I count myself among the contingent of Chungha fans who prefer when her music aims straight for the clubs, meaning this spring’s title track Eenie Meenie became eclipsed by its clubbier b-side I’m Ready. With new single Algorithm, she seems to have grasped the formula (see what I did there?) many of us have been waiting for, but the song’s execution leaves something to be desired.
Algorithm heads straight to the dancefloor, placing Chungha’s vocals over a house beat and keeping the energy brisk throughout. The production pulses with a stylish drive. It’s rather generic, but in a way that feels instantly familiar and inviting. Apart from the straightforward percussion, a number of interesting synth lines compete for attention as the track twists and turns. The flute-like sound during the pre-choruses is especially unique.
When Chungha first debuted, I had some misgivings about her vocal performance/arrangement. That critique has softened a lot as her artistry has grown, but Algorithm takes a step back. I’m not sure if the key is pitched too high or the vocal production is simply too unadorned and/or compressed, but her performance often feels at odds with the instrumental, preventing the song from fully exploding. Given its short running time, Algorithm struggles to find its full potential. I like what it’s trying to do, but the song doesn’t quite get there.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
idk i really loved this song, especially the post-chorus synths were unique but WHY is it 2:26. It needed a bridge and a better payoff at the end, even just an explosive beat at the end would have sufficed.
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for a BEP production, this is rather underwhelmed
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Agree! They did better with her (*), even the track is not bad at all (i would give it a solid 8.)
(*): And once again, i’m sure they produced “Sparkling”.
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I Don’t understand the critics I love this song.
This is a style that not everyone does.
It deserve at least a 8.5
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I wish there was a stronger dance beat underneath. If you are going to go dance, go full dance rave. With a stronger dance beat, this song could have been added and subtracted and stretched like taffy into multiple multi-minute long versions. Instead, as is, it fully wears itself out in under 3 minutes.
For the vocal. I often feel like ChungHa has the potential to be the kpop version of Kylie Minogue. Kylie is a good not great vocalist but picks the right songs in the right range and makes it work with vocal inflections and Style. For example, in this song the main note in the “algorithm” refrain hovers on an A5. A5 isn’t that high, but ChungHa isn’t owning it. In “Can’t get you outta my head”, the main note hovers on an F5 “la la la la la la” refrain, just one note down, and the high excursions “Set me freeeeeee” are artfully wispy. So if I were ChungHa’s new people, I would go listen to what Kylie has been doing right, and copy it but make it kpop.
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I always look forward to your comments cuz they are always so interesting. Plus I enjoy your remarks towards more technical stuff like vocal techniques, music notes, etc.
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Kylie Minogue is a good comparison (in terms of image, dancefloor focus, and timbre.)
I don’t actually think Chungha has issues with her vocals (at least not for pop recordings,) and is significantly better than the average kpop songstress. She hits the right notes in the right order, especially in slightly more flowy/riffy songs like Cherry Kisses & Chica.
I think what people are noticing is a lightness and wispiness to her sound, which when paired with very busy high-pitched melodies can become “a bit much” for some people. And since she’s not in a group they can’t just layer over it indefinitely. More harmonies might help, but hyper-layered dance tracks are a specific sound not everybody goes for.
But I don’t mind Chungha’s timbre at all—maybe because “super light soprano” is a voice that reminds me of half my choir friends, but I also just think it sounds pretty. I’m surprised her voice consistently gets critiqued (esp since it doesn’t seem to be due to anything she’s doing wrong technically,) but it’s a reminder about how people “expect” pop to be sung.
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i love this lady and most everything she puts out, including this new comeback….she was not my IOI bias (that title belonged to Yeonjung), but when she became a soloist, she quickly became my favorite k-pop solo artist, tied with Sunmi….
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She did have some high notes she couldn’t hit comfortably in the past (especially in the beginning of her solo career), but I don’t understand the comment about Chungha’s vocals in this song. Nothing sticks out negatively to me. Not gonna lie it puts a bad taste in my mouth when I feel like there are acts with worse vocals who don’t have their vocals commented on nearly as much as you have with Chungha
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“Given its short running time, Algorithm struggles to find its full potential.”
Yes you’re damn right! The current ending of the song could definitely fit into a steady bridge that bring to a bombastic last chorus outro with ad-libs and strong dancefloor beats that suitable to this song. Just extended 1 more section and the song would be much more better to dance about
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when i first heard it i thought it was reminiscent of lalalilala by april but in a more watered down way
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For such a relatively unused word outside of math and IT, there sure have been a hell of a lot of K-Pop songs titled Algorithm over the past year. And whatever function they are using, the results always seem to yield just ever so slightly above mediocre for me. I also if wonder if the song is pitched on the higher side because it was initially written with Stayc in mind… seems like something they might have dabbled with for their last album.
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Interesting! Where did you see that?
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The song producers are BEP… they are the production team that launched Twice into the stratosphere early in their career (LOA, Cheer Up, TT, Likey) and also crafted major hits for Sistar, APink, Beast, etc. and went on to found High Up Entertainment and launch their own girl group, STAYC! 😻 They’ve pretty much stuck to only producing for STAYC since their debut. Though they also did Gotta Go and Rollercoaster for Chungha back in the day, odds are high that any songs given out now to other artists were written with STAYC in mind but might not have made the cut for any number of reasons.
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Thanks for responding. So you’re assuming they wrote it for STAYC.
Actually BEP still work for several artists since STAYC has debuted.
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