LOONA’s relatively long hiatuses make each comeback feel like an event. And, this time their title track is even more momentous. It’s their first full-group release since 2019. Leader Haseul is back, and the Bollywood-esque PTT (Paint The Town) welcomes her with aplomb. But, like so many K-pop singles this year, the song suffers from familiar setbacks.
Paint The Town opens incredibly strong, unveiling a dynamic verse. I love the use of percussion here. It would have been easy to replace these sounds with familiar blasts of distorted brass, but the use of tabla drums gives the instrumental a bit of character. Taken alongside Indian flute, you could certainly make an argument for appropriation. But, the collage of instruments works well for the song. Heavy thuds of percussion punctuate the verse, lending it a sense of drama while anchoring the melody line. And though the instrumental becomes more conventional during the pre-chorus, its build is quite satisfying.
Unfortunately, Paint The Town doesn’t know what to do for its chorus. So, it gets lazy. The melody droops into a forgettable chant, tethered to a tropey “la ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta.” It feels very much like a placeholder, and stops the song’s energy in its tracks. The instrumental also pulls back, going hard but slowing down. It doesn’t really jibe with the rest of the track, making Paint The Town feel scattershot. A post-chorus refrain salvages some of the momentum, but the damage has already been done. It’s a shame, because there’s so much to love about this track. I mean, that explosive bridge? Wow. But, I’m getting more and more exhausted with K-pop releases that are only enjoyable in fits and starts. I wish producers could write a fantastic song that remains fantastic all the way through.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Yeah I think the song is more interesting than the usual girl crush track and I enjoy it a lot, but the commitment to these kinds of sounds does the girls no favors! In my opinion, LOONA really excel when they tackle more sophisticated, subtle songs, such as last era’s Voice/Star or this era’s WOW…
I hope this closes some kind of So What-Why Not?-PTT trilogy so they can come back with something new.
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Ah Loona. Loona is back. Are the Stan Loona Stan Talent comment spamming kids still around too, or have they moved onto to other newer groups?
This sounds so few years ago, so very circa 2019 G-idle, when we all were falling out of love with them too. As you say, it begins well. For me, its the prechorus when it starts to fall into the expected pattern that doesn’t do much for me.
Is it an Indian flute instrument, or that Korean gugak horn that sounds like a tin horn to me? Taepyeongso. I just looked that name up.
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Honestly, even I didn’t think that sounds like an Indian influence. I haven’t heard any bollywood song in years though……So I really can’t judge. I think 108 can differentiate, that guy is an expert on these type of stuff.
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Thanks Yan!
Now, into a full-instrumental breakdown.
So, there is no one ‘Indian Flute’. There are several, the three most famous ones are the Bansuri, Nadaswaram, and Been. Of those, the Bansuri is the oldest, and the most traditional one. Unfortunately, it never really made it into Bollywood, and thus the instrument is less known internationally. That is a shame, because it truly is elegant and gorgeous, and in Indian culture, arguably the most important instrument. This, however, certainly is not a Bansuri.
‘https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9cefe-xD04
Next, we have the Nadaswaram. It is especially prevalent in South India in religious festivals. It sounds closer to this PTT instrument, but I don’t think it is it.
‘https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=509NqwF7I30
Then, we have the Been. The Been has traditionally been used by Snake Charmers, and gained major recognition in India after the Nagin theme, which basically in some form or another, gets adapted into a Bollywood musical each year.
‘https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho-wWNawY7E
‘https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LROZ22_MP0
I think it could be a Been, but even if it is, it is played like a Taepyeongso. Thus, it is hard to tell which of the two it is. Either way, it is played in a distinctly non-Indian way.
The Tabla is actually a much more recent Indian instrument. It came out in the middle ages, as a merger of the much older Indian Dholak (from pre-history), and more recent Persian influences. You can tell it is a sample, as it is somewhat repetitive. Typical Tabla playing involves a simple theme and building on it with variations. Also, the Tabla is most often played in improvisation, with call-and-responses with other instruments.
