Song Review: Kim Sejeong – Top Or Cliff | The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion

I didn’t write about Kim Sejeong’s late-August pre-release, but appreciated its lilting sound and Celtic influences. It certainly made me curious which direction she would take for the title track of her first full album. Thus far, her solo music has been all over the place, pulled together by the strength of her vocals.

Top Or Cliff takes a darker turn, paired with an evocative, violent mini-movie music video. It also steers her in a more R&B-flavored direction, toning down dramatic balladry in favor of a vibey energy. It’s an interesting transformation, but I find the song pretty inert. The melodies unveil over pounding percussion, rhythmic guitar and deep rumbles of distorted synth. The sound is more commanding than the song, which flits here and there without the level of intensity I would have hoped for.

Hooks	7
Production	8
Longevity	8
Bias	7
RATING	7.5

Grade: C

5 thoughts on “Song Review: Kim Sejeong – Top Or Cliff”

Sounds very safe. In fact too safe, to the point of mediocrity. It doesn’t do anything wrong though, her vocals blend in perfectly, so guess its a 7.5 for me.

B-sides of the album are more interesting though, musically or lyrically.

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I really liked her pre-release and wasn’t sure what to expect from this one, so I’m a little disappointed that it leans in a very different direction. Nonetheless, her vocals are really nice here.

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It sounds like a song Sunmi would perform the shit out of. A more belty gutsy soprano. For someone like Sejeong, her image, her voice, none of it fits here. She is high fragile piercing impeccably on key soprano. If this is how she wanted to skew, it just didn’t work out.

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The song and the mv reminds me of Animal Farm by Bibi. I feel like that was what Sejeong was going for, but it kinda fell flat. I don’t hate it and I can appreciate that she’s trying to be versatile, but I personally think Voyage should’ve been her debut song.

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