YooA’s 2020 solo debut was a slam dunk, unveiling a unique musical scope and vision that complimented her work with Oh My Girl while pushing into new territory. Since then, she’s switched things up in increasingly generic ways and I’ve struggled to connect with her title tracks. Rooftop is another sonic shift, with one foot firmly planted in the past.

Rooftop is at its best when borrowing elements from mid-2000’s pop/r&b. The production during its chorus feels especially indebted to this era, making me long for some Pussycat Dolls-esque bangers from K-pop’s girl groups. The track is charged with a confident energy that suits YooA well and she certainly has enough charisma to pull it off.

Unfortunately, Rooftop suffers from the central issue plaguing many girl group/solo K-pop efforts over the past year or so. Its melodies are incredibly slight, relying more on vibe and attitude than interesting, addictive structure. Strip away Rooftop‘s instrumental and you basically have YooA talking for two and a half minutes with a bit of melodic inflection here and there. This makes it difficult for Rooftop to distinguish itself from the pack. In this way, the song almost feels unfinished, like a production sketch with a temporary top line. There are some great ideas here, but the finished product could be developed further.

Grade: C