Unpretty Rapstar has become the variety show that keeps on churning out hits over the past year or so. It’s rare to find a series so young, yet so able to create (or reconfigure) stars. To be honest, I never finished season two, though I have watched enough to know that Fiestar’s Yezi, with her breathless pace and effortless charisma, is a force to be reckoned with.

In the world of Unpretty-spawned songs, it’s almost impossible not to compare Cider to Jimin’s Puss. If there were any doubt of that, the familiar griminess of the thunderdome beat ensures we know that we’re treading similar ground. However, Cider feels like the twisted stepsister of Puss, with something to prove. It lacks the former’s WTF shock value of goody-two-shoes idol gone naughty, but it counters with a palpable sense of swagger and a hook that manages to be both disinterested and incredibly engaging.

The song is short, running just over three minutes, yet it makes use of some nice production touches that give it character. I love the chugging guitar added in the second verse, dropping out to a more emphasized beat. The final hook in the outro is also effective, if a bit overly done. And therein lies my only complaint. Cider is a very solid track, but follows a template we’ve seen more and more frequently over the past two years. It’s only missing that extra spark of originality to put it over the edge.