[Review] Psy - Gentleman

Vocals: 3 / 10

What very little portion of singing in this song was horribly murdered by excessive autotune and the buzzing background. Some songs can make tolerating autotune bearable (T-Ara’s “I Go Crazy Because Of You” for example) but this did not come close to achieving that. After a handful of listens it becomes more bearable but ugh I felt bad for my ears when first listening to this song.

Appearance: 8 / 10

It’s Psy. He’s not extremely handsome, he’s not extremely ripped, but he’s goofy and carefree and dressed like a gentleman. Not much else to say other than that. Everyone who made cameos get props: Gain, Jaesuk, HaHa, etc. etc. So many people were in this just like “Gangnam Style” so that’s always cool.

Dance: 8 / 10

I dunno about the general consensus but I thought it was a pretty cute / smart idea to incorporate the “Abracadabra” dance into this one. It wasn’t a complete copy, Psy added some funny new editions to it, and it also helps bring Gain and Brown Eyed Girls into some of the spotlight, in a similar but more impressive way than what was done with Hyuna in “Gangnam Style”. That being said, it’s certainly not a standout choreography but it’s still funny and has energy to match the song.

Rap: 8 / 10

Like with the vocals, I found that there was way way way too much autotune and buzz cluttering up what could have been a more decent sounding song with energetic Psy spitting lines everywhere, calling himself a “mother father gentleman”. The pronunciation could have been a little better or maybe it just sounds a little funny to my ears. But yeah, akin to “Right Now” and “Gangnam Style” it’s not that much different. However, the bridge was pretty uh…ineffective and also pretty awkward. Those are not lines anyone would really wanna be repeating out in public.

Music Video: 8 / 10

Following the heels of “Gangnam Style”, “Gentleman” also delivers a wacky tacky music video. I wouldn’t put the two in the same category, as this one is a little more crude / dark, but it’s a solid MV nonetheless. Trolling women, acting like a “gentleman” throughout. Jaesuk’s return in that same yellow suit is questionable but I suppose nobody (by that I mean non-KPop / Running Man followers) would recognize him otherwise. HaHa and the Infinity Challenge members had decent cameos and some also participated in the trolling. Gain’s role as the successor of Hyuna did fine, and I especially liked where she trolled Psy in return with the chair. I recognized a few Running Man locations scattered throughout the video, and the continued use of flipping between obvious sets and the real world provided plenty of change of scenery.

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Overall: 70 / 100

There is a lot going for this song: funny hooks, a goofy music video, Gain for eye candy, etc. But there’s also a lot against it as well: obsessive autotune, annoying buzz, and a boring bridge. When it comes down to it, it’s nothing near the level of incredible that “Gangnam Style” achieved and more of a sidegrade / release than anything else, but you know what? I’m perfectly okay with that, considering I liked some of Psy’s music before the Gangnam phenomenon took over.