‘https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2K0ptoYpuc
‘https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_onrVdq9no
I am of Indian ancestry, and I would not call this cultural appropriation, as they did not necessarily do anything wrong with the music. However, it clearly was done to add a sort of ‘jungle’ vibe. I can understand that it certainly works. But if one wants to know how India truly sounds, starting with my last two links might be a good place to start.
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Thank you for this!!
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Another thought about it I am curious: the “appropriation” front of Indian-ish music resort to Phrygian / Lydian dominant scale a lot, when in fact a lot of traditional Indian scales are more variations of harmonic minor?
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For the most part true. However, traditional Indian music uses a whole lot of scales, not just harmonic minors. I think I have heard a few Lydians in Indian classical, but I am not too good at recognizing scales, unfortunately. Depending on the region, major scales also are quite common. Also, a lot of appropriated pieces tend to use Persian and Egyptian scales.
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The official description says “Indian flute,” so that’s what I went with. If anyone has more specific information, I’d love to know!
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My reply to Yan’s comment above has a more in-depth rant on the subject. I think rather than ‘Indian flute’, which is kind of wrong (that more often than not refers to a Bansuri), Been or something like that might work.
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It sounds more like a been. A nadaswaram has a more nasal sound. The drums just sound like bass enhanced tabla. Being an Indian myself, I wouldn’t deem this cultural appropriation though. In fact, some of the outfits even resembled the native Americans. I understand they were going for the sophisticated yet tough look.
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The fact that you had to put (G)I-DLE in here was unnecessary, Everything that you call cultural appropriation of them has been explained and you all still refuse to admit it. And no one is falling out of love for them, infact they are still achieving things as group, no matter how much yall hate on them, forgetting that their humans too. You all just love to hate huh, I just think to myself how the members are still alive after all the crap you poured onto them as if everything they did was their choice. Anyways Yah Loona’s song isn’t that bad, I mean they could work on the instruments though just as you mentioned.
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So here is the thing about the Taepyeongso: it looks like a tin horn, like the one my great-grandma used to have up on the shelf, like this ‘https://www.pinterest.com/pin/26317979042679875/ and who knows which cousin has it now. The nicest fanciest tin horn you’ve ever seen. But it has a double reed inside and fingering holes so it is really it is closer to an oboe. A horny oboe. So listening more closely, its like an oboe got together with the metallic resonance of a tin horn to make that sound. You gotta watch out for those oboe players. Its always the quiet ones you don’t expect.
But here is the kicker. Once upon a time there used to be custom real river reeds made for the instrument, but these days apparently most players use pieces of plastic drinking straws as “reeds” like one can use wax paper in a kazoos so maybe that explains something.
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‘https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oau9gtG5Om8
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That bullying scandal is really hitting you guys hard, huh?
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Where did you come from?, I wasn’t even talking to you to begin with. And no the bullying scandal isn’t hitting us hard at all. In fact one of your members in loona was also involved in one. So rather comming at me look at your groups background at first.
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If anything most of LOONA post LSM news is more of a “SM appropriation” (doesn’t mean SM is actually that original), with all the very tried and true music materials without the underlying very dumb and silly stuff.
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As an Indian, I am not offended by this at all. I think I am only offended by this when the other side is mocking us, Otherwise I am alright with it.
And Honestly, I can see a really good song here! Every part here is a knock-off and a good example of girl crush done right! I love the instrumental and the influences used here and I really love the build-up. But then…Chorus…Look, I could see “la ta ta ta ta” hook being used for something stronger, Loona have enough charisma to deliver it, and It could have been an absolute behemoth. I am talking about those incredible, attitude-driven 2NE1 singles. It really could’ve been killer, but then the energy stops and the instrumental pulls back at that time. It really feels like a wasted opportunity, but oh well, I’ll just have to get used to it.
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this song is definitely not for me. it is not memorable and does not correspond to the concept of the group, i always liked their bisides more than the title. a strong 7 for me
(most likely my favorite song on the album will be “dance on my own”)
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Didn’t like a single second of this. I think I either said this before on here but I want to like LOONA since I liked all their predebut songs, but have not liked any of their stuff since debut. I still check out every release waiting for them to finally click but it just never happens.
