Stellar are back with their second title track of the year. They’ve been making great use of the makestar crowdfunding site, which presumably has allowed them the budget necessary to work with a producer of Brave Brothers’ caliber this time around. My ears perked up as soon as I heard his name, since he’s one of the few k-pop producers that practically guarantees a top-notch track.

Cry (펑펑울었어) is exactly that. No, it’s not going to change k-pop as we know it, nor is it quite as excellent as Stellar’s own Vibrato from last summer, but it’s hard not to get swept up in the sheer propulsive catchiness of the song. I’m always on the lookout for big, consistently uptempo beats this time of year. More and more nowadays, songs lurch forward and backward, slowing and speeding to establish build and tension. But there’s something to be said for a straight-up dance track that just never stops. From the moment Cry‘s high tempo kicks in, we’re on a consistent course to blissed-out pop bombast. The chorus itself isn’t nearly as cluttered as Brave Brothers’ productions can be, settling instead on heavy repetition and airy, sweeping vocals.

The only aspect that keeps Cry from being completely outstanding is its general lack of impact. Yes, it makes up for this through the perfect ease of its melody and tremendously addictive beat, but it never builds to any peaks that might have stood out and given the song more character. Nine Muses’ Hurt Locker from last year was a track in this same genre that built to some amazing vocal crescendos. I wish Cry would have pushed things just a bit harder, even once. That won’t stop me from playing the heck out of it this summer, but it would have ensured the track some added life once we head into the cooler seasons.