It’s been a good long while since CLASS:y last released music in Korea, and although they have a decent-sized singles run, I couldn’t tell you how a single song sounds off the top of my head. Such is the rapid pace and oversaturation of the K-pop market, I guess. New single Psycho & Beautiful sees them trying on current 2024 trends, delivering the latest in an endless line of subdued earworms.
Talk to me a year from now (hell, talk to me in a month) and I guarantee I’ll have no recollection of this song. Psycho & Beautiful pulls from the same library of samples so many other girl groups have dabbled in this year. It’s a little NewJeans, a little ILLIT and not much CLASS:y. The percolating beat is a laidback vibe — “coffeeshop dance music,” if you will. It’s slinky and lithe, but utterly unsurprising. The melodies follow a similar route, bending around the production but disintegrating immediately after you hear them.
The song’s calling card is a repetitive “me, me, me, me, me, me, me” — an especially dumb refrain delivered in monotone. I’m jealous of listeners who enjoy this style because you’re certainly feasting this year. Unfortunately, I was already hoping this trend who fizzle out in 2023. The fact we’re still here is discouraging.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 7 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Boring
Glad CLASS:y are back cause a 2 year hiatus is insane for a rookie group, but wish they came back with something stronger
Rating’s the same.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s the “can you handle me?” for me. Girl, I can handle you and 10 more. We’ve had like 10 songs like you in the past week alone.
Also:
LikeLike
This one is a skip.
However, the b-side “Love Game” is really good. Really good. Classic kpop sound featuring that rare event these days: an honest to goodness key change.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Oooh thank you for putting this out here because I would’ve never listened to it otherwise and that would’ve been a shame because this is GOOD! Like, ‘going on my playlist immediately’ good.
The fact that they had this and didn’t pick it as the title is baffling to me, but I guess it shows that the ‘subdued’ trend is still very much prevalent.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I find this to unironically be one of the better songs among this year’s trendy flourishes. It feels fully realized despite being under 3 minutes and they give us several really decent vocal performances as well as an interesting instrumental that feels complete.
Truthfully I am unsure this will get them anywhere – hell, before they announced this comeback I had been fully convinced they’d disbanded because of such a lengthy hiatus – but I can’t help being charmed by the songs choices.
LikeLiked by 2 people
See, this is why I think I don’t hear the same thing that you do, Nick, when I listen to peak-era NewJeans (which is to say, their work before this year, which I found a bit weaker, probably due to Hybe’s targeted bullying). While there are no doubt imitators, I don’t think they’ve cracked NewJeans’s secret algorithm (Illit in particular). Which is to say, I have *not* been feasting this year; in terms of music, this year has been pretty awful in fact.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think NewJeans’ formula (or that one factor which makes their songs stand out) is that they still manage to drabble in between different genres while maintaining their soft, airy sound. When I think of other songs tryna imitate them, I only think of their resemblance with Super Shy (their most prominent drum and bass song imo, maybe even Cool With You?), I don’t see them imitate Attention, Hype Boy or hell, even ETA. And besides, their songs also have that groove to them and they mainly focus on a 90s or early 00s sound imo (like with Attention), so it works as well.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I agree, and those great percussions never seem stolen from someone else (whether it’s drum and bass, or PinkPantheress, etc), unlike NJ rip-offs. And I also think there’s more going on : small sonic details and unusual tonal colors, that *perfectly pitched* vocal that acts as its own hook. And underneath it all lurk fantastic songs that work in other contexts as well, whether orchestral or jazz arrangements; for example:
LikeLike
I can appreciate some smart ideas here: starting with the first half of the chorus, but we don’t realize it’s the chorus yet because it feels like a verse. And then that odd instrumental bridge with the anime sparkle sound effect. And bringing that bridge back (but with percussion) to end the song.
I think a group like Billlie could take this tune and really push it somewhere cool (and give us better a dance break).
LikeLike
Nothing classy released before really stuck with me so I actually think this is a step in the right direction. Does it fit into trends, yes … but that doesn’t automatically make me count a song out. It’s stylish and cool and I like both hooks. I can’t speak to its longevity but I’ve been replaying this all day
LikeLike