My problem with them is exactly the same as what I said about Wei the other week. No identity. Their (last 3 in particular) songs sound like other groups, in this instance I couldn’t stop thinking of Everglow. It just makes me sad.
Even if I didn’t like Hi-High, I now retroactively at least think it was a much better concept for them than what is going on now. They don’t even suit the Everglow/ITZY/Blackpink sound at all. I didn’t expect LOONA to become so trend chase-y after they marketed themselves as an interesting project to begin with.
Like what’s going on? Is it just another case of a group having to abandon their roots and ride tropes just to get noticed? Is it cos they lost Jaden Jeong and now don’t know how to handle them conceptually? There’s a big potential here that the company is not tapping into and I just don’t get WHY.
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I heavily agree with Nick here. There’s bits of this song that I really like or that I think have potential but the energy just fizzes out when it gets to the chorus.
THE GOOD:
– Use of African-inspired instrumental doesn’t necessarily lead to cultural appropriation although it certainly can (and I’m sure their outfits will lead to a lot of conjecture / possible dragging, it also depends on the choreo). But I think this is a cool way to open a song. Reminds me of BTS’s IDOL.
– The pre-chorus, as you say, builds the energy really well.
– The MV incorporates a lot of elements of the pre-established loonaverse lore and predebut stuff/subunits which I know a lot of fans had been waiting to see.
– The song is catchy! Even though I dislike the chorus, it’s certainly stuck in my head. We about to paint the town, latatatatatata. The drum beat especially has sticking power.
THE BAD
– Chorus is just so boring, as you’ve said. Song feels like it starts off interestingly but peters out at the chorus and doesn’t really go anywhere from there.
– I also echo your opinion that the song feels scattershot. A lot of different elements mashed together, some of them cool and some of them a total non-starter. Ends up feeling undercooked somewhat. Or overcooked?
– The MV, in turn, feels somewhat scattershot as well. There is A LOT going on!!! They’ve got the predebut subunit concepts, some of the representative animals, some new story elements I guess that they’re introducing all in the under 4-minute runtime. It’s just a lot to understand. Feels bloated, like some of those Kingdom performances, you know? I would have appreciated a clearer throughline, I guess.
CAVEAT: I really disliked “Why Not” at first listen, and now I really like it a full year later, I’ve made a full 180. So I think Loona tracks have potential to grow on me a lot. I really like the group as a whole and I’ve adored a lot of their b-sides and predebut stuff, so I’m always hoping their title tracks will wow me at first listen and unfortunately that’s rarely the case. I think the only ones I liked immediately were Hi High/Favorite(if that counts?) and So What. Then again I suppose they haven’t been that prolific, so 2/5 ain’t that bad 😭……
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Oh, I can’t believe I forgot to say this in my goddamn novel-length comment, but one of my first thoughts was that this reminded me of Everglow’s “First.” Which is a very, very bad thing. But it didn’t make me immediately homicidal like “First” did so maybe that ended up being a point in its favor.
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the instrumental is bollywood inspired… i hate white people
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Well, that’s my mistake but the gist of my comment is more or less the same regardless of which culture it is… and I don’t think it’s such a crazy mistake to make considering the hodge-podge of different cultures that seem to have inspired various looks in the MV. Google confirms that it’s Indian flute + tabla, but the visual presentation of the song did not feel especially Bollywood to me, so I didn’t come away with that impression distinctly. I mean it’s not like I looked at an actual Bollywood song and said “gee, it’s just like in Africa!” lol. To me it just sounds like K-pop Doing Something ~Exotic~, not like the actual source material itself…
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I’ve also run into this mistake before and I learned a lot through this thread! But saying it’s an “African” instrument leaves a lot of room for vagueness 😦 Just to clarify did you mean Northern Africa?
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Yeah, maybe I should have been more specific, but I think the vagueness was somewhat intentional on my part, as I felt the track itself doesn’t really have a clear intention or obvious influence/roots. I do not think it actually sounds like anything in particular, you know? We have that press release from BBC which is itself rather vague with the reference to “Indian flute” and “Bollywood” which doesn’t seem entirely accurate anyway. It feels to me like BBC grasped at various things that felt looked cool and put them together for this comeback, and so they ended up with something that doesn’t feel like a representation of any culture in particular. It’s not “cultural appropriation” in the common sense, which I feel is usually reductive these days anyway, but it is… something that I wish we could talk about without becoming completely reactionary I guess?
