Review

Song Review: DKB – Sorry Mama

Brave Sound’s new boy group has been teased for some time, but now DKB are officially upon us. Unlike last year, 2020 hasn’t seen all that many notable debuts so far. Brave Brothers’ cache isn’t what it once was, but he’s still a producer with name recognition who can churn out reliably solid hits. Debut single Sorry Mama (미안해 엄마) doesn’t feature many of his trademarks, opting for a heavier hip hop style instead of the retro flair that often fuels his music.

This is already a K-pop sub-genre flush with competition, and a song like Sorry Mama doesn’t really do DKB any favors. While there are a few notable quirks, the bulk of the track plays exactly like you’d expect from one of these boisterous EDM/trap mash-ups. Its verses and pre-chorus are completely skippable, hinging on swaggy hip-hop and barely-formed melody. This would be alright if the instrumental was a little more engaging, but it’s both noisy and plodding. Groups like ATEEZ know how to take these elements and forge them into dynamic arrangements. Sorry Mama gets lost within the maelstrom of its own production.

A ray of light shines at both ends of the track and parts of the chorus, when a compelling female vocal overtakes this chaos to deliver a shot of drama. After J-Hope’s Ego yesterday, this is the second K-pop song in a row to utilize this kind of vocal texture, and I’m loving it. But, it doesn’t bode well for DKB that the best thing about their track is a vocalist completely disconnected from them. Without her, Sorry Mama is an unappealing hissy-fit of a song.

 Hooks 6
 Production 7
 Longevity 7
 Bias 6
 RATING 6.5

Be sure to add your own rating by participating in the poll below!

9 thoughts on “Song Review: DKB – Sorry Mama

  1. Basic kpop. The female vocal made me perk up, briefly. They should all add more of that, because so far it is underused!
    Speaking of which, KARD also has a comeback soon.

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  2. Music quality aside, why are so many groups debuting with these completely generic three-to-four-letter names recently….DKB….MCND…TST….TXT…CIX…ANS….even ONF (still kinda miffed at WM for not just sticking with “ON/OFF”). Did the inspiration well for group names run dry or do these companies really think emulating BTS-esque acronyms will help their brands stick out? Hmm.

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    • It’s always been in thing in KPOP: JYJ, KARA, AOA, TVXQ, VIXX, BTOB, EXO, 2NE1, B.A.P, 2PM, B1A4, ZE:A etc…. all came before BTS was even around. This has nothing to do with BTS, it’s just a KPOP thing.

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  3. I’m giving DKB a second,third,fourth look and listen for smiles an’ giggles, if nothing else. Musically I’m on the fence, only because I have my fair share
    of groups I already pay close attention to.Ima leave a critical opinion for a later comment.

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  4. 6.5/10 was extremely generous
    I understand why you gave it that rating but I had other plans
    I would give it a 4/10
    I would describe it as an utter and complete waste of my 3 minutes
    but there were some good shots in the MV and the choreo wasn’t bad

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  5. GENERIC! This song would be great if the lyrics were worked on and the melody simplified. I could imagine that if this song was repurposed and rearranged for a duet or feature song with the female presence increasing to the entire song it would be amazing something alike loco hwasa song don’t. The chorus is pretty catchy. “I’M SORRY MRS. Jackson” type of theme would have worked with this song, but in reverse e.g. “im sorry mom, i didn’t listen to you and now i’m in pain:” this is when a guy doesn’t heed his moms warnings to stay away from the femme fatale that in turn has broken his heart.

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  6. I am in love with this song. I found about this group by my friend, and decided to listen to “Sorry Mama” because why not? It is really catchy to me, and if I’m being super honest with you, like any other kpop song, besides REALLY DEEP MEANING songs, I do not pay attention to translations or the lyrics. I tend to lean toward the beat and if it is catchy or not, and choreography. I’m hooked with “Sorry Mama”.. I am so surprised some people don’t like it! (No shade by the way, I’m genuinely surprised. I thought they were very underrated. 1M+ views only?) In the end, I understand your guys’ opinions, I can see why it’s not really a special song. I just can’t stop singing in my head “mianhae eomma, eomma”. It is pretty repetitive, but I’m into it.

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