After being teased about for god knows how long, YG Entertainment has finally debuted their new girl group. And if there was any convenient time to debut them, now would be the time. 2NE1's status is still very much uncertain after Minzy's exit from the group, so a new group is their entry into the next generation of competition and to hopefully distract people from 2NE1's continued hiatus. Black Pink is certainly an interesting name, and it doesn't roll off the tongue easily, but they are from YG, and would be debuting with two different songs - "Whistle" is the one we'll be taking a look at today.
Let's start with the negatives: this song's chorus is awful. The whistle hook is insanely catchy, but that's all the chorus has going for it. Jennie and Lisa's blurbs are not exciting in the slightest and would have been better off with just the whistle and instrumental. As a result, the song does get some of those disjointed vibes, but not to the extreme of the other songs that share this attribute (4minute's "What's Your Name," Girls' Generation's "I Got A Boy," etc.). What really surprised me is how much I liked the bridge, despite it not really being connected to the song in any way. The buildup drops dramatically into the whole "whistle like a missile" shenanigans which aren't that great to begin with. I'll never enjoy random blurbs like the ones in the chorus and those in Mamamoo's "Piano Man.." They more often than not just ruin the flow of the song for me.
Now, onto brighter topics. Everyone in Black Pink has a respectable voice. Nobody will blow you away, but there are no disasters either. Jennie in particular is alluring because of her versatility in singing and rapping, the latter of which we'll get to later. Is it just me, or does Rose sound like a young CL with her singing voice? I can hear similarities in their vocal color with the added nasal sound. It's an uncanny resemblance that is only relevant because they are the successors to 2NE1. Jisoo and Lisa aren't very interesting in particular, but like I said earlier, having a serviceable voice is worth something nowadays. There are no weak links in their vocals, and even if there were, they aren't evident in this style of music.
If Yuju and Eunha are the standout vocalists of the new generation, then Jennie and Lisa are definitely the standout rappers of the new generation. This duo have likely set a standard for future girl groups to (try and) follow. Jennie was very impressive right out the gate, and her rap has quickly become one of my favorites for any debut showing. She had a smooth blend of energy and attitude coupled with good execution. Lisa is also noteworthy, and provides more on the charisma scale compared to Jennie. I think YG has discovered trait cloning because I hear Rose as a younger CL singing, and I hear Lisa as a young CL rapping. The flow and charisma is very much like CL, and I could easily envision CL rapping Lisa's lines with not much difference. Black Pink show a balanced but strong rapping attack and given their tougher image, is a wonderful asset to have.
With each passing review, I question the decision to talk about choreography upon a new release. I think I would rather have a timely review out and neglect choreography than wait a week (or however many days) needed for the live performances. That being said, dance is an important facet of most releases so the thought of leaving it out entirely seems like a bad idea. Anyways, "Whistle" is the less dance-tastic of their two debut tracks, but make no mistake, the energy and attitude do still seem to be present in the choreography. The members of Black Pink continue to carry around them that light swagger which is reminiscent of their seniors. "Boombayah" is the rowdy, but "Whistle" is sleek.
So the same director for a few Red Velvet MVs handled this MV and you probably didn't need me to tell you that. Just one look at the various shots and even a baby could figure that out. As such, I'm not really inspired to write much about this MV. There's nothing new here, and the elements which make other Red Velvet videos relatively average make the MV for "Whistle" relatively average, too. You could argue there's a little more variety in "Whistle" which makes the video more creative to watch but aside from that, nothing particularly exciting to note. Though it's worth mentioning I like the attitudes of the girls. Definitely 2NE1 incarnate with their chic and chill expressions.
With the video being bland and the choreography sightings limited, we can talk visuals. And since Black Pink is a new group, it's time for the classic "newbie look-a-like roulette!" Lisa starts us off by being the unique member, she doesn't resemble anyone in particular, but her charisma is by far the best out of the group. Jisoo reminds me of an Irene, while Rose looks like a Yuri and Nahyun cross. Lastly, Jennie is a more expressive Naeun. Having both the appearance and attitude that aren't the normal cutesy innocent stuff is going to be a major drawing point for the girls.
I think "Whistle" does a great job at setting the stage for Black Pink. They are most definitely the successors to 2NE1, but while most paint that as a negative (some say it's neutral), I see it as a good thing. If you ask me, there are too many innocent or cute concepts out there that are much more blatantly recycled than the serious or badass style that we rarely see nowadays. If Black Pink wasn't from YG, people would just criticize them for being 2NE1 copycats. They borrow heavily from 2NE1, but not everything is similar. Black Pink have two strong rappers instead of one, and (as a trade?) they lack a distinct voice. Of course with only a debut, it's hard to plot their trajectory but they're off to a great start. The only real question with them is will I review "Boombayah."
No comments:
Post a Comment