[Review] Somi - Birthday

Oh no. Oh no no no no. I'm not wasting any time here. This song is painful, and I have only stomached two extra listens apart from the first exposure to this...creature. Somi has been on quite the journey to this point. From trainee days, to Produce days, to dungeon days, to betrayal days, Somi's passport is well-traveled. So you'd think that after all this time she'd have something polished for us to see.

Instead, we are "treated" to "Birthday," which is a generous term I've used. For starters this track is literally all over the place. The verses, prechorus, and chorus could all be turned into standalone songs and that'd be fine, but when they are fused together it creates an unholy combination of sadness. That chorus is the biggest culprit because I find that drop and following instrumental completely unsatisfying. I could possibly deal with the other issues plaguing "Birthday," but not this one.

One such fault that could theoretically be forgiven is the English. That damned ugly English monster rears its head again. I mean Somi is a native speaker but that's never been a viable excuse to just mash English into the lyrics - seemingly at random, too. And "Birthday" has English everywhere. Really makes this seem like a shitty Black Pink or Twice release instead of a highly anticipated solo debut from a powerful ex-Produce member. Speaking of BP or Twice, the bridge is copypasted right from their notebooks, and I'll continue to hate on these. I didn't like them when 2NE1 did those in 2009, I don't like them now. Somi is no exception to this rule.

People who say that "oh this is the real Somi" or "Somi has this side to her too" are fine, but consider that non-TV audiences - like myself - have never seen something like this out of her before. It's pretty jarring and shatters any perception I had of her. That's not a bad thing in most cases but the artist needs to own the concept in order to make it work. Identity changes only work if the singer can sell the product, and that's simply not happening here.

If this was for my birthday, I would wish for it to be cancelled. "Birthday" is a disappointing present given to all fans anticipating this solo debut. Also apparently she wasn't even prepared to perform the dance during a showcase or something? The fuck is up with that. How can you tease the balls out of this debut and then not do it live? Whatever. Anyways the first song is the most important, and if Chungha has shown she didn't need a group to succeed, the early indication for Somi here is looking like she might want I.O.I back. Hopefully she follows Chungha's career footsteps and improves on her discography with each subsequent release. 'Cause if she doesn't...major yikes incoming.