Review

Song Review: Weeekly – Tag Me

2020 has been flush with girl group debuts. The problem is, most of them have emerged from smaller companies and fallen under the radar. Weeekly’s debut has been anticipated for some time thanks to various members’ participation in 2018’s MIXNINE. Their song Tag Me (@Me) borrows from the impossibly peppy, upbeat girl group trends of the moment, but is smart to enlist the help of promising, up-and-coming production team CODE9.

CODE9 were also responsible for Rocket Punch’s Bouncy earlier in the year, and Tag Me’s unflagging energy reminds me a lot of that song. The big difference here is the instrumental’s prominent use of guitar. I’m a major sucker for the Mickey-esque cheerleader beat that kicks off the track. The fact that it’s laced with surf guitar is just icing on the cake, and it’s enough to steal attention away from the chirpy – but forgettable – melody that it supports.

Unfortunately, Tag Me does not have a chorus on par with Bouncy. It’s nice, but feels inessential when stacked against the song’s stronger elements. However, the chanted post-chorus hook provides a memorable calling card. I’m not usually one for these hyper-caffeinated chants in girl group tracks, but the energy matches Tag Me’s ebullient beat. This in-your-face spirit makes what comes next even more disappointing. Like the vast majority of post-Bboom Bboom title tracks, Tag Me collapses into an awful post-chorus trap breakdown that completely upends the goodwill the production has been building. It doesn’t last long, but it’s an unwelcome reminder that we’re still lodged within this copy-and-paste era of K-pop. Even so, Tag Me has more pluses than minuses and should launch this group on solid footing.

 Hooks 8
 Production 9
 Longevity 8
 Bias 8
 RATING 8.25

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10 thoughts on “Song Review: Weeekly – Tag Me

  1. Oh my goodness, do they ever stop to breathe and come up for air? I might like this song more if I hadn’t listened to “bouncy bounce” a lot in February, back when I actually had a commute. I dont know why agencies do this: Produce songs from the same songwriter that sounds just like another one but 4 months later, and think this one will have a different fate in the market place. This one will be better, sure! Especially for these little groups. I could see mimicking the big girl groups, but for a whole swath of tiny girl groups to mimic each other, what is the point?

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  2. Guessing the chart “CAREER ROADMAP” in Weeekly business plan Power Point state as follows:

    – Debut track = chewing gum cheerleader summer pop
    – Follow up = cheesy girls on film bikini reggaeton
    – 3rd Comeback = generic “good girl gone bad” EDM bully trap
    – Last digital single before disbandment = nostalgic OST soundalike EMO ballad.

    Tag it!

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  3. this is really great! i love the desk-choreography and their cute concept sets them apart from the girl crush and dark driven scene this year.

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  4. Yeah, it’s pretty hard to ignore the similarities to Bouncy, but I think there’s just enough different to let this stand on its own. Bouncy’s a great song, and this doesn’t do anything significantly worse, so… I guess I think it’s also a great song!

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  5. I’m a little bit late but it’s pretty fun that in the b side Universe, they used the same sample we heard in Secret Number- Who Dis, DONKIZ – Lupin and MONT – Rock Paper Scissors.

    I wonder where this comes from but that’s the fourth time we hear it for a rookie group in a year

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    • I might be very late to this but have to tried Weeekly’s Hello? It’s a b-side I really like and I want to see your take on it, no matter how brutal it gets. Ahahaha.

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