Around 2015-2016, K-pop saw a boom of what most would call wistful, “cutesy” girl groups. On its face, this description feels a bit reductive, but the music itself was universally strong. Lovelyz, April, Laboum… early GFriend! These groups delivered a headrush of candy-coated pop hooks that emphasized vocal ability and sweeping, soaring melody. It’s a sub-genre I’ve missed greatly over the past few years, ever since the shoutier, more attitude-driven “girl crush” concept has taken hold.
Enter, CSR. These girls feel like a breath of fresh air, zigging while all their peers zag. Had debut single Pop? Pop! emerged back in 2016, it likely would have gotten lost in the shuffle. In 2022, it feels almost like a revelation. Composed by relatively new production team FAB, the track bounds along bright, exciting synths and effusive percussion. It’s a sparkling pinwheel of a song, intent on making every moment as catchy as the next.
This is evident right from the start, as Pop? Pop!’s titular exclamation frames the verses in a fun, animated way. Things slow a bit for the pre-chorus but it’s not long until we burst into an ultra-catchy hook that plays 2016’s “fresh” sound to the hilt. This chorus feels ripped right from Lovelyz’s (supremely underrated) discography in the best way. Better yet, Pop? Pop! grows more layered and inventive as it goes on. A fantastic breakdown injects needed edge late in the track, but even before this moment the second verse surges with added percussion (and brass!) that makes Pop? Pop! feel like an ever-growing explosion of joy. Along with RoaD-B, these unknown groups from small agencies are single-handedly honoring K-pop’s illustrious past. Now, we just need to get people listening!
| Hooks | 9 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 9 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
This is truly fabulous, Lovelyz meets early G-Friend in the best possible way. The b-side they also performed was fantastic too.
Where have these girls come from???
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Holy cow this song is good….
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For anyone who’s wondering where to find this and the mini album on Spotify, we’ll have to wait till 28th July 6pm KST. Oh the agony…
Happy we got to see CSR perform the Sweetune bside for their showcase and I just wanna say… The song did not disappoint.
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A medley of their I guess upcoming album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SuT8vgFC6s All of the songs are really good.
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this put a BIG SMILE on my face. especially during the chorus. its so lively and so.. k-pop ( if that makes sense. ) solid 9/10 for me.
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It’s rare that a Kpop song sounds like Jpop, I can almost imagine the anime visuals that goes along!
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That’s what I thought. It took me about 30 seconds in to check my ears that they were actually singing in Korean. I guess it is the synth accompaniment to the vocals that make it sound a little vocaloid.
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Considering this song is made by the same composer who made Pantomime, I’m not surprised it’s this good. The heavy synths and lovely layering is quite evident in both songs, and it’s just done so well.
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I normally don’t like cutesy songs, but the entirety of this mini bangs! Holy lord this is the best.
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Also…bro…2016 was 6 years ago….
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i’m so excited for them, i’ve missed this sound in kpop so much!
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This is one of the signature sounds of kpop, and it’s so refreshing to hear it come back. I hope they’re able to stick with this type of music for a while.
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A 9??? Really. I can understand maybe an 8 at a push and. I know people will cream over it just to agree with you but… man you really are wrecking your scale by giving this sort of stuff such a high grade. I genuinely think your taste may have completely dropped off over the past few years which is fine but I just don’t trust some of your music taste anymore. Still enjoyed the review though.
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Haha, if you can still rely on your own impressions of music (as evidenced here, where you think the song is lower than a 9,) then what’s the concern if you can’t “trust” someone else’s taste consistently?
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This is on the main metal blog I read, but this applies to K-Pop too. https://www.angrymetalguy.com/angry-metal-guy-speaks-on-objectivity/
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Well, thank for thinking I was ever any sort of tastemaker! I certainly don’t consider myself one. I like what I like. It changes by the moment, depending on the landscape.
Will this be a 9 in a week’s time? Was I just excited to hear this sound in K-pop again?? We’ll see! That’s what the “risers and fallers” and year-end posts are for.
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If you ask me, you should do the “risers and fallers” posts more often!
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I’m planning to move it to the end of each month!
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Hard to hear this and not think lovelyz. I’m glad someone is fulfilling the spot left by all the groups you mentioned
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Hmm…: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K4b9Z9lSwc
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I’m such a big fan of Lovelyz’s albums so there’s no reason for me to not like it!
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Man, I wasn’t even a big fan of this sound back when, but right now it feels like a cool glass of water on a hot day.
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I’m really excited for this new group…. Corporate social responsibility
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Good grief this is pure treacle. I find this sort of syrupy sweetness very unpleasant and am happy to go right back to shouty girl crush. I’m sure it’s a fabulous example of its kind and all that.
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I always open for more Kpop songs like this. Even in 2015-2016, as uninspired as they were, they always deliver big grand chorus that never could replicated by current shouty trend. One thing I dislike with this song is the in-your-face added drum and bassline (?) which sounds like Lovelyz remix track.
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It sounds so much like Hi by Lovelyz!
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Love the song, but in true Kpop fashion, this is at least the 4th song released this month with “Pop” in the title. They may fill the void that Weeekly left when they went bat-shit crazy with “Ven para.”
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Ever since Lovelyz disbanded last November I’ve been praying for a new rookie girl group to carry their torch. When I heard this song for the first time I was completely swept over and thought “Yep, we’ve finally found one”. More encouraging news is that Yoon Sang recently signed to CSR’s agency (Pop Music) and apparently gave some inputs for the debut, so I really feel like CSR is going to be a legitimate spiritual successor to Lovelyz. This really made my year.
Oh, and Sweetune composed one of their b-side tracks. What else I could ask for :’)
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This is beautifully arranged. I think I’m going to enjoy it a lot, but I tend to like stuff with a little bit more swing to it. I can’t say enough nice things about the more modest but no less charming Feeling So Good by CLASS:y.
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Immediately thought of Nick when I heard this song and saw that Sweetune had been working with these girls.
Maybe not a 9 for me, but a good song and a welcome sound!
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found out that this song was made by the same person who made wjsn’s pantomime (kim jinhwan)! knew that electronic sound and arrangement style was familiar from somewhere, and i’m so happy to hear more works from them :’)
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I saw someone mentioned that as well on Kpop reddit and I thought “hey you guys are right, it does sound like that guy’s style”
And then I looked at Melon (Korean’s music site and go-to-place to find Korean composers’ works) and apparently Kim Jinhwan who took part in CSR’s title track isn’t the same Kim Jinhwan as the one who did WJSN’s Pantomime 🤔
Still agree with you though that the electronic style (especially in the rap bridge) just seems so much like Kim Jinhwan’s for that WJSN bside!
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Instant classic for me!
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