Welcome to “What’s tasty in Busan?”, the column where I try to answer this timeless question and have an excuse to write about my lifelong k-pop obsession. I haven’t kept up with comebacks as much this year, so this post mostly covers major releases over the course of the past two months.
Scientist by Twice
A “middling and regressive year” for Twice was not something I had down on my bingo card back in January. Coming off the release of “Cry For Me”, I was anticipating late-career Twice to try on a few new hats and keep the public on their toes; their costume changes had paid dividends up till this point. “Cry For Me” managed to be one of the few spacious, trap-influenced, “girl crush” concept songs that stayed in my rotation in a year full of post-BlackPink era mediocrity. The song is like Twice’s version of “Bad Boy” (If you know, you know. This is the highest praise.) Imagine my surprise then, when upon hearing “Alcohol-Free” I could tell they were going for “Why So Lonely” but ended up closer to “Margaritaville”; it’s their first single in six years of consistent releases that completely underwhelmed me. Not to fear, I thought back then, their next single “The Feels” hinted at a return to form. Who better than Twice to take on the bright, bubblegum concept they monopolized early in their career? And while I was endeared to the track’s retro flair and obvious appeal to American sensibilities, I couldn’t shake the thought that “The Feels” was a shadow of a better time for the group. So where does that leave us with “Scientist”? The glossy, suspended synths are satiating on their own, but paired with this tempo and melody, act as a veil for unremarkable adequacy. Twice is coasting on auto-pilot; I am starting to worry they’ll leave it on until the end of their flight. [5]
XOXO by Somi
2NE1’s influence on BlackPink was central to the group’s success and made for some fantastic music even if it was entirely derivative. BlackPink’s influence on the rest of the industry is central to my demise and makes for mostly obnoxious and/or boring music while also being completely derivative. Somi is the latest victim, but I am not entirely surprised following her previous title tracks. I am not sure why I keep coming back; I think I want to like her music more than I do. [3]
Tamed-Dashed by ENHYPEN
“Drunk-Dazed”’s pastel, summer sister (or as close to pastel as ENHYPEN can get). The tracks compliment each other the same way “I Need U” and “Run” are linked in my head. The music video for “Tamed-Dashed” even ends on a shot straight from “Run”. I couldn’t have asked for more. [8]
The videos:
Savage by aespa
You can’t in good faith criticize aespa for being too Western (This is a ridiculous gripe regardless, but just bare with me so I can make a comparison.) Most major pop releases in the US see artists establishing an atmosphere in the opening seconds of a track and sticking to the same frequency throughout, oftentimes to a fault. aespa’s signature is more hodgepodge than mosaic, and “Savage” is possibly their most messy endeavor to date. They aren’t a Western kind of bad, they are a distinctly aespa kind of bad (I can also present an argument for them being an SM kind of bad as well). If I ever have to hear the term “kwangya” again, I will personally send Lee Soo Man a strongly worded email. [2]
Rock with you by Seventeen
This is the result of a veteran group knowing what works seeing it through. On “Rock with you”, Seventeen doesn’t break any new ground, but they do pull off a meticulous balancing act and make it seem effortless. The group vocals soar in the chorus and juxtapose well with individual members’ timbre peeking through solo lines. The track pulses forward with a strong sense of momentum; it’s refreshing to see Seventeen still firing off their cylinders. [7]
