Recently, I’ve been ranking K-pop artists against each other based on their singles runs and I was surprised how high Treasure ended up. This isn’t because I dislike the group. I just can’t immediately point toward one big highlight in their discography. For me, they’ve been a firm, reliable act that rarely propels to the top of my playlist but usually finds a spot anyway. New single If I reinvents their sound, though they’ve always had hip-hop tracks as part of their repertoire.

When I think of my favorite Treasure title tracks, the sound of If I doesn’t come to mind. It’s as if they took the unwelcome second-verse trap breakdown that features in so much of their music and made an entire song out of it. On the plus side, this results in a consistent piece of work. If I grooves with intention and never strays from its core musical ideas. However, these ideas are pretty threadbare. With only a sliver of melodic hookiness to draw me in, If I amounts to swaggering chant after swaggering chant.

When it comes to a big hip-hop track from an artist of Treasure’s caliber, the least I’d expect is a cool beat, but the production here feels generic and lacks its own sonic calling card. The instrumental rumbles forward without much character, making If I sound as if it could be given to any K-pop boy group who wanted to get their swag on. And since its chorus isn’t hooky either, I’m wondering what I’m meant to latch onto here.

Grade: C-