When CSR made their debut in the summer of 2022, I hoped they might inherit GFriend’s “powerful innocence” concept, releasing upbeat, melodic showcases that defied many current girl group trends. That first mini album is still their best. But as comebacks have become more infrequent, their sound has also started to shift. New single Pretty Mob is the most drastic change yet, casting them in a downbeat light.
I don’t understand what CSR’s team is trying to do here. I’m all for artists showing versatility, but this group is still trying to cement their fan base and discography. They had a musical lane almost all to themselves, and rather than capitalizing on that they’ve released a so-so track that sounds nothing like them. If you’re going to push against expectations like this, the song better be an undeniable standout.
Pretty Mob pulses along a subdued, almost haunting groove. There are moments of interest as rhythmic stabs give the production some kick. However, the instrumental doesn’t really go anywhere and the absence of a good top line hurts its overall appeal. There’s a surprising amount of rap in the track, ranging from passable to head-scratching. And to make matters even more confusing, the chorus seems to be asking for a “black ocean” — a term that isn’t exactly favorable in K-pop circles.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.5 |
Grade: C
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I was a bit… Lolygaged when I heard the comeback😁
This is not what I expected from them but it’s not bad!
It’s just way to Damn short and it’s just following western trends🙄
They pulled a yuehea switch on us😭
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Was the last attached link re: black ocean supposed to lead to your other Suju review today?
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lol no! I’m not sure how that could have happened. Fixed it now.
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Definitely a switch in concept where I’m not sure if it was necessary. It’s not bad but it doesn’t come close to their strongest works yet. And it’s so short!
The b-side HELLO is also rather short, but feels much more on brand, so I prefer it over the title track.
Anyways, their vocals shine as always. I really love their vocal colors. I just hope we’ll get another album in the quality of Sequence:7272 from them eventually.. it was actually my favorite album from 2022.
The wait for new music shouldn’t be long, they already announced to have a Japanese comeback soon.
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I don’t understand, is this their comeback??
What in the world….
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And then it ends. Less a completed song, more a concept, a mood board.
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Their company has ruined any momentum this group had at this point. Who’s idea was it to send half the girls to participate in Chuang Asia? They could have released their Japanese album alteady instead of participating in this show. They were also doing completely fine with their old sound. Why change it so drastically when sales kept rising with every comeback? Definitely agree with the rating; even if I do like the song, it’s not a great choice for a comeback. It’s sad, but expected that their first day sales are low.
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Happy to see them back, but this wasn’t how I wanted to see them. Reminds me of a pink during their pink revolution era, but with a ho hum song. They could totally pull this sound off, but I wished they built out the “white aegyo” part of their discography out even more. This feels like a rebrand
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