I think that incorporating elements of another culture is fine on its face, and I don’t see this as necessarily disrespectful, but I also don’t see it as cultural “tribute” because it doesn’t seem to represent anything real.
Forgive me for this comparison because you know I’m ARMY lol, and for the record IDOL is not at all my favorite BTS song, but.
“Yonhap reported, “The song is electronic dance music in the style of South African dance music. The African beats are layered with traditional Korean rhythms, as well as the pounding of a Korean folk percussion instrument used in the performance of traditional Korean farmers’ ensemble.[14] Rolling Stone India said, “According to the group’s label Big Hit Entertainment, “Idol” was inspired by gqom, a style of house music that originated in Durban, South Africa. Gqom combines powerful traditional thumping drum with bass and house synths in a balance between tradition and trend.” adding, “The track’s blend of Korean instruments like the gakgung (the Korean horn-bow which explains the shehnai-like sounds) with African rhythms, trap rap and electronica contribute to expanding its culturally rich, diverse, global sound.”
So Bighit named a particular style of music as well as a particular music and gave a case for its inclusion in this song. And it’s not mentioned above but the MV also had the boys wearing Ankara-type fabrics as well as nods to several dances from regions throughout Africa in the choreo. It felt like a more coherent cultural pastiche, in other words. And the cool thing about this all was that if you were a kpop fan who didn’t know anything about these various elements of African cultures, then you could actually learn something from the background info here, which I think I can say pretty confidently is not the case with PTT….
I think it would possible and maybe very cool to bring out these specifics of Indian culture(s) as well, but it’s possible that BBC was actually afraid to go all the way with that because they didn’t want to be accused of appropriation… in many ways this discourse is a snake eating its own tail.
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Well, this seems like an extreme reaction. How about we try not to “hate” anyone, here? At the very least, let’s try not to generalize a whole group of people. We can all learn from each other and we all make mistakes…
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Thank you for the civil reply Nick. If someone gave a generalization like that on my blog, I would probably rant it off angrily. I think a point that many people do not realize is that generalizing one group as generalizers is still generalizing, and wrong.
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Nuance is a lost art in today’s world…
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I don’t mind it personally, as I feel it’s fair for oppressed groups to say whatever they like about their oppressors, in general. But I was surprised to see that sort of reaction to my comment on this song. Judging by other comments here, it seems like we are pretty much in accord that this doesn’t actually sound like Bollywood all that much, so it’s an easy mistake to make. Perhaps BBC was going for Bollywood and didn’t quite hit the mark. In other words forgive me if I’m an American person hearing an Indian flute being played in a Korean style and my first thought is not “Bollywood!!!!” lol.
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Most definitely fair and understandable, if that’s indeed what was going on (hard to tell on the internet!).
But, I’m not sure it accomplishes anything in the long-term, especially if the OP’s intent was not willfully negative.
These days, it just feels like everyone jumps to conclusions about everything immediately without any room for the kind of discussion that helps to lessen ignorance, improve communication and find common ground.
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African-inspired??? Girl, what are you smoking???
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Honestly it’s probably fair to say I was half listening to this song because I really did not like it lol
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Y’all really think all brown people are the same 😭
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brown people music***
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black and brown people***
Tf is wrong with me today
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what am *I* smoking?
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(We could be considered brown i guess? but I guess its better used for the Indians and Pakistanis and allP
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The joys of deleting comments
Damn if only I used a real email address
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For whatever reason your reply to my old comment wasnt showing up and my replies are showing they were posted today? Weird
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I just wanna make it clear I didnt see your reply so sorry if I sounded rude
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Um, no problem I guess. I mean it’s been like 2 years and all lol
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I actually love this, it’s so enjoyable and the instrumental is neat (besides the paint the town ratatata part…ugh) but I don’t like that LOONA’s latest works sound so different. Like it doesn’t have the charm in the production like their pre-So What stuff anymore (think Eclipse, Egoist, Favorite, Butterfly etc etc). 8/10 for me. If the chorus is a proper one I would actually rate it a 9.
