When I think about 2PM’s Wooyoung as a soloist, I hear bright, funky rhythms and a carefree sort of delivery that feels playful and not overly choreographed. This perception — true or not — makes the acoustic strum of Quit (뚝) feel like quite a surprise. And within the context of his new album, which mostly sticks to the throwback dance sound we heard from pre-release Going Going, it’s an odd promotional choice. But then again, this is k-pop’s ballad-heavy wintertime.

It’s hard to imagine a song more innocuous than Quit. It feels like the kind of thing that would come from the corner of a small town coffeehouse, performed quietly enough as not to disturb patrons’ conversations. And even as I write this description, I realize that I should absolutely hate the track. But that’s where that innocuous quality comes in. It’s got such an ingratiating, campfire sing-along hook — so simple a kindergartner could learn it. This repetition makes Quit a bit of a throwaway — but in between trendy, bombastic comebacks from other artists, it’s also a palette cleanser.

Maybe it’s the 90’s kid in me talking, but the choice to arrange the song using acoustic guitar almost exclusively has the effect of throwing back to a simpler time. It helps that Wooyoung has never sounded better, transforming his limited range into an asset through a melody that forgoes ambition in favor of timelessness. Is this what I want from him in the future? Absolutely not. There are far more ear-catching dance tracks on the album. But as coffeehouse material goes, this one gets it right.

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