- 4KShares
YG hasn’t made a new girl group since 2NE1 in 2009, until now, the birth of Black Pink seven years later. With the recent lack of promotions from 2NE1, it’s no wonder how much anticipation has been built up around this four-member act consisted of not only members from abroad, but also YG’s first non-Korean Thai trainee. This short debut album titled Square One sheds a bit of light towards what the music flavor of the group would be, which can only be described as “very YG”. The Black Pink girls brought tunes that are signature of the YG family: hip hop rhythms, addictive beats, bluesy melody, soulful vocals, and no lack of swag.
Track 1 – 휘파람 (Whistle)
Square One starts off with a distinctive whistle riff as the title of the track suggests coupled with rhythmic bass beat, and finger snaps. As the song progresses, more layers of synths, bubble sounds, percussion tinkles are added on to give a richer background during the rap section. Finally, the song brings in full on R&B melody that reminds me of Taeyang’s part in a Big Bang song but sung with a feminine groovy voice like Park Bom’s. Overall, Whistle is not the most mind-blowing tune I’ve heard from YG artists, but it’s got a memorable beat and certainly a solid start for a rookie team.
Track 2 – 붐바야 (Boombayah)
Boombayah reflects the strengths of the other side of the YG house, contemporary hip hop with heavy EDM synths and a reggae twist best seen from labelmate iKON. Boombayah has a very rich and dynamic beat blend that definitely gives off a tribal party vibe. The track is able to showcase the girls’ rap skills during the verse equally as well as their vocal skills during the pre-chorus escalation. Although for me, the rhythmic and clean beat plus rap during the verse is the better half of the song, as the rest of it start to sound overly produced and repetitive after a while.
- 4KShares
- 4KShares