Over the last couple of months, K-pop artists have been coming back to prove they make some of the best and worst music.
- “CUPID” BY FIFTY FIFTY
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While technically coming out at the end of February, it has been quite a while since an unknown group made an appearance in one of my monthly playlists. This song in particular has become my favorite ever since I heard it, with its lovely melodic singing about wanting to find love getting stuck in my head from the first listen. I find nothing but comfort in the simplicity of the song — no surprise beat drop, anti-drop or anything to ruin the flow of the song.
- “KITSCH” BY IVE
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“Kitsch” is by far IVE’s most experimental song, particularly in the chorus that resembles a more mature, bad girl concept. It does a good job of preserving IVE’s signature sound while also straying far enough from the other title tracks such as “LOVE DIVE” and “After LIKE” to distinguish itself as a good pre-release. I’m excited to see what type of music IVE has in store for their official album release on April 10.
- “FLOWER” by JISOO
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BLACKPINK member JISOO released “FLOWER” on March 31 and has already set records by achieving the highest 24-hour view count of any K-pop music video in 2023. “FLOWER” itself is sweet-sounding and melodic with JISOO’s unmistakably husky vocals, leading into an anti-drop for the chorus, a classic sign of the producer TEDDY of the Black Label.
I think JISOO’s vocals saved an otherwise boring song. I am not the biggest fan of anti-drops for the chorus unless they are done extremely well, which in this case, does not. As usual, I wished for TEDDY to surprise me but he hasn’t over the years. I think it is a solid debut track, but it could’ve been executed better to keep the attention of the fans who have waited for this single for years.
- “ROVER” BY KAI
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“Rover” is a song that relies heavily on the artist’s concept, which in KAI’s case is a sensual vibe. It follows a classic SM Entertainment sound that can be consistently found in NCT’s music, which is what this title track reminded me of up until the chorus, where I feel it all starts to go downhill.
I think the chorus severely downgrades the rest of the song. At the same time, I think the use of rap in this song feels more like “Look how sexy and deep my voice is!” rather than anything substantial.
- “GROOVY” BY CRAVITY
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If you want something uplifting and light, “Groovy” by CRAVITY is the song for you. It’s one of those songs that make me want to get up and dance during the chorus, which is just as addicting and fun as the rest of the song.
- “SET ME FREE” BY TWICE
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TWICE is always reliable with its title tracks, and “SET ME FREE” is no exception to this rule. With a classic matured TWICE sound that relies on their unique voices and high notes, I think the chorus is addictive but not over-repetitive. It does, unfortunately, not surprise or excite me in any way, which is the only problem I have with this title track.
- “LOVE ME LIKE THIS” BY NMIXX
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For the JYP group NMIXX who is known for their distinct, contrasting mixes, “Love Me Like This” is strangely normal. There is no “NMIXX Change up!” to signal a new part of the song, which is something I missed dearly, but I understand why JYP decided to leave it out of this particular song to preserve the catchy melody.
The song itself is solid, a perfect blend of NMIXX’s strong vocals and unique rap tone from Jiwoo. As NMIXX’s most successful title track so far by snatching their first win on Show Champion, I think “Love Me Like This” is a great step towards a more cohesive sound for the group, although I do think JYP should preserve elements of their previous songs, “O.O” and “DICE” that keep NMIXX unique.