As someone with summers off, “Forever July” sounds like a pretty good proposition to me. However, this July in K-pop hasn’t been particularly exciting so if we’re talking about the music alone I’m ready to move on to greener pastures. Sunmi’s Forever July might as well be called “Forever NewJeans” because it’s the latest in an endless line of hazy, subdued pop music that’s followed in that group’s influential wake.
I really thought we were beginning to emerge from this glut of monotonous drum and bass inspired K-pop. To be fair, Sunmi’s vocals have always suited this type of moody fare, but I find the sound of Forever July hopelessly boring. It’s like a waking dream, or that moment when you’re starting to fade into sleep and the world kind of melts around you. You sense there’s a song playing in the background, but it’s too detached and distant to leave any sort of mark.
Forever July‘s structure isn’t just a flat line. It’s one of those faint dotted lines that isn’t even commanding enough to lay itself down in bold font. The melodies are as muddled and forgettable as the production and the entire thing passes by without ever exerting itself. How on earth did we go from dynamic material like Heroine, Siren and Pporappippam to this?
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 7 |
| Bias | 6 |
| RATING | 6.75 |
Grade: D+
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I was so bored.
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It has been a while since I last tuned into Sunmi’s music, so I was really looking forward to checking out this release. The track offers a nice, pleasant groove, though it didn’t quite go beyond that for me. Stylistically, the vibe feels reminiscent of something NewJeans might release.
While I initially thought the beat was very nice, it unfortunately didn’t resolve or build into a larger climax. The song’s brief runtime also doesn’t leave quite enough room to develop a highly compelling progression, which left the overall listening experience feeling a little incomplete. Knowing how incredibly creative and unique Sunmi is as an artist, I was hoping for a concept that felt a bit more daring and out-of-the-box.
Final Rating: 8 ( 8, 8, 8, 8)
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so disappointing to get this from sunmi. You know there’s so little here when she can’t even wring anything out with her vocals. great video, but who actually thought this would be a good single?
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As someone blasting the likes of Chase and Status and Sub Focus pretty much daily, associating drum n bass with inoffensive, mellow, and boring is a crime. Come on producers, if you use this type of beat then go loud and fast!!
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It’s ok. I like the general groove and her voice sounds alright, but it’s pretty flat and boring besides that. 7
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