Brave Girls leveraged an unexpected resurgence to craft an extraordinary 2021. Both Chi Mat Ba Ram and After We Ride have quickly become classics (visiting my ‘top ten of the year’ countdown on their way!). Because of this, my expectations for any future work are sky-high. New single Thank You doesn’t do anything to dull Brave Girls’ legacy, but it doesn’t quite match last year’s work either.
Thank You feels more like a victory lap, content to ride the disco groove rather than push the group’s music to another level. Brave Girls have certainly earned the right to coast, especially when coasting sounds this good. Thank You is the style of straightforward dance track that will likely grow stronger with each listen. It sets relatively modest ambitions and follows through, loyal to the momentum of its upbeat arrangement. Brave Brothers has long since proven himself as a master of bright, catchy instrumentals. Thank You’s roller-rink-ready bounce is so enjoyable that it hardly needs to modulate. I especially love the touches of vocoder throughout.
If I had any complaint, it’s that Thank You’s melody doesn’t stretch itself enough. It’s pleasant and engaging throughout, but plays things very safe. This aspect will probably age well, but makes for a slightly underwhelming impression on the first few listens. Fortunately, Brave Girls imbue the track with character and polish, matching the effortless vibe of the production. In this case, the individual pieces may just be more impressive than the whole, and that all-hands-on-deck approach makes Thank You an easy 2022 standout.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.75 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Definitely agree that what’s missing is a more dynamic melody! Still a great song though, looking forward to listening to the album later (which sounded great from the preview)!
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Also your 2021 top 10 countdown links to the J-pop countdown, which I imagine is a mistake ^-^;
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Thanks for catching that!!
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is it just me or the mixing of the track is a bit odd? i feel like there’s too much going on in the instrumental sometimes, it even occasionally drowns out the girls’ voices. its overall still an awesome song but i find it a pity that its difficult to know what to focus on
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I agree – I too thought the instrumental was weirdly too… busy, particularly during the chorus, so I wasn’t immediately able to catch what was going on. The vocals are strong but I wish it was given room to be highlighted more. One of the things I really liked about After We Ride was that the vocal performance was punchy and front and centre, and it felt like the melody accentuated that rather than covering it which is how I feel here. The song’s still great, and the vocals do come through here as well, but it doesn’t stand out as much I feel
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I agree with you. I think brave sound productions tend to have a lot going on. I’m surprised he doesn’t run into this problem more often
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Yeah, the melody’s kind of lackluster, but the chorus is so catchy lol, and the groove is almost hypnotic in a way I can’t describe, but more highs and lows in the song might have helped it out a bit more. I agree, doesn’t quite match up to After We Ride or Chi Mat Ba Ram, but is definitely some of the better offerings 2022 has had for us. 8.5 from me.
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right now i think brave girls has taken the top song of the day, and gidle’s tomboy comes at 2nd
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Sigh. Tearing around the rink to this in my head right now.
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Also, it’s Du Du DU’s beautiful, sparkly sister.
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Also the new 4 Town joint is fire.
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(After Second Cousin of Cousin of Playlist, I presume you have also gone through Son of Playlist, and Grandson of Playlist. What about Brother’s Friend’s Cousin?)
All kidding aside, this song really would slot nicely alongside “Get Lucky”.
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Nope, this is the second one, so it’s second cousins. Kind of on the nose. LOL. I think I’ll stop at 3rd cousins if it gets that far, when/if I finish with 2nd cousins, it will be 600 songs with no repeats!
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The title track here is fine, but “Can I Love You” is great!
And “Love is Gone” is almost as good.
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Hmm. I don’t know how I feel about the extremely unsubtle “pandering to fans” lyrics and the “I was so sad, crying alone” to “now I’m happy and everything is perfect!” narrative. Otherwise I find the song unremarkable at the moment.
Except for Minyoung’s platform heels with the lace-up things! I’d been eyeing a pair of shoes like that and it’s making me want to spend money again. Daaaaang it.
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I actually enjoyed this a lot, and I wasn’t the biggest fan of their 2021 output.
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Pleasant.
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I also had big expectations. How could I not? This was just okay though, the melody is kinda predictable in the first part of the chorus and the verses while enjoyable are forgettable.on the other hand,the girls sound great and I have no issues the production. Maybe it’ll grow on me
I really like love is gone from the album
A good release, I just expect legendary from brave girls now
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Yeah, this is a fine disco pop song. High polish, indeed.
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This is a very good song. I am shocked that Brave Girls kept the consistent style instead of moving on, this is a plus in my books as I am tired of inconsistent musical directions. I have to say this song really hits everything I want to hear, I think this is one of the best songs of the year already. The chorus is magnificent and sweeping, the talk box is very appropriate for this style and I love it.
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I like this.
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The mini-album is damn GOOD! Look, “Thank you” is extremely good, don’t get me wrong, but the b-sides trump it in every way possible.
“You and I” feels like it could perfectly slot in their summer album, It’s awesome and euphoric.
“Love is gone” is top-tier songwriting! The melody is absolutely sublime and the entire package is streamlined to perfection. It’s tight and executed in the best way possible.
“Can I Love You” is also incredible! Gorgeous melody, powerful performance and a galvanizing instrumental. Kind of reminds me of After School’s Shampoo in a way.
Brave Girls are so GOOD man!
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