Yena’s last comeback stirred up some controversy thanks to its ill-conceived title, but the song itself found her sticking to her mid-00’s pop/rock sound. I’ve got to give her kudos for finding a lane and staying with it. It’s refreshing to know what to expect from her music and helps build a cohesive catalog. New single Good Morning fits nicely within this discography, but its melodies aren’t among her strongest.

For me, melody is even more important in this genre because there aren’t many fancy production elements to compensate. It’s pretty much just guitar and percussion. I love how boisterous Good Morning is (especially its shouted call-and-response elements) and Yena makes for a convincing protagonist. But the song lacks the overall fun factor of her best efforts.

On the plus side, the turbo-charged instrumental gives Yena her most anthemic sound yet. Good Morning is big and brash like an energetic morning call, guaranteed to get your blood pumping. If the producers could have tied a stronger song to this bounding instrumental, we might have a huge highlight on our hands. As it stands, Good Morning is solid but unspectacular.

Grade: B-