has similar static and repetitive instrumental tones to “How You Like That,” except the musicality is more complex and therefore more enjoyable for me! The beat is a little reminiscent of a video game soundtrack and it is quite fun to listen to. Rosé’s part near the end is probably my favorite section along with Lisa’s opening rap verse.
- Bet You Wanna (feat. Cardi B)
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This collaboration surprised me to be honest! I didn’t expect Cardi’s style to mesh well with BLACKPINK’s, but I think her rap verse over the casual beat with BLACKPINK’s vocals make for an easy-listening song. Even though I wouldn’t personally add this song to my playlist, I can appreciate its upbeat energy.
- Lovesick Girls
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This song is one of the best on the album, which is probably why it has its own music video and gets the most promotion. David Guetta is credited as one of the composers, and although I don’t know how big his involvement was in this project, I can sense his style in the instrumental and song structure. The production quality is amazing and it’s palatable for anyone’s taste whether they’re a fan of American pop or Korean pop. This is the type of song I could definitely hear blasting through an Urban Outfitters or H&M speaker.
- Crazy Over You
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The first ten seconds of this song initially took me by surprise, but once I got past the idea of listening to strangely melded instrumental samplings, I could kind of get into it. The bridge is full-sounding and offsets the patchy squeaky-toy beats. This is definitely a unique tune since it uses strings and woodwind instrumentals in unexpected ways, but it’s not a bad song to listen to overall!
- Love To Hate Me
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This is one of my favorite tracks on the album, and the lyrics are completely in English. It’s catchy but not overly repetitive. I find the lyrics to have the perfect amount of sass. Just like “Lovesick Girls,” the production quality is absolutely fantastic and it is skillfully arranged.
- You Never Know
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This song doesn’t really suit my personal style, but I think it’s a pretty vocally powered track. The simple piano-synth sounds mix with the vocals before giving way to a simple drum beat which makes for an enjoyable listen. It reminds me of the kind of song you’d listen to on graduation day or hear at the end of a coming-of-age movie.
Even though I didn’t fall in love with every song on THE ALBUM, I had a really good time watching the music videos and listening to the music. “Lovesick Girls,” “Love To Hate Me,” and “Pretty Savage” will definitely be key players on my playlist this fall. BLACKPINK has an interesting discography and an amazing production team. I am looking forward to seeing their careers grow and expand globally!