Hyolyn has become synonymous with summer, first as a member of Sistar and then as a solo act. She’s leveraged that position once again for a new mid-summer album but isn’t playing into obvious summer tropes. New single ChecK could be played year round as long as you’re in the mood for some more Y2K revival.
It’s tricky when you come to the tale end of a trend. I’m not sure how much pull the Y2K vibe still has with listeners. I’m certainly getting a bit tired of it and I imagine others are also eager to move onto new sounds. ChecK rides on an ultra familiar groove, the one-millionth K-pop song to crib those Neptunes/Timbaland beats that were so popular at the turn of the millennium. It’s not a bad fit for Hyolyn’s undeniable charisma, but the overwhelming sense of “been there, done that” dampens the song’s appeal.
When listening to ChecK, I’m reminded of early Beyonce. Hyolyn’s performance is cut from similar cloth, but her vocals have a very different appeal. While she can pull off this funkier hip-hop sound just fine, I think her higher, airier tone works so much better on melodic, sultry summer material. This song is rather threadbare, loosely cobbled together over the groove, and the performance just doesn’t have enough presence to anchor it. ChecK is absolutely fine, but far from my favorite work from Hyolyn.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
Grade: C+
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
do u have a rating/review of hyolyn’s see sea?
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oh, this was a while ago. can I ask if this song has grown on you since?
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I could be tempted to put it at a 9 but my thoughts are largely the same.
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also one more thing if that’s okay: is infinite’s chaser your favorite song of ALL TIME, or just your favorite KPOP song?
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My favorite K-pop song. I haven’t even tried to imagine my favorite song of all time.
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do you have any close contenders you could think of though?
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Probably but that’s a big job that I don’t want to sit down and think about right now haha
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Another Y2K-inspired concept! While I certainly don’t hate the aesthetic, I was really hoping for a grand midsummer banger from Hyolyn rather than another iteration of the Y2K style. The chorus itself isn’t bad, but given her immense talent, it feels like she could have—and should have—pushed it so much further. To be completely honest, the repetition of the word “Check” throughout the track felt a bit overwhelming at times.
Overall, I find this to be a decent step up from “Wait,” even if it didn’t quite hit that standout summer anthem mark I was craving. It also unfortunately feels like another track that fell victim to the trend of shorter song runtimes. Still, Hyolyn’s presence is always appreciated, and I’m continually interested to see what direction she takes next!
Final Rating: 7.25 (7, 8, 7, 7)
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This is cool, not very remarkable though. I think Y2K is reaching for the status of the 80s (in terms of how used it is for making new music). I think, most times, it is up to the producers to create something interesting using those inspirations.
The 80s are still being used but I feel like there’s a finesse and cooler vibe to what Doja Cat’s Vie was as an album, compared to, say Ava Max’s discography, or Zara Larsson’s stuff before Midnight Sun. It just really depends on the artist, so it’s up to them and their team to make great stuff under the Y2K trend, 80s revival or whatever trend.
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the Crazy In Love influence is very clear and they should’ve gone in that direction for the song too. she is the first person I think of when someone says “k-pop’s Beyoncé” (performance-wise) but she continues to be given very average music.
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