It’s been an underwhelming year for debuts. I get the sense the Okay-pop industry has pulled their punches in anticipation of a major hit reshaping current trends. As we move into April, that hit may have finally arrived. On the heels of a mysterious Twitter announcement two months ago, Okay-pop provocateur Finite has finally made his long-awaited solo debut. (≥*≤) arrives with an unpronounceable fury, and fans’ loyalty has been rewarded.
With a beat reminiscent of The Neptunes’ early-00’s classics, Finite has tied the sample of a bleating goat to herky jerky synth rhythms. Goats are well-known to flock to trash – a reference that highlights (≥*≤)’s anti-consumerism message. It also supports his “Stuff Yourself” campaign, which has been adopted by many as a rallying cry. Fans are often seen waving their fry-bongs at concerts. With (≥*≤)’s steady repetition of fast food menu items, the track offers plenty of ammunition for their cause — paradoxical as it may be.
For this track, Finite has pitched his vocals into a chirpy mix. This approach demands deep listening if you want to catch all the lyrics. For example, the repeated tagline “Finite here, to show my griddle’s hot” is a clever play on (≥*≤)’s fast food theme. Incidentally, the letters in “griddle” can be scrambled to spell “girdled,” which hints at Finite’s unique stage attire during his solo performances. What follows is best described as a string of nonsense, though a defiant “yabba dabba doo” concludes this short verse with aplomb. I trust the choreography will further highlight the nuances in Finite’s delivery.
Surprisingly, (≥*≤) sheds its lockstep approach mid-way through and offers a contrasting tap dance breakdown. I’m not sure what Finite’s intention could be, but it matches Okay-pop’s current trend of randomly fusing two or more incongruous songs together.
At just over ninety seconds, (≥*≤) is perfectly designed for our streaming age. Finite is clearly banking on a robust digital presence, forgoing the expected mini album in favor of this quick, impactful single. And, the song’s hypnotic, looping quality rewards repeat listens. Without a distinct beginning or end, it plays as an incantation, placing listeners in a trance-like state.
(≥*≤) takes on a sinister tone as the menu items are repeated backwards during its climactic refrain. The song itself is structured almost as a palindrome, illustrating Finite’s concept of “Meverse” – a spiraling pocket dimension in which the artist is forced to relive his own vices in an unending loop. According to his agency’s press release, the NFT photocards from this digital album will unlock a code to decipher the Meverse and help Finite escape. A fan celebration/worship circle has already been announced for those devoted enough to collect all forty-six cards. Catering will be provided by McDonalds.
Hooks | 10 |
Production | 10 |
Longevity | 10 |
Bias | 10 |
RATING | 10 |
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Happy April Fool’s Day!! (or 만우절 in Korea!)
Do we need to send someone to check up on you?
LikeLiked by 3 people
Nope, I’ll be bitching about real music again before you know it!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I was drudging through composing a comment for the monthly round up when you posted this, remembering the times when I tried to convince you that not all was lost in the face of brilliance like Vamos and Flex, but feeling pretty grim about the last 3 months of releases. But it’s encouraging to pop back into the comments a few hours later and see that you seem to be in rare form, so I’m going to pack up my grumpy pants and trust that brilliance like U Mad or No Diggity is just around the corner.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Okay fine, brilliance that we can both appreciate like Favorite Boys or Miroh would be fine, too. And actually, there was a release just in the last couple of days that reminded me why I love kpop (or kpop adjacent) but you didn’t cover it here! Alas. I can only hope that it flew under your radar and I will alert you to its existence and it will make you even a quarter as happy as it made me.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I asked darling daughter what she thought and gave it a glorious teenage shrug.
Which means you did well.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I was so nervous about what darling daughter might think.
LikeLiked by 2 people
That’s that real music man
LikeLiked by 3 people
You know it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
so how does one pronounce this….
LikeLiked by 1 person
LikeLiked by 4 people
G.O.A.T. FTW!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I usually look @ scores before I read anything, so I seriously dropped what I was holding when I saw that you gave this a ten. Looking at scores first is something that I will not again be doing.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Stre@m plz 🙏
LikeLiked by 2 people
Define: Sad. The only way we’re going to get a 10/10/10/10:10 this year.. ..is on April Fool’s Day. 😦
LikeLiked by 3 people
Stre@m plz 🙏
LikeLiked by 3 people
Streaming like a mad man as I write this (right this?). Oh, and I sent a chevon food truck (with a deepfake of your face over an old Chef Boyardee poster plastered to the side of it) to a Billy goat petting zoo.
P.S. You’re welcome!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t even know how I’m supposed to Google this. I’m getting engineering tutorials.
LikeLiked by 1 person
(I am obsessed. NCT collab when, Nick?)
LikeLiked by 1 person
For some reason every agency I approach refuses to let me collaborate with their artists 😭 sometimes they even call security..
NO DRAMA but drama always follows ME!!!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
dont worry nick i heard finite is gonna collab with jypapi and cupcakke for their next release so stream it once it comes out 🥰
LikeLiked by 1 person
omg this is the greatest kpoop song i’ve ever listened to its so much better than the trash known as the chaser 🥺🥰😩😍
nick oppar will you make more of these and collab with jypapi pls 😍🥰🤩😎🤪
LikeLiked by 1 person
I knew you’d appreciate this bop. Stre@m, plz 🙏
LikeLiked by 3 people
Okay, but I kind of dig this.
LikeLike
How could you not?? Itsabop 🐐🐐
LikeLiked by 1 person
A baaaaaaaaaaaaap
LikeLiked by 1 person
Damn, I’m kinda mad at myself. I always skip the review and listen to/watch the music video before reading it. I always try to avoid seeing the tags, however I saw text that didn’t seem like a tag so I read it! I’m so disappointed I didn’t get the full experience of the prank.
Also, weirdly I’m into this track. I’ve listened to it more times than I have the singles that have come out recently
LikeLiked by 1 person
btw guys im selling my first ever nft! please check out this video for the announcement!
LikeLiked by 1 person
OK but I like your remix. It sounds like stuff i used to do as a student DJ in the 80s.
LikeLike
I’ve been listening to music for around 12 years now, but never in my life have I come across something so perfect. It was love at first sight. The aggressive synth bass hits and the thumping kick beat had my heart racing from the beginning. But I knew, once the ‘ooooowahhhhhh’ vocals came in at 0:30, that this was the song of the century. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. Sorry ‘Miroh’, I have a new favourite song!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Damn right you do!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’ve seen you appreciating songs like The Chaser, Rising Sun, Crooked, etc. To me, those songs are meh. I haven’t been blown away by any song until today. I have to say, Finite came through with one of the best songs I’ve heard in a while. I think it surpasses the quality of songs like Cravity’s My Turn and Blackpink’s Ice Cream, and I love those songs to death! But this exceeds expectations. I definitely have a new song to stream. I need to let more people know about this masterpiece. Not only are the instrumental and vocal awesome, but the lyrics are deep. I can feel the hard work this artist went through, so streaming this would reward Finite the favor of being the top artist out there. This is a production that Key’s Bad Love should’ve gone for.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Taste ☝️
LikeLiked by 1 person
oh lord, i took this way too seriously at first lmao
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was stuck on the first paragraph trying to figure out what okay-pop was for an embarrassingly long time.
LikeLiked by 4 people
But the instrumental though! 💯 What an epic debut! XD And I do appreciate the concept! I’m gonna collect those cards and save him from the Meverse! A boooop alright! 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Honestly better than a lot of songs released at the moment 😂
Real talk this got a good giggle out of me
LikeLiked by 1 person
i couldn’t finish reading this. commendable effort though!
LikeLike
oh yeah nick, will you be covering queendom 2! the first episode aired yesterday with 2 new stages and I enjoyed them greatly:
LikeLike
very good actually
LikeLiked by 1 person
*I accidentally sent this as an reply to a random comment. I aologize, I’m just gonna post it again since I don’t know how to delete the other one*
Damn, I’m kinda mad at myself. I always skip the review and listen to/watch the music video before reading it. I always try to avoid seeing the tags, however I saw text that didn’t seem like a tag so I read it! I’m so disappointed I didn’t get the full experience of the prank.
Also, weirdly I’m into this track. I’ve listened to it more times than I have the singles that have come out recently
LikeLiked by 2 people
Seriously speaking, i enjoyed the synth sounds used here than most of okay-pop songs now
LikeLiked by 1 person
Any chance of you doing a Buried Treasure for their b-side: “¯\(°_o)/¯ “
LikeLiked by 5 people
Did you make this?
LikeLiked by 1 person
From the ground up! 🤪
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is the sound of someone going insane.
LikeLiked by 1 person
wiw, I am gonna be petty now.
LikeLike
Yes.
(This is bonesetguy btw).
LikeLike
Man, i was clickbaited by the thumbnail. I thought “Woah, that’s kinda a bold choice of a cover for kpop group”
LikeLiked by 1 person
#FINITEPAVEDTHEWAY
LikeLiked by 3 people
Time for people to find a way to cancel FINITE. Hope they are clean cookie cutter people with no realistic human traits or else they are screwed…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Now this is what I call “song of the year”! K-pop companies, take notes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bonus Bias List points for anyone who gets the “Okay-pop” reference 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
You mean, the “K”-pop, has only been “Okay” lately? ..or is there some other reference/inference you were making?
LikeLiked by 1 person
…and when it’s less than okay, it’s K-Poop; amirite?
LikeLiked by 1 person
A bunch of AI-created websites routinely copy my posts and change random words so that they can bypass google’s filter. “K-pop” always becomes “Okay-pop.”
Their latest stolen post is titled “The Prime Three Okay-Pop Songs of March 2022,” which honestly sounds like something from another planet…
If they steal this FINITE post, my job will be done. We will have reached peak irony.
LikeLiked by 3 people
The Bias List: K-Pop’s official version of The Onion.
Brought to you by Señor Neek and The Vuvuzela All-Stars.
LikeLiked by 1 person
…or the K could stand for Kalimba?
LikeLike
I’m literally late as hell but fuck I literally saw the comment about that happening when i was reading one of the old Battle of the B-Sides post.
LikeLike
I know I am super late, but STAN FINITE GREAT SONG WHY U NOT TRU FAN NO 3W0J1 Sarang FINITE OPPA!
Jokes aside, this was one epic Aprils Fools post!
LikeLiked by 2 people
finite has to collab with jypapi and cupcakke and then my life will be complete :DDDDDDDDDDDDDD
LikeLike