Hours before his military enlistment, iKON’s Jay has dropped his first EP. As the group’s main vocalist, his solo sound offers a sensual atmosphere and plenty of space to show off his voice. Blue Moon is pleasing in a purely aesthetic way, but barely registers as a song.

Blue Moon is brittle and slight, driven by a skeletal beat with accents of guitar. An arrangement this simple needs a dynamic melody or vocal performance. Jay is capable of the latter, but too often opts for whispered coos over belt-it-out climaxes. Meanwhile, Blue Moon‘s melody is barely there. The song is essentially a series of riffs, and that sense of restraint and repetition quickly grows dull.

Grade: C-