[Review] Hyuna - How's This?

We have a Hyuna sighting. I repeat, we have a Hyuna sighting. But is that really a surprise? This is her first release since the disbandment of 4minute, which also doubles as her first as an official solo artist. She has never been shy in any of her songs since the days of "Change" and if the teasers were any indication, there's to be zero changes from the standard Hyuna formula. We're likely in for some electrifying beats, some snappy rapping, and plenty of explicit material. Korea hasn't been able to handle Hyuna videos for a long time now and 2016 should be no different.

This song is indeed a spiritual successor to "Roll Deep" AKA "Because I'm The Best" AKA "Ilhoon's Rap and Nothing Else." It's extremely repetitive and simplistic in nature, and I don't think has worked for either release. A bright spot here is that Hyuna's voice is not as nasally (for the most part) which does work in her favor. She sounds more comfortable and outside of the "eoddae?" screeches is tolerable to listen to. On the other hand, the instrumental touches base on both extremes: during the chorus it's very grating and almost hurts my ears, but is pleasant during the verses justifying "How's This?" as a dance-happy anthem. Even though the verses are the best-sounding part of the song, "How's This?" will almost certainly be defined by the snazzy prechorus sections where Hyuna and the instrumental climb together to reach the chorus. It's embarrassing that I don't have more to say, there's simply a verse, prechorus, and chorus repeated ad nauseam so if anyone can figure out how to write more about this song, please let me know.

When you want to write and publish reviews early, the main problem is that unless it's a dance-oriented MV, you're not going to see much of the choreography. And because the song has only been out for a few days, live performances haven't happened (aired) yet so there's literally nothing to look at. And for what it's worth, I'm not going to sift through every frame of the video trying to find which shots have what I presume are the choreography shots. Trying to discern between those and the plain party shots would be impossible.

If I thought I didn't have much to write about Hyuna's vocals, I definitely have much less to write about the MV of "How's This?" This is essentially any previous Hyuna video but in a nightclub setting. There are plenty of girls, plenty of guys, and much dirty dancing. Hyuna herself looks relatively fabulous and to be honest I thought her participation in the shenanigans was far more tame than I anticipated. I'd like to imagine that all these extra dancers and actors were paid handsomely with alcohol and weed.

"How's This?" falls flat on its face and joins "Ice Cream" in the dungeon of Hyuna's solo works. The song certainly carries the stereotypical Hyuna formula, with the strong dance vibes and aggressively tacky instrumental. There's a series of good verses, but that doesn't make the song by itself. And on the flipside, the "eoddae" screech and "skrt" are nearly enough to break the song. Not interesting and not memorable, the high points are difficult to find, and the fact that this is the first song I've struggled to really write much about is very telling, and overall is unfortunate that Hyuna would release a dud amidst the mostly incredible songs of other girl group soloists.