K-pop is well known for latching onto a specific musical trend (usually a year or two late) and refusing to let go until they’ve drained the sound for all its worth. This is fine if we’re dealing with a fun, malleable trend, but becomes increasingly maddening when the trend is narrow and poorly executed. It’s become clear that hyperpop has become this year’s overriding trend and I’m afraid it’s allowed the industry to indulge in all of its worst tendencies: short songs, little-to-no singing, flimsy/disposable concepts meant for quick memeability rather than timeless appeal.
To be honest, I’ve never been a huge fan of hyperpop and its continued presence in K-pop is only deepening that feeling. Even at its best, I find the genre hard to connect with. I’m a listener who prizes great melody-writing and a fullness of sound (preferably with a resounding lower end), both of which seem to take a backseat here. We’re left with tinny electronics and a bunch of chatter that only occasionally attempts a semblance of melody.
Such is the case with Candy Pink Magic Hole Flip Phone. This title is meant to catch the eye and seem somehow clever, but in reality it’s simply kitschy for kitschy’s sake and that tends to have very little pull. The same can be said about the song as a whole. It’s essentially a repetition of one musical idea (of which the brilliant Why Did You Do It? by Norwegian group Kulturaften already mastered this year. Seriously, the melodies are identical!). Rather than build toward any notable centerpiece, Flip Phone draws a flat line driven by a deliberately aloof series of (mostly) spoken vocals. It’s a two minute sound collage — enjoyable and propulsive, but pure aesthetic through and through. On one hand, it’s hard to resist the surging electronic production. On the other, it’s hard to imagine such a threadbare track retaining its effect over a long period of time.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 7 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.25 |
Grade: C
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Well, it’s better than most hyperpop attempts done this year. I feel like it compliments KiiiKiii’s concept well, so I’m not complaining lol
7.5