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Also, I wish the ending (the “nananana”) is longer, or even have it replace the “latatata” chorus.
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I was really enjoying this until the chorus, which felt like a lead weight dragging the whole song down to the bottom of the sea. There’s something so unpleasant about that chorus.
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I feel like the energy in the chorus felt like it was depleting instead of steadily going along with the song. So What and Why Not didn’t have a problem with that so I was sad to see that PTT had this problem
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Unpleasant is right. I don’t mind if something is trendy or derivative if it’s enjoyable, but something about that chorus just hit a sour note for me.
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I just can´t seem to enjoy it cause i want the “real” loona sound no the “let´s copy itzy and everglow” sound. I hate this path and i won´t stop saying it. This just feel hollow and complete waist of many of the girls potential. Also, with this kind of sound it´s so painfully obvious this is an overcrowed group, i don´t get why some of the girls are part of this group.
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Ok, so i´m obviously gonna listen to the b-sides and so far, i like it. It sounds like Loona and all the girls´voices shine. The MV and the quality of everything is so good, but the title track is a no. It has some nice moments, like things i would love listening in another song…that wasted potential is what pisses me of the most.
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Loona who? I thought this was Everglow. The problem is I really like this song but it would never be something I listen to casually. It’s not a bad song, I’d probably even give it an 8 and I could see myself revisiting it (though there’s a slim chance it’s getting a spot on my playlist) but I don’t want a song like this from Loona. It’s sad to say but they really peaked with their pre-debut rollout and it’s all been downhill since So What (lets be honest it’s been downhill since they’re 2019 hiatus and Haseul taking a break). I really wish they had stuck with that more whimsical and light style (maybe something like what WJSN was doing a few years back). Like Butterfly was such an elegant concept that we’re sorely lacking in the industry currently and it would have been fantastic if they had made that their calling card. But no we get Everglow 2.0 because BBC can’t manage a group for shit. It’s honestly shocking to see the rapid decrease in quality from the solos to the full group’s actual releases.
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*Reads the review and all the comments.*
*Coalesces thoughts / distills result / absorbs / composes self*
*Ahem* Umm, I need to take a break from this site and sharing my thoughts. Later, all…
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As many comments have also said, I also feel like this is a song that belongs to another group, maybe CLC could’ve released this or Everglow, even Pixy, but it doesn’t feel very Loona. Even less than So What or Why Not did. I wish they could do something like Butterfly again and it’s kinda sad when a group you like sounds like something that another groups could’ve released. I’ll be sticking to former singles till then.
About the album, WOW reminds me a lot of Wow Thing and Be Honest sounds Red Velvet-ish. None of this is bad per say, and the tracks are good. I just wish they sounded like Loona.
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Oh, hard agree re: WOW vs. wow thing. It borders on plagiarism. I guess nobody’s really going to make a stink about it because wow thing was for a one-time collab project group, but I bet there’s a songwriter out there who wants some coins from this.
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Personally, I really enjoyed this track and I would say this is my favorite title track among their group tracks.
I feel like the chorus might be a bit lackluster, but the verses and the prechorus are too good, that it makes out for the initial hook. However, I think the post-chorus was alot more engaging than the ‘la-ta-ta’ chants, which makes the chorus somehow great. The bridge is absolutely on another level also.
I’m also glad that BBC switched up things and I think there was an increase in quality in terms of the title track (comparing to So What and Why Not, which I love, but they easily worn out). The only thing I want to point out would be the line distribution that really needs to be improved. Overall, it would be a fair 8.5 for me.
On the other hand, the b-side tracks are what amazed me. Wow is brilliant and Dance on my Own is really good also. I hope you’ll find a buried treasure in this EP.
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Dance On My Own feels like a Fifth Harmony/Little Mix track from 2015 and I’m so glad to her that kind of sound in a kpop bside!
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Oh yeah, it was giving me Ariana Grande.
