Brave Girls appear once in a blue moon, descending upon the K-pop industry like an immortal, unending force. Much to our delight, they deliver a little pop truffle before disappearing once more — a mythical entity that may not return until years later.
This fiction vastly overstates their impact on the K-pop market, but I’m continually shocked by their longevity. As Brave Sound’s flagship group, they’re more “brand” than artist, with multiple member changes bearing that out. But if you’re going to be a vessel for the whims of a producer, there are worse maestros than Brave Brothers. Once a king of K-pop releases, his music is rarely heard these days. We’ve had to settle for a few underwhelming efforts from rookie boy group DKB. Brave Girls’ material can be hit-or-miss, but it always feels like Brave Brothers unfiltered. And, with “retro” becoming a buzzword this year, it’s the perfect time for his synth-heavy sound to make a resurgence.
New single We Ride (운전만해) tackles the popular city pop genre. It’s a slavish re-creation of the sound, more so that Sunmi’s peppier (and excellent) Pporappippam earlier this summer. And, that approach is both its calling card and restraint. At its most forgettable, city pop dulls many of a song’s edges in favor of a straightforward, subdued bop. This is the case with We Ride, which delivers a vibe but skimps on dynamic peaks and valleys. The track is a head-nodder, pulsing along a percolating groove with accents of synth strings adding atmosphere. It’s not unlike much of the material on Yukika’s recent album, though she was able to conjure more engaging hooks. In contrast, We Ride is breezy, undemanding fun — perfect for a lazy summertime drive.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
It was not a good idea to drink water while reading the first para of the review.
I have been coughing for the last five minutes… But honestly tho I don’t remember this group at all.
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Check out their Rollin, it is great!
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I did and they are good. The choreography is interesting too and they have good stage presence.
Someone said that they went through change of members over the years but this lineup seems finalized so wishing them all the best.
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Pleasant, in a pleasant way.
We will hear from Brave Girls again. They will return next year with a remix of this very song with punchier percussion. Speaking as someone who only first heard them with “Rollin” the original, which was in not infrequent rotation that year.
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this comment aged well
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While everyone complains about blackpink and Sunmi’s lack of singles, Brave Girls have existed since the 2nd gen…
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it’s very similar to Yukika’s NEON, with some bravesound vocal touches and a girl groupish upbeat rendition https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67jSYCSrnE4
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Yes, yes, yes it’s happening. City pop is sinking its teeth into kpop and goddamn if this continues to be a trend I am HERE for it. The song itself is a little forgettable(as most city pop songs tend to be on the first few listens) but it’s an enjoyable listen. This song is one that’s really easy to listen to and it makes the whole experience much more enjoyable when you can let the song roll over you without being thrown around all the time. I’m a little tired of having to put in the energy to keep up with crazy all over the place songs(though sometimes those songs are great and fun and energizing and looking at my playlist are mostly what I listen to) and sometimes it’s nice to just ease into a song without actively trying to hold on for dear life. It’s a bop and I give it a solid 8 if not an 8.5
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