After nearly a year away, the newly-debuted/rebranded Blackswan have returned with their second single. Given the constraints of their agency, this alone is a huge accomplishment. I often wonder how these mid-to-smaller agencies are making things work during the pandemic. As far as I know, in-person appearances account for much of an idol group’s revenue, and without a huge album-buying fanbase, funding for these smaller groups must be tight. Kudos to the girls for keeping at it.
You can definitely hear the strain in Close To You. The song comes across as generic, through no fault of Blackswan themselves. The production feels somewhat workaday, and the music video definitely cuts corners. Yet, I’m pleased to hear the song fully commit to its intentions. Rather than overstuff the instrumental, the club-ready beat is sleek and satisfying. Yes, we’ve heard this exact dancefloor thump a million times before, but the groove is given more room to breathe than most recent girl group tracks. I’m especially fond of the post-chorus refrain – probably because it reminds me of other dance songs I prefer.
Sadly, Close To You succumbs to a piecemeal approach that blunts its overall effectiveness. While the verses seem to promise one thing, the pre-chorus and chorus pull us into a different song entirely. Neither of these melodies hit with the force or catchiness I would have hoped, though the girls do what they can to make the segments spark. Close To You is a valiant effort, and stronger than you might expect. But, I much prefer last year’s Tonight.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Any opinions?
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Surprisingly good, thanks for reminding me BINI exists OTTOCAKE! I think I forgot about them after their Da Coconut cover.
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inb4 every single member leaves and dr music adds more instead of disbanding them
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Yeah I gotta agree with you here with this analysis. Tonight was a much stronger song and it appealed more to my tastes with that guitar, but this song definitely isn’t bad. It’s highly derivative, but I think that the girls did a good job with what they were given.
I’m especially impressed with Fatou for a couple reasons. She stands out beyond the color of her skin and her national origin. I love the timbre of her voice and the flow of her rapping. It’s very satisfying and I’m very glad that they gave her what seems to be the lion’s share of lines in this song. It’s a shame that the song isn’t a home run, but it’s a solid double in my opinion.
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I agree! Fatou is so charismatic and her energy really drives the song.
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Hmm… another song which makes me wonder if my music tastes are weird 😂 I especially loved the chorus actually – It had a very positive feeling to it. I was expecting a heavy girl-crush or even something more sensual given the theme & opening but the chorus was very uplifting and musical.❤️ In a way the whole thing felt complete. The feel of the verses was like being trapped while the chorus felt more about breaking free!
I am especially impressed by how Fatou uses her natural tone throughout – whether rap or vocal. I prefer this as a whole much more than Tonight.
So far it’s the gg that have been slaying this month for me. Pixy,Tri. be, Lightsum and now Black Swan – I love all of their songs! And oh Craxy’s Gaia definitely grew on me after their live stage performance!!! 🤗
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That’s funny, because I’ve been underwhelmed by almost all the ggs this month. Different strokes for different folks, I guess!
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Its not a bad song at all. I think it lacks the over the top polish that a larger agency would add to it, but the bones are OK. To me, it sounds like an Itzy song without all the bells and whistles JYP would add. The verse to chorus shift is like Wannabe.
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Ah yes the white man approach of condescending “sadly” “piecemeal” sprinkled throughout the work. Why is this your job? If you kept up with this group for a moment beyond giving them unnecessary review you’d know they were able to hold a large concert in Belgium recently so save your backhanded compliments. Unnecessary that this should come up in their first Google searches when I’m trying to see the song.
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First, this isn’t my “job.” This is a personal blog. If you don’t like it, no one is forcing you to read.
Second, why open with race and gender? This insinuates some sort of sinister motive. You don’t know anything about me so please don’t assume anything about my “approach.”
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But don’t you think it’s funny that people see your WordPress blog and act like it’s Pitchfork hahaha
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Not like this is actually his job lol. You don’t really need to keep up with an artist to give your opinion on their songs. It’s just… a song at the end of the day.
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If you can’t handle an honest opinion, then you’re in the wrong place. Honestly, it’s behavior like yours that’s gives kpop fans a bad name
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The opening shots are very cell block tango!
Not-Rania appears to have a solid bloc of songwriters, even if this effort is a bit cheaper-sounding and more disjointed than the previous one. I think their music will continue to pull through. Now I just hope they can hold onto their funding and the performers a bit longer.
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I was just shocked looking at a profile page for Rania…. they’ve cycled through enough girls to make their own AKB48-type supergroup. Well, I wish them the best…
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