When I first started blogging – gosh, over fifteen years ago at this point – K-pop wasn’t even on my radar. Instead, I was enamored with this small movement of Swedish synth-rock groups. It’s a sound I’ve always had a strong pull towards, so when a Korean act dips their feet into the genre it’s like a match made in heaven. And that’s why I’ve chosen to write about 2Z’s Stupid today.
2Z debuted at the start of 2020, and have been a pretty steady presence on music shows since then. But, I feel like their name is unknown to most. This is a shame, because they’ve got a ton of potential. Stupid is one of two title tracks from their first full album – which largely compiles their work up to this point. O@SIS is also worth checking out, but like I said I have a penchant for the breezy synth-kissed rock that fuels Stupid.
This is not a complex song, but it benefits from its uncluttered nature. The hooks are simple and sharp, underlined by a driving rock beat and brushes of 80’s synth textures (and sax!). I just adore the instrumental. It surges in all the right moments, giving the track a sense of buoyancy that makes it perfect for the upcoming spring and summer. Similarly, Stupid’s melody wastes no time. Both the verses and chorus are stuffed with catchy turns, and even though the song might become a bit repetitive, it’s too good-natured to wear out its welcome. I never thought I’d be singing “I’m stupid, I’m… I’m… I’m stupid” with such a gleeful smile on my face, but here we are!
| Hooks | 9 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 9 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Allow me to bring this to attention!
When looking at Nick’s initial reviews up to this date.
2021 Has offered us 8 singles which go up to 9 Ratings.
Let’s see how other years have gone by compared to this:
2020: 3
2019: 3
2018: 5
2017: 4
2016: 5
This truly has been a very strong year!
(…or maybe it’s because Nick is more positive, I dunno but still!)
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Wow, that difference is pretty crazy to see! Definitely a stronger year so far, but I’ll fully admit that that’s subjective. It just so happens that K-pop’s current trends correspond with my own musical biases.
It’s also been a packed year so far. Just tons of releases all around…
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Now that you mention Alienhits and Swedish pop, I must mention how much I love ‘Take a Chance on Romance’ by Monicko and Paris, a fantastic song, I also always pair it with ‘The Right World’ for strong listening.
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Nick, would you consider doing a feature on non-kpop music, such as the Swedish synth rock, and other stuff you like outside of kpop and jpop?
I’m sure there would be some fine recommendations for us in such a feature.
Sorry in advance if you have done something like this already.
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Not on this site, but I have those kind of songs well-covered on my old blog. Apologies in advance for the lousy navigation and simple graphics. It was a different time!
http://alienhits.blogspot.com/
As far as newer music in these genres, I occasionally mention things on my twitter, but I don’t follow other music markets as closely as I used to.
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Nick, I saw your Robin Packalen tweet a month ago and I just have to say, it’s completely changed my life.
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Haha really? I’m a big fan of his music. I loved the older stuff he did in Finnish, but the new English-language music is surprisingly good too.
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If we’re talking 2z, which I thought we never would, because they’re super underground AFAIK, I’m very partial to “25” from them!
There’s really something about that synth-rapping and that intro instrumental that gets me.
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Thanks so much for reviewing this song! I feel like 2Z should be a lot more popular than they are, at least up to ONEWE level. They have the looks (most of them are former models) and are young and fresh. I feel like their sound is somewhat different after their rapper left, but they are still a promising idol band. I wish more people would check them out.
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What?! What the hell was that? An ACTUAL saxophone? Oh but then it disappears until the end. That is all OK, I will take it.
Of all the retro 80’s sounds, this one ranks right behind Day6 “Days Gone By” on my own short list for nailing the 80’s sound while still sounding contemporary.
That said, 9 is a bit high. Low to mid-8;’s for me. Its catchy but not super ridiculously crazy catchy to me.
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