I’m actually not late this time, there just hasn’t been a lot of songs to put in this feature. A couple solid tracks and a lot of meh.
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Key (SHINee) – “Pleasure Shop”
A nice groove, but mostly a vibey effort without an addictive hook to latch onto. It’s just kinda safe and ultimately something we have more than enough of.
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Kang Daniel – “Electric Shock”
Just kinda meanders its way throughout its duration, which ironically is over three minutes. Be careful what you wish for, I guess.
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NCT Wish – “Steady”
The hook is honestly rather grating, and other than that, I’m not left with much of an impression.
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Super Junior D&E – “Go High”
Idol hip-hop tracks are mostly not to my taste anyway, but this both feels a bit “how do you do fellow kids” and has a chorus that annoys me.
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HYO (SNSD) – “Retro Romance”
In theory, this is the kind of song that should appeal to me, but all it makes me remember is how solid some of her DJ HYO stuff was.
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VANNER – “Automatic”
Upbeat and funky, VANNER continue to be effective in taking their second chance, but mostly I just want to know what that ‘brrrap’ synth is in the chorus. Fucked me up. Still, the best of the bunch, and I’ll probably give it another listen later.
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LISA (BLACKPINK) – “MOONLIT FLOOR”
If you’re a decrepit corpse like me, the interpolation of Sixpence None The Richer‘s “Kiss Me“ will make you think about She’s All That at least. But the fact that this is about Frederic Arnault leads to the lyrics traumatizing me, and since it’s almost a cover of sorts, I’d much rather just vibe along to the original.
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KISS OF LIFE – “R.E.M”
Loved “Midas Touch“ and “Sticky“ has definitely grown on me, but I’m glad this is a pre-release. It kinda just exists.
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The Wind – “Hello My First Love”
Love the vague “GFRIEND but dudes” sound this song brings, and the chorus feels like it should be set to characters frolicking. However, like many who head in this direction, it lacks a knockout melody and/or hook in the chorus (not to mention a standout vocal) to take the next step to great for me.
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Uh yeah, that’s it for like mainstream stuff.
