One thing about The Bias List is that — even if agencies are coming apart at the seams and the industry is on fire — I try my best to filter out the noise and laser focus on the music. I guess I’m that meme of the dog sitting at a table in a burning house. But to be honest, it’s only because the goings-on of the industry have never interested me nearly as much as the songs do.
NewJeans have become swept up in the current HYBE/Min Heejin drama and this will likely be the overriding news coverage for the foreseeable future. This is unfolding just as they’re preparing for a May comeback and pre-releasing the frothy Bubble Gum. The song acts as a CF for Japan’s Essential Premium hair care brand and if there was ever a group perfect for CFs it has to be NewJeans. Their songs are often about the length of an extended commercial and airy enough to blend into the background while the product is being pitched. Bubble Gum achieves this aim without issue, but the song is also in line with current global trends.
For better or worse, Bubble Gum‘s gentle guitar and muted sound palette echo the style of featherlight pop that’s currently steering Sabrina Carpenter’s Espresso to global chart success. These songs tend to be enjoyable but a bit toothless — like an aftertaste rather than the main course. Bubble Gum‘s disco flute and fizzy synth textures are nice touches, but the track starts and ends with the same hushed energy. It’s a pop haze — infinitely pleasant but rarely gripping. I’ve never been to one of those fancy oxygen bars, but I imagine this is kind of what they feel like.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
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I feel like I overate these songs when they first come out because they are so catchy and easy to listen to and than after an hour I have no desire to listen to them anymore
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because they’re easy listen songs and not really quality songs
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And all of this drama over groups who have music like this😒. I mean I would understand if a group with a more dramatic sound got to have a beef over them, but this is all just soo unjustified in my eyes lol.
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I actually like this. But it’s probably because I love these softer songs. I only don’t really like the way they sing the chorus. I think that style of singing is a bit annoying for me. Not their best but not their worst song.
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When I first heard the short snippet a month ago or so, I didn’t think much of it. But now that I’ve heard the whole song, I really love it. The production, as usual, is amazing, and really sets it apart from anything else in K-pop. I’m amazed that not everyone can appreciate what NewJeans have done. For me, this song could almost fit on their first EP, following the A-sides Attention and Hype Boy.
It also reminds me of Fifty Fifty’s first (and sadly last) EP. Ironic, given that NewJeans seems to be following their fate. Honestly, if NewJeans are done, or if they can’t maintain the high level they’ve enjoyed with Min Hee-Jin, I’m never going to feel quite the same way about Kpop. For me, the best case scenario is that HYBE cuts ADOR loose and allows them their independence, with Min Hee-Jin continuing at the helm. If I were a NewJeans stan, I’d be starting a petition campaign to try to make this happen.
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They are kind of riding (musically) on autopilot now. I guess they can do that – after all, they are still rookies?
“Attention”, “Hype Boy” – I like those quite a bit, but everything after that was just not that remarkable. Their songs lack any distinctive personality.
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I like the way you described it as autopilot. I have a feeling good or not they’ll be on autopilot for a while knowing their backing.
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It reminds me a lot of “Meet us in the park we used to play” by Friday Night Plans, but I have such a strong attachment to that song that I don’t foresee myself listening to Bubble Gum much over it. I guess that’s the problem when a vibe becomes too widespread.
Bubble Gum goes down a lot better for me than Espresso, though. There’s a few cringe lines in BG, but Newjeans has a way of making everything that comes out of their mouths sound fun and fresh. Espresso, I was just cringing straight through it. Sorry, Sabrina!
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I’m still hearing more 90’s R&B, done kpop style with younger voices. It sounds like a cover of a b-side of a Mariah album, like say something cut from “Butterfly” or “Rainbow”.
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I like them a lot, but I can’t get too excited about their music. It seems like a while since I’ve heard a really great NewJeans song. Their music seems to function mostly as the soundtrack to everything else they do…which is fine, but I miss some of those earlier knockout tracks…7.5/10 😊
P.S. I think they’re really good live performers and better material could only help make them even better
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trending
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#FireMinHeeJin
Anyways, this song is good.
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I like newjeans bubble gum it’s a classic song and has a newjeans vibe like from danielle hair to hanni vocals I can tell newjeans are going to be big
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Exactly what I would expect from a New Jeans B side.
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Wildly inoffensive
What is the point of music like this?
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In light of the recent industry events that I will not dwell on here either, Fast Company published this week an interview with Min Hee-jin that they conducted a few months ago. It covers a broad range of topics, but there’s a particular quote in there that I feel is quite salient for this blog:
Is this song turning my world upside down? Of course not, even if I do enjoy it very much. But I greatly appreciate that the NewJeans discography isn’t afraid to constantly cover new grounds, it ebbs and flows, and unlike the largely forgettable B-sides that are the norm in this industry every song of theirs has some hook, some intrigue, a distinct point of view. Of course Nick has always been very transparent that what he’s looking for is really that one style of hit song, but at the same time I can’t help but feel that the point she’s making, that I very much agree with, is often lost in this crowd.
Me, I’m looking forward to seeing how this song fits together with the A-side that will come later, and their ever expanding soundscape, assuming their career isn’t prematurely strangled by corporate BS.
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I like the aesthetics more than the song. I feel like bubble gum was more rnb with City Pop influences. This is fine but I’m not compelled to listen again.
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I feel like this song perfectly encapsulates “easy listening music” and overall the sound new jeans have been going for. It’s something you wouldn’t necessary skip if it came on but it also has no memorable parts. It’s background music that doesn’t do anything controversial or exciting to catch your attention. I feel like if it came on while I was doing something else, I wouldn’t even notice it.
6.5/10 for me personally.
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