Review

Song Review: P1Harmony – Ex

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In many ways, P1Harmony represent a new generation of K-pop idol groups. While they certainly have a fanbase in Korea, so much of their focus seems to be targeted toward western markets. It feels like they’re always touring in the States and now they’ve released an English-language album. They even premiered its single Ex on Good Morning America. My 2012 self can’t even fathom this approach, though BoA did trailblaze the idea of an English-language album with her self-titled 2009 project. And if we go back even further, the legend himself JYP released a 1996 English covers album — though the less said about that, the better. Trust me, you do not need to hear him warble his way through Wham’s Wake Me Up Before You Go Go. (Or maybe you do?)

Anyway, this has veered off topic. We’re talking about P1Harmony, here. Their music so far has had strong international appeal but I’m always interested in seeing what sounds an artist’s management thinks will break through to a western audience. If listening to Ex is any indication, they seem to have targeted a market in love with trendy vocal effects and stupid, sing-song melodies. In other words, it’s the same crap many agencies are peddling domestically.

I’ve always had a hard time with nursery rhyme style melodies. They grate on my nerves in a major way, even more than the boy group shout-chants often complained about on this blog. Unfortunately (and excruciatingly), Ex is “nursery rhyme melody” from start to finish. There is no respite from the structure, making the song one extended jingle. Worse yet, its three minutes feel like three hours, as if we’re on the “it’s a small world, after all” ride at Disneyland and the damn boat isn’t moving fast enough. It’s also reminiscent of the “this is the song that never ends, it goes on and on my friends” tune kids used to sing/sneer on the playground. In other words, it’s annoying as hell and makes me want to punch a wall.

Hooks 4
 Production 6
 Longevity 2
 Bias 3
 RATING 3.75

Grade: F

28 thoughts on “Song Review: P1Harmony – Ex”

  1. now that netflix has put in ads for their low tier prices i have to suffer through a constant stream of ads when i just wanna watch my fucking show in peace, first youtube plays that horrible amazon ad every two minutes in each video on their shitty ass mobile app and now this

    this song didnt have to remind me of them but it did and now i wanna throw my firestick at the tv for doing so

    fuck you netflix, fuck you youtube, and fuck you p1harmony

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  3. I snorted at the ratings and I’m outside rn 😭😭 okay, I snorted mentally, but you bet I was still baffled at the ratings and quickly gave it a listen to see how bad it could be.

    Well, given I don’t have a huge kneejerk reaction to nursery rhyme melodies as you do, I just find it really plain and generic, like it’s your corny “feel good” music that runs in the same veins as Can’t Stop The Feeling and Permission to Dance — songs so plain and again, corny, it doesn’t do much apart from making you bored (and maybe a little irritated) instead of interested. But this one is more so on the “chill” vibe (aka, boring) as compared to the other two songs and the guys sound bored as well. So yeah, I don’t like it much either, I’d rather listen to Killin’ It (a song I don’t like as well) than this.

    6 (6, 6, 6, 6) for me.

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  4. Also, I checked the JYP cover (cause I’m a masochist like that) and I have some things to say:

    1- what the hell is the cover art? 😭

    2- he raps like an elementary school kid trying to sound all tough + the raps sounds so… off place 🥴

    3- he sings like a drunk jazz singer

    4- the dance break is cool, but for a song like Wake Me Up Before You Go Go, it sounds off place

    5- with points 2 and 4 in mind, can we say it’s the beginning of JYP’s MIXXpop journey?

    6- I hate you for telling us that this even existed in the first place, I could have gone through the rest of my day not aware of its existence (¬_¬”)

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    • You haven’t seen the clear pants picture? (Actually, it is a protest, that as an artists everyone feels the need to see everything, may as wear see clear pants.)

      And I second the Mixxpop journey too. It starts with a bad mimic of Pet Shop Boy beats that run the whole song, throws in horns like SAW, and a rap like the Beastie Boys, and a dance break like MC Hammer. I think I missed even more.

      Also props to Nick for finding a youtube video of it which has as of =right now= 18 views. Maybe JYP though he had buried it, but like a bad bad dream it has popped up again.

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      • Well, I have seen the pants pic, as well as other monstrosities like him in a fishnet-like outfit, him grabbing his crotch and looking like he’s enjoying it way too much for the comfort of the viewer and of course, the unfortunate existence of his nudes so maybe I should have gotten used to his shenanigans already 😞

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    • If you really want to test yourself, listen to the whole album! (it’s not really that bad… just very random)

      And yes, the cover is sooooo funny (especially given the content of the album)

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  6. Oh I don’t think its 3.75 bad, but it is certainly less than 7. The main problem is that the song craft is over thought. The song writers took a few ideas and streeeeetched the material as far as it would go. Then as most songwriters are underpaid, put it out anyway to see if anyone would buy it anyway. Someone did anyway, and here is where we are today. In past years when things were more manual and demos were shared on cassette tapes, this would have remained forgotten in the back of a drawer.

    But alas.

    P1Harmony people what were you thinking?

    0:59 Props to the props people for find an old clicky-clack IBM keyboard. I am old enough to have used one for real the first time around, circa 1982 or so. Minus the same props for putting the E and X in the wrong position. (… we destroyed a keyboard or two of those on the original Microsoft Decathalon basic game. The running and hurdles events needed the square brackets hit fast. The springs couldn’t take it captain.)

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  8. Wow, I couldn’t disagree more! I think it’s a light, fun, cute song that I’ll take over the likes of FaShiON (or however it’s styled) any day. Ever since they put out Gotta Get Back with Pink Sweat$ I’ve wondered if they would go this route.

    I have a real love-hate relationship with this group because I kept hoping they would go back to the sound of Scared (too dated now), then I saw them live and realized that I don’t like most of their music, and since then I’ve been waiting for them to do something that would realize the potential of their very talented members. This English album isn’t quite it but I like the songs and think this is a good direction for them if they want to break into the global market.

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    • It’s not that it’s ripped straight from an existing nursery rhyme. It’s that the sing-song structure is reminiscent of a nursery rhyme style. That’s enough to repel me, unfortunately.

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      • That makes sense. For me I think the issue is when I can recognize a melody interpolation but find its inclusion lazy (IVE’s Supernova Love was a recent example that really upset me), or with nursery rhyme melodies when they lean into its cloyingness.

        Astro’s Hide & Seek came up in my queue recently and I think it remains a high watermark of using a nursery rhyme melody like this in cohesion with the rest of the song.

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