BABYMONSTER’s new era opens in earnest today, with lead single CHOOM the first volley of continued promotion over the next month or two. Unlike past efforts, this song was barely teased before the full thing dropped, which always makes me a bit nervous. If you’ve got a killer track, you’d usually want people to know and build anticipation. Sadly, with CHOOM BABYMONSTER do not possess that killer track. Hiding it during the pre-order period was probably wise.

The subject matter here is ultra familiar. “I’m the best,” “We won’t stop,” “I’m a queen,” etc. I’m not the only one tired of this corporate “empowerment” trope, am I? This time, it’s tied to the clunky onomatopoeia “choom,” which is repeated constantly throughout the chorus. A percussive instrumental adds some interest, though its heavy tones don’t boast much character and feel a bit too leaden to build a groove worth dancing to. And singing? Well, you’re not going to get much of that here. It’s hard to add melody to a monosyllabic word like “choom,” so the girls spend much of their time chanting and talking and occasionally rapping.

Choruses are difficult for K-pop writers these days, with true standouts hard to come by. CHOOM‘s hook is mostly empty space, gaining brief life as the girls deliver an ascending line that echoes the instrumental’s sharp force. Sadly, this never amounts to much and the song’s climactic chant ends things on a dispiriting note. I refuse to believe this is the best a once-great agency like YG can offer for one of its marquee acts.

Grade: C-