Nearly two years since her solo debut, Mamamoo’s Solar has returned with her first mini album. Just like 2020’s Spit It Out, she continues to subvert expectations by embracing upbeat grooves rather than the balladry some might have imagined. For better or worse, Honey (꿀) follows in the footsteps of many recent Mamamoo singles – both full-group and solo.
When Mamamoo first burst onto the scene, the excitement was palpable. They brought a classic retro pop sound that favored dynamic harmonies and irresistible attitude. Somewhere along the line, their music transformed into something completely different. A song like Honey encapsulates that change. It’s a haphazard affair, resting more on style and vibe than fleshed-out, fully realized hooks. In a way, the song feels like every current K-pop trope thrown into a blender. There’s the distorted beat drop during the chorus, the percussive build during the pre-chorus, the second verse switch up (complete with tempo change!). For someone listening to Honey without years of K-pop baggage, the track might be a thrill. But given my work on this blog, it’s impossible to see it as anything but diminished returns.
So, we’re left with a song that goes in one ear and out the other. The hook is barely a hook. The brassy flourish that follows is little more than an afterthought. Solar does her best with the material, bringing an easy charisma. But, there’s just not much to grab onto here. Nothing is bad, per se. It just feels reheated and rehashed from a million other songs without a unique spark to make it pop.
| Hooks | 6 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 7 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 6.75 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
as a big fan of mamamoo, i am disappointed
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With the teasers I was expecting Solar to have a mature or dark concept with epic vocals of Solar.. I guess I was wrong
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maybe i’m just biased cuz she’s my ult but honestly i love it it really captures her vibes
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Have been into kpop for years, I admit this does sound very trendy… but something about it is so appealing to me, I just know this will be playing on repeat for the next month or so lol. My main complaint is that I wish it were longer, with a more distinct bridge and with the chorus repeating one more time
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Never drink your own Kool-aid.
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Loving how this could be a statement about this song, K-pop as a whole or my own writing on The Bias List! 😅
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Why does a great vocalist need a rap verse? The excuse that groups have to shoehorn in a trap breakdown for the weak vocalists just doesn’t work here.
Rest of the song is fine, I guess. Your assessment of it being bland over bad is perfect, and emblematic of a lot of issues in this industry. For as much shit as we all gave “O.O”, it was at least something to talk about. I’ll probably forget this song exists next week.
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Is because the song was written for any group, which means it has rap verse in its construction even when it gets picked up by a soloist singer.
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i heard big booty and was astounded with how terrible it was, my god.
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what was wrong with it
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the lyrics
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What was right with it?
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Alright, I will be the contrarian here again. Its not 6.75 bad to me, maybe mid 7’s. It has a few charms, well-delivered. For one, Solar has at least a consistent solo sound. “Spit it Out” was a serious grower for me back when, which this one continues.
The rest though is basic kpop. There was a brief season of “descending by semitones”, iirc it was last Spring, so this one sounds to me like it springs off of that. It also throws in that toy kazoo sample that I swear is the same one every time.
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Sinseramente para mi Honey es espectacular, Solar quiso probar algo nuevo por ejemplo como el rap y es algo en lo que ella va demostrando que es buena y como moomoo que soy me alegra mucho que se atreva a experimentar cosas nuevas y simplemente supero
mis expectativas.
Es que DIOSSS el visual que se carga, los sonidos, lo colorido que es el video, la coreografía, la vestimenta, su voz y lo pegajosa que es la canción📈
A los que no les gusta honey, no tienen buenos gustos es que con Mamamoo se debe tener en claro que se aprende amar todo tipo de géneros porque no solo se van a quedar arraigadas a un solo género musical y lo único malo que le veo a Honey es que termina.
🐝🙌💚
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JYP’s Honey >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> whatever this is.
This is by far my least favourite Mamamoo solo song and that’s saying something cause those Wheein songs are pretty darn goofy.
The only redeeming point, aside from how Solar sounds when she’s actually singing and not faux-rapping, is how fantastic Solar looks in my favourite colour, yellow 🌝🟡!
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