In my house, there exists a hallowed “Damdadi” that heralded the arrival of a personal favorite idol group, so there’s no way I’m not instantly imagining baseball uniforms and hip-shaking choreo when I see that title. However, producer R.Tee and i-dle’s Soyeon have also ventured into “Damdadi” territory with this new collaboration.

While there’s no way this song can match up to that “original” Damdadi, it’s a fun dance track. Collaborations like this exist outside the needs of a typical K-pop comeback and allow the artists to craft something more streamlined and dancefloor-ready. DAMDADI (담다디) does nothing a million other club tracks don’t already do, but it’s fun to hear Soyeon’s idiosyncratic vocals over a beat like this.

As always with shortened, sub-three minute tracks, DAMDADI also has plenty of missed potential. When I imagine an excellent dance song, there’s a certain amount of tension needed. Build, build, build… and release! DAMDADI lacks this, bopping along with consistent energy until it simply ends with no fanfare or sonic revelation. This causes the track to feel like connective tissue on a playlist, veering dangerously close to “filler” — but at least this filler has a pulse. For a stronger R.Tee dance banger, check out this killer bop from 2019.

Grade: B-