Fulfilling their promise to film a music video for every track on the new album, NewJeans are back with visuals for ASAP. When listening to the album, my highlights are definitely ETA and Super Shy. Those feel the most fully fleshed out of the tracks, while moments like ASAP are move vibey and interlude-esque.
I admire ASAP‘s hazy experimentation, but it’s more tone than song. Lasting just over two minutes, we largely abandon ideas of typical pop verse/chorus structure in favor of a languid, atmospheric palette cleanser. Muted synths play with skittering vocal riffs. The melodies feel purposefully under-formed, revealing a different aesthetic for K-pop’s much-loved sing-talk approach. As an album outro, it works reasonably well. But paired with a suite of short, under-developed songs, I’m having a hard time investing in the group’s overall vision.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 7 |
| Bias | 6 |
| RATING | 7 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
The most fleshed out, experimental, vocal and instrumental driven song by NewJeans to date. This song sent me from the moment it began. I dare say it’s the best song of this year, they never disappoint!
Vocals 100%
Rap 100%
Dance 100%
Visuals 100%
So refreshing change to the industry, NewJeans to save kpop!!
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is this satire
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I think this says more about the current state of kpop fandom stans that such a comment could receive likes 😅
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The MV is perfect.
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I would say that’s true for every MV they’ve done. Such an exciting group to follow. I wish they’d do a new tune every month! 🙂
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I usually don’t agree with your comments on songs that are more atmosphere based, such as being a bore or not having hooks, but here, I will agree. There is nothing else but A-S-A-P BABY, HURRY UP DON’T BE LAZY, and that’s basically the song. There could have been so much more done to this that wasn’t.
Super Shy is shaping up to be one of my favorite kpop songs this year to my biggest surprise, it’s hook is extremely potent, and the musical ideas within it’s production hits all the right spots for me as I grew to look forward to listening to instrumental as well. ETA and Cool With You are also hits in my book.
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It’s been an amazing year for this group. If it wasn’t for their 2023 releases (Ditto/OMG & Get Up), I wouldn’t have had really anything else to get excited by so far this year for K-pop – all the other releases by other groups that I looked forward to were disappointing for me, if I’m honest. Only NewJeans keep exceeding my hopes, and I loved them since Attention first dropped. (Now I can’t wait for their winter release!)
We’ve got new Infinite & new Sweetune coming, so hoping for more great things!;
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I really like this song. It compliments the album really well and is a good song to end the album on. The video is really cool and interesting. They did really well with this comeback.
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I love this sound/song, I know it’s made to repeat but it works perfectly for me
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The tick tock sound is annoying, but I like the song regardless.
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The people who hail this (or the other NJ standard fare) as the greatest song there is.
Do you not have ears?
Is this the only k-pop song you’ve listened to?
Did you have an aneurysm or something?
Genuinely curious.
It’s natural for fans of the new generation groups to laud their new song as the end all be all, but I genuinely can’t recall 3rd gen stans being this hyperbolic.
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I do have ears.
No, it’s not the first K-Pop song I heard.
No, I did not have aneurysm.
But also, I don’t judge other people’s music taste just because it doesn’t fit yours. 🙂
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It sounds like 2 minutes cropped from Radiohead “Kid A”, later found on an old drive and restyled for a girl group.
It doesn’t work for me.
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I don’t know why, but I just cannot vibe with NewJeans unfortunately. The only song I absolutely liked from them was Ditto, and even then, I just liked it for like two weeks then moved on. Their music isn’t just for me. I hope that they can put out something that can make me feel the same as Ditto (because I truly want to listen to them and not be forced)
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