it's why i have such a hate/love relationship with nct 127's touch - i get why it's a fan favorite especially among k-nctzens because it's fun, upbeat, bright and easily accessible, but so devoid of 127's essence which is precisely what i love them for
get a guitar is truly a bizarre debut track for a group from a label with lachata, happiness, firetruck and black mamba as some of their group's debut songs. sm have been pioneers of "what the fuck did i just listen to?" music and i wish they kept leaning into it instead of chickening out and wanting a sip from the bland hybe potion
i get what they want to achieve here and you laid it out perfectly, but whereas in the past i used to check out pretty much any kpop release under the sun, i now keep my kpop music intake pretty much overseeable because i cannot listen to yet another butter/say so/cupid remake and just stick to the artist who i know will always deliver
adding to your really valid points, (esp the part with the idea of "been there, done that" within the genre, that is so true!) i really feel like the inclusion of so many scandinavic songwriters is really a big problem as opposed to those big days where korean producers would *emulate* those sounds, or outright steal them (love like oxygen is a banger and idt the danish group originally doing it got credited for it!). like yeah you had much more rampant blackaboo-ness in the 00s and worse production value so i know better than to be totally nostalgic for 2nd gen - every abracadabra brings with it a taeyang - but at the same time, it's like, if i wanted to listen to this current kpop, i could just listen to it in english. year by year the diminishing returns are that much more pronounced. funny that newjeans are killing it globally now, but they kind of show the globalisation of the music world and the playing field now being so even that it practically doesn't matter what language benign city pop-esque beats to study to are sung in. ofc algorithms play a big role in this, etc. (also re: blackaboo-ness: a point can be made about how every clone of 127, who are produced frequently by a black man, tap into the same thing in the year of the lord 2023, not just sonically/lyrically but in terms of aesthetics)
(also i saw some ppl say this isn't 5th gen, but i think it is - there's kpop groups coming out of american companies now. like if that isn't the dawn of a new generation, what is?)
but also like i don't wanna make it seem like i'm totally DONE with kpop, because there's still artists i look forward to! like i'd LOVE to talk about ive as a counterpoint to everything i'm talking about on here, DESPITE their massive inclusions of scandinavic songwriters! and i still think this genre can be exciting!! i just wish that didn't feel so niche now. i feel like a kpop hag (i am, but like, ykwim) blabbering on and on about music quality. some days you get the sense in the kpop sphere you should just sit there and eat your damn food no matter what. that like as long as you find someone hot, all this mediocrity is fine. but like... i can't live like this! i'm so sorry!
oooooo i would LOVE to read a piece/your list/thoughts about that whenever you publish it!! i AM pinkblood by circumstance, i can't help it...
it's why i have such a hate/love relationship with nct 127's touch - i get why it's a fan favorite especially among k-nctzens because it's fun, upbeat, bright and easily accessible, but so devoid of 127's essence which is precisely what i love them for
get a guitar is truly a bizarre debut track for a group from a label with lachata, happiness, firetruck and black mamba as some of their group's debut songs. sm have been pioneers of "what the fuck did i just listen to?" music and i wish they kept leaning into it instead of chickening out and wanting a sip from the bland hybe potion
i get what they want to achieve here and you laid it out perfectly, but whereas in the past i used to check out pretty much any kpop release under the sun, i now keep my kpop music intake pretty much overseeable because i cannot listen to yet another butter/say so/cupid remake and just stick to the artist who i know will always deliver
ahhhh thank you so much!! <33
adding to your really valid points, (esp the part with the idea of "been there, done that" within the genre, that is so true!) i really feel like the inclusion of so many scandinavic songwriters is really a big problem as opposed to those big days where korean producers would *emulate* those sounds, or outright steal them (love like oxygen is a banger and idt the danish group originally doing it got credited for it!). like yeah you had much more rampant blackaboo-ness in the 00s and worse production value so i know better than to be totally nostalgic for 2nd gen - every abracadabra brings with it a taeyang - but at the same time, it's like, if i wanted to listen to this current kpop, i could just listen to it in english. year by year the diminishing returns are that much more pronounced. funny that newjeans are killing it globally now, but they kind of show the globalisation of the music world and the playing field now being so even that it practically doesn't matter what language benign city pop-esque beats to study to are sung in. ofc algorithms play a big role in this, etc. (also re: blackaboo-ness: a point can be made about how every clone of 127, who are produced frequently by a black man, tap into the same thing in the year of the lord 2023, not just sonically/lyrically but in terms of aesthetics)
(also i saw some ppl say this isn't 5th gen, but i think it is - there's kpop groups coming out of american companies now. like if that isn't the dawn of a new generation, what is?)
but also like i don't wanna make it seem like i'm totally DONE with kpop, because there's still artists i look forward to! like i'd LOVE to talk about ive as a counterpoint to everything i'm talking about on here, DESPITE their massive inclusions of scandinavic songwriters! and i still think this genre can be exciting!! i just wish that didn't feel so niche now. i feel like a kpop hag (i am, but like, ykwim) blabbering on and on about music quality. some days you get the sense in the kpop sphere you should just sit there and eat your damn food no matter what. that like as long as you find someone hot, all this mediocrity is fine. but like... i can't live like this! i'm so sorry!
oooooo i would LOVE to read a piece/your list/thoughts about that whenever you publish it!! i AM pinkblood by circumstance, i can't help it...