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The chorus ruined what’s otherwise a solid song. It might grow, but it’s still very generic. Loona is capable of much better 😦
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Can I just tell one thing to people here: Indian music does not equal Bollywood. There is the classical Indian music scene, as well as Kollywood, Tollywood, the Indo-Pakistani pop scene, and much more. I don’t mean to sound rude, but it kind of is generalizing like saying all Western music is hip-hop.
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Okay, re-read this, it does sound a bit rude. Sorry if it did, but I think my point still stands. I guess I am just a bit frustrated with the overall generalization of various international music scenes.
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Not rude at all! For my part, I took the “Bollywood” label from an official description of the song (same with “Indian flute”), but I totally understand that there’s a whole lot of nuance that’s missing from generalizations like that.
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Yeah, I realized it. I guess Blockberry was generalizing a bit, maybe to sound more party-ish or something?
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Or perhaps a more accurate comparison is saying all Korean music is k-pop! (Something that literally happens all the time unfortunately.)
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Okay, since you brought this up, I’ve been dying to know if there’s any sort of consensus out there as to when it’s okay to call something kpop. I get that “kpop” is sometimes reduced to just “idols”, so is it okay to call anything an idol does kpop? And if so, how can you tell who’s an idol and who isn’t? I recently saw someone say that Jessi isn’t an idol, for example, which I didn’t understand at all. Sticking just to P-Nation, Hyuna is definitely an idol, right? Is Dawn?
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Well I don’t really feel like I’m any sort of expert on this, but I would think that if we break it down to its essential elements, kpop is Korean pop music, right? Pop music is itself a very broad category that covers a lot of ground; there is a huge variety of styles of Korean music reviewed on this site, but virtually all of it falls under the umbrella of pop.
I think it’s fair to say that all “idol music” is “kpop,” but not everything that a kpop idol does is necessarily “idol music.” Thinking in Western terms, Rihanna is a pop musician, but if she decided to put out an experimental prog rock record, that wouldn’t be pop music just because it’s coming from her.
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That’s fair. Some folks seem to get really mad about it so I was wondering if there was something I was missing, but I guess it’s just people getting mad on the internet.
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Not to say that people shouldn’t be more careful about labeling things accurately, more that people getting mad about marginal cases (like Jessi) is probably not anything to worry about.
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I think Loona is one of those groups that I like more in theory than in practice. I liked a lot of their predebut stuff, I think they have a lot of talent, and I always find myself looking forward to their comebacks- but I haven’t actually liked a single one of their title tracks (I did like Voice/Star though and wish they went with that as a title instead).
I think I keep hoping that will change and they’ll release my new favorite song, but that hasn’t happened yet and this release didn’t change that. I totally agree that the song starts out more promising and the chorus totally throws it out the window. Also agree with everyone else here that this song seems like an Everglow knock off, and not in a good way. Even the styling and outfits feel Everglow-y…
On the positive, I do think the girls performed this really well and that their vocals stuck out to me a little more than in their past few title tracks. I haven’t listened to any of the b-sides yet but my fingers are crossed that I’ll like some of them more!
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I’m with you on this. I liked a lot of their pre-debut stuff. Yves’ New is still up there on my list of best songs over the past few years, and OEC had a great EP. It’s almost bizarre that they managed to give every subunit more personality and a distinct sound but can’t do it for the full group. I don’t think it would be a terrible idea for them to resurrect the subunits for a while until they figure out the direction they want to go with the group as a whole.
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Yves hinted in their AMA that we might be hearing more from the subunits, so fingers crossed….
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Yes, New is great! And I agree that the subunits and solos had way more personality, and even the tracks from pre-debut that I didn’t care for were at least unique and not generic and completely trend-driven…I also like the idea of resurrecting the subunits! I wonder if part of the issue is that there are just too many members with different strengths/styles that they are struggling to find what works for all of them…but then again, other large K-Pop groups have made it work before, so maybe that isn’t a valid excuse.
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Usually when bigger groups thrive, there is more of an emphasis on them being a unit… with groups like Twice or IZ*ONE or really any of the larger groups back to SNSD, they definitely rely more on portraying a united front rather than a group of individuals that happen to be performing together (like BP or RV). It’s only really late in the careers of larger groups, usually getting close to contract renewals, that they start doing more publicized individual projects. LOONA has gone about it the complete opposite way, so in some ways I’m not surprised there isn’t a struggle. All of their pre-debut material gave you a little of everything, so if you didn’t find even just one of their tracks good, you were more the odd one out just due to the quantity and breadth of it all lol. Now they are trying to mash all of that into a single product, and it’s like trying to stick a genie back in the bottle. People have already decided on what they like from the group, it’s just a matter of being willing to wait to see if it ever happens again… and k-pop isn’t exactly known for its minimalist take on the music industry lol. If a group you are or were interested in stops putting out compelling material, chances are pretty high that you can or will eventually find another one that is doing something similar.
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I think I liked the supposed change in direction that is So What and Why Not more than most, and I could see this one growing for me too…but even though I was dreading a bad chorus I almost would have preferred a beat drop or short catchphrases than having “latatatatata” fill the space, that is one of my biggest pet peeves of a lazy chorus. Hoping the B-sides are better, just like how I loved Voice/Star and Universe from [12:00].
On another note, Haseul is back (yay!) but she gets nothing as well as Vivi and Gowon as per usual…it’s the billionth time someone has said this but why even bother with an extensive pre-debut project with all 12 of the members having a solo and smaller sub-units when you’re not even going to use them in the final group?
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I agree. I was disappointed but not surprised that Gowon and ViVi barely had any screen time and lines. Haseul killed all of her parts and it’s so relieving to see our dear leader back!
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Goddamnit Loona. If you’re gonna comeback once or twice a year, make it count. They were once one of the most exciting predebut groups, now all they do is chase bad trends three years too late.
I can’t believe the same group that gave us New and all those OEC classics hasn’t put out anything worth a damn (okay, except Star, and even that is more “very, very good B-side” than “modern classic”) since debut…
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I think they really excel with their B sides, I still like PTT but I think the rest of the album is actually really solid.
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the chorus sounds vaguely familiar to KARD’s gunshot
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I actually think it sounds a LOT like Gunshot. I’m actually surprised nobody else mentioned it, because the resemblance was almost bothering me.
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Haha I disliked Gunshot so much that I think I forced myself to forget how it sounded!
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Listening with this in mind I definitely hear the similarity in that first refrain of the chorus. Unlike PTT I do like Gunshot, I think because it maintains the same restrained sound throughout rather than bouncing all over the place. Plus I think the vaguely Latin sound works better than the vaguely whatever’s-going-on-here sound of PTT.
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A bit of a rollercoaster for me – I wasn’t sure about the into, but it sounded different and I love the weight of the percussion. Synth drums are becoming one of my biggest pet peeves in kpop. But that chorus… ug… The post-chorus almost saved it for me, until the chorus came around again and I did the thing where I check how much song is left and groan that we’re only 2/3rds of the way through. Like someone else said, I think I like Loona more in theory than in practice.
I’m quite liking the b-sides on this one, though. Like the into to PTT it sounds like real live instruments were used and the songs have a fuller sound because of it.
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Yeah, I was hoping for a more melodic chorus, but the “bollywood” influences wore me over. Sadly, I never thought LOONA would sound this trendy (at times, the song sounds like Everglow and tri.be mixed in a blender).
Anyways, imo this mini is the best piece of work the girls have put out since debut as a full group. Be honest gives me SNSD and RV vibes and WOW is such a fun new jack swing bop. Even the ballads in it are great! (and that’s pretty rare bc ballads sound like fillers most of the times in these kind of releases)
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It took a moment to get into it, but the beginning of the song was interesting and new. I was really starting to dig it. But then, the chorus. Y’all have said it well, that the song looses momentum and interest as soon as the chorus hits.
Really, what’s up with producers this year just failing us on the choruses this year? I hope the second half of the year can be pulled together!
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this song is definitely a grower for me… also i showed it to my pilates instructor and she played obsessively in the classes for a while lol
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I don’t hate it but its kinda boring ive heard a lot of bollywood music way more interesting than this
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I agree
I’m not Indian and haven’t seen too much Bollywood but I was hoping for a pussycat dolls Jai Ho moment
The traditional elements are nice but they try to modernize and make it some Bollywood trap remix and it just doesn’t work
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