Teen Top’s Niel has had a solo career for over ten years now. Back in 2015, he debuted with the Taemin-lite Lovekiller but has been active only sporadically since. She is his first solo single since last year’s underrated Parting Path and sees him taking on a more downbeat soul sound.

Right off the bat, She‘s instrumental caught me off guard. From the searing guitar solo to its languid pace, the song deposits us right into the seventies. I can practically see lava lamps in a dark room when I hear this. It’s a sound we don’t hear often in K-pop — especially as a title track. There’s probably a reason for that, though. She isn’t particularly commercial. It’s a mood rather than a chart-conquering hit, but Niel has earned the right to record and release whatever he pleases. The song builds slowly and circuitously, hitting its climax whenever that impressive guitar takes hold. It feels more like a curiosity than a song I’d lodge iinto my own playlist, which inevitably colors my opinion of the track.

Grade: C