As a longtime fan, it’s been thrilling watching from20 and Hello Gloom’s Way Better transform from idea to boutique agency, swiftly collecting new artists like Pokémon. Their roster now holds five individual acts and today we have a new single from the one who started it all: from20.

From20’s music has been remarkably consistent so far, moving from glistening synth pop to funkier sounds. Eye Candy pulls him in an entirely new direction, taking inspiration from colorful early-2000’s hip-hop. And like many tracks of that era, the chorus offers some eyebrow-raising lyrics. To put it bluntly, the song is not subtle! I guess this is the benefit of working on the periphery  of the K-pop industry. Thankfully, the whole thing is pulled off with its tongue firmly in its cheek.

Eye Candy‘s instrumental is instantly nostalgic — some Timbaland here, some Neptunes there. The repeated brass salvo is very effective, adding bombast to the funky groove. More than anything, the production feels directly inspired by Kelis’s 2003 hit Milkshake. Its rugged synth is so close it might as well have been a direct sample. Eye Candy lacks the melodic verses of that track, heightening its novelty while possibly limiting its longevity. I’d love to see what from20 could do with a more fleshed-out pop topline over this same production.

Grade: B