So, K-pop industry… how do you expect me to take a song called “Poongdung” seriously? There’s onomatopoeia and then there’s just silly sound effects. I guess “풍덩” is more of an established sound in Korea and doesn’t translate well internationally. Fortunately, the song’s summery sound works across all markets.
We’ve heard many iterations of this upbeat, seasonal energy and can always expect a few highlights to emerge around this time of year. I don’t think Poongdung will stake its claim among K-pop’s summer classics, but I appreciate its bounding tempo and exciting performance. A colorful, carnival-esque joy runs through the track, highlighted by blasts of brass and occasional house piano. The producers have definitely done their homework when it comes to this specific K-pop sub-genre.
All that’s missing to cement Poongdung among the greats is a series of brilliant melodies that cut through the dense instrumental. The splashy chorus compliments the song’s energy, but the verses are a let down. Because of this, you can feel the song falling back on cutesy asides to maintain Poongdung‘s overstuffed appeal. It’s a bit of a sensory overload where a streamlined set of indelible hooks would have made a better match. Still, I’ll never say no to an upbeat summer track like this. They tend to age well, too.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Damn, idk about you and the others, but I was lowkey missing that cutesy summer bop, which Poongdung (a funny name, but whatevs) delivers.
It’s a bit generic, but it is pretty cute!
8.25 (8, 8, 9, 8) cause I feel it might age well for me.
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Same, I feel like we haven’t had songs like this in a while, so I’m really happy with this new release. It actually reminds me of Oh My Girl’s last title track a bit.
It’s certainly not the most innovative, but that’s ok. It’s a lot of fun! I’ll surely list to it a lot this summer.
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I love this😍
It saved my morning and likely my whole summer❤️💅😍
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I giggled at the title in amusement☺️
The b side I like I like is also very good too! Lots of retro vibes and synths! 😁
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I might be in the minority, but I think back in the day I binged on Twice discography so much that any attempt to that more cutesy style leaves me cold unless it’s a MONSTER HIT (e.g. Non Stop or The Feels etc). So it’s a pass for me. Maybe I caught the virus Sabrina Carpenter is spreading around this summer cause I can’t get enough of “Espresso” and that also biased my taste in k-pop I think!!
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Sounded like a replica of Smooth sailing but failed to evolve. Didn’t sound like a Ryan Jhun release though.
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Solid kpop song, bright, poppy, summer fun. I might give it a tick or two higher, but on the whole I think they did very well with this comeback.
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Super fun track! Cute MV too. I looked it up, for anyone who’s curious: “풍덩” is an onomatopoeia, I think. It represents the plop or splash of something heavy (like a person) plunging into water. Perfect for summer! This feels like a track I’d put on to drive along the beach, or hang out there by the waves with friends and some popsicles.
(By the way, speaking of a song coming on while driving: XG’s Woke Up came on the radio the other day! I very rarely hear anything Kpop-adjacent on the radio, so it was a pleasant surprise.)
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Jhun is having such a mid year.
Anything he’s touched the last 12 months has been lackluster.
This is good but it’s no smooth sailing and even worse than Aurora.
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I wish Belle was in this comeback instead of babysitting girls who should be in school.
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