Top Media’s first ever girl group teased their debut last month with pre-release Best Friendz. From that song alone, it felt as if their music would be pitched toward a younger audience. Their proper debut track arrives today and shines more light on where the group may be headed.
After Best Friendz, it’s pretty jarring to see the opening scenes of this new music video. I certainly didn’t expect a handgun. The edgier concept doesn’t quite jibe with the music, which remains peppy and chant-heavy. That’s Me‘s hook is largely just a repetition of its title, delivered with a cheerleader-esque energy. This is a big missed opportunity, as the song’s production could easily support a more robust chorus.
That’s Me‘s instrumental is its ace card. After percussion-heavy verses, the production builds plenty of tension. A rising bed of synths gives the chorus unexpected drama and weight. This develops further during the bridge and especially as we build into the song’s climax. This exciting arrangement deserves better than a bunch of ‘been there, done that’ sing-talk. Just one memorable melody might have helped That’s Me stand out, but in its current guise I fear the song may get lost in the shuffle.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 7 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
Hate the chorus, the production is pretty fun, the song overall gives ITZY-vibes (mostly from their debut era). But hate the chantings here a lot.
6.75 (6, 8, 7, 6) for me.
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I’m also pinballing between 7 (6, 9, 7, 6) or 7.25 (6, 9, 7, 7), but I’m probably sticking to the 6.75 to 7 area.
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soooo where’s that person who said at least they’re not singing about being the baddest teens? 😭
this feels like a less fun version of itzy’s icy tbh.
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Hah, once again I left the 1.25x speed on youtube. (What can I say, I listen to a lot of 2 hours long podcasts these days.)
I only really noticed when I looked up at the video and their arms were moving a bit too fast and the chorus refrain “that’s me” was a bit too fast. Its a waaayyyyy better song at 1.25x. To fit those fast “That’s Me”s in the chorus though, 1.15x or 1.20x is about right.
Its not that bad of a song, just reuses elements we have heard many times before.
Minus a point for using a handgun in the video. I mean, cmon people really, teenagers running around with handguns? Teens dropping a _loaded_ handgun at 2:40, I should really subtract another point for that.
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I completely agree about the tempo this time!
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I like the instrumental but the song is boring
7.25/10 (6, 8, 8, 7) for me
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Needs less cowbell.
That chorus is baaad.
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the itzyfication and nctfication of kpop needs to be analyzed… this isn’t even their fault, they were doing their own thing and everyone started copying them. like come on… how many teen concepts are we gonna have that just feel like watered down itzy? there has to be more diversity in a “teen” concept out there but everyone’s scared to explore new things.
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I’m not predisposed against a shout or chant (in fact I rather like them), but why does this one sound so flat? It doesn’t sound like a group of girls chanting, it sounds like one voice duplicated a bunch of times with all reverb stripped from it. I hate it.
The instrumental is pretty great though and it’s a shame it hasn’t developed into a better song!
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