With a group as large as Seventeen, there’s ample opportunity for solo projects. No member has released an entire album yet, but many of the guys have delivered solo singles – whether in the form of a proper comeback or a digital mixtape. Despite taking the role of rapper on Seventeen’s group tracks, Vernon’s Black Eye sees him tackling an anthemic rock sound. This is in line with many of his peers in 2022, and it makes for a surprisingly solid match.
Vernon is not a singer’s singer, but I think that’s an asset on a track like. The imperfections in his performance give Black Eye extra grit – similar to how G-Dragon’s raw vocal in Crooked made that song such a classic. Black Eye is no Crooked – not even close, really – but it evokes some of the same energy. The instrumental feels more indebted to 80’s indie rock, bounding out of the gate with propulsive percussion that even incorporates some synth.
When Black Eye indulges in a few well-placed breakdowns, they’re opportunities for the guitar to take center stage. I love this punky sound, even if it feels a bit sanitized here. Black Eye’s melodies are also solid – especially that shout-along chorus. My biggest complaint is actually the choice to bleep the expletive in this hook. In the context of the song’s intensity and lyrical content, it’s pretty lame. The move feels overly calculated, like “look at me, I’m so badass (but not really that badass please stream and play this on the radio)”. If you’re going full-on punk, commitment is key. Let the curse words fly, Vernon!
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
Grade: B
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I actually really like the melodies and instrumental but those lyrics? The verse after the first chorus had me rolling, they’re so simple and cheesy that I WISH I could call it camp but alas they look serious about those lines.
Anyways, it’s still fun to listen to and I love punk (even though I wish a good amount of kpop songs would lean FULLY into the genres they take inspiration from (seems like such a waste too! have you seen how much fans love calling their favs different and revolutionary? a missed opportunity if you ask me)).
Rating: 8
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Halfway through the song, I asked myself, should I be worried or should I laugh? And I’m still not sure about the answer haha
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Trying to sound ‘cool’, sounds more like disney.
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Machine Gun Vernon (prod. Travis Barker)
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Haha totally!
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I cringed so hard at the lyrics. Vernon, my sweet child, you can tell he speaks fluently (being that his mom’s American) but his English lyrical writing and slang is off by far. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed this song!!
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I am always really shocked at how fast you write your reviews (this is a compliment!) – thank you for that!
Like some other people said, I like the instrumentals and melody a lot (especially the outro of the song, call me cheesy but I love the “Knock, knock is there anybody out there?”) but most of the lyrics are just *a little* too on the nose for me. Maybe it’s because I am used to the sometimes incredibly wordy and complicated (for better or for worse) lyrics from the likes of Fall Out Boy when thinking about this genre, but I would have enjoyed a little more spontaneity. And yes. Let Vernon curse!
That said it’s fun to listen to and you can tell Vernon really enjoyed working on it! It has me dreaming up other songs in the genre that I would love Vernon to cover one day too, which is always fun. I enjoyed it, and I’ll probably warm up to it more over time!
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Fall Out Boy’s lyrics perpetually tread the fine line between genius and stupidity, God bless them
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He had the right idea with lyrics– bad boy-ish character being too dependent on their partner while also too emotionally unstable to uphold a relationship– but the way the theme was delivered just… wasn’t it. Lyrics aside it’s a solid song and a fun listen 🙂
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Vernon in his rebellious phase lol. Some parts are a bit…. but overall it’s a good song.
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Nothing radical but kinda fun. Like the 80s touch.
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I really love this style of music, it’s really nice to get a track like this from a rapper instead of the “typical” low energy mumble rap lo fi vibes song (or is this trend already over?).
Since I’m a sensitive bean I have never minded lyrics that sound a bit ‘sanitized’ (though, are they?.. ‘put a muzzle on me, I’ll spit in your mouth’..?). I do think the bleep is distracting – couldn’t they have creatively censored by using some kind of brash sound that fits within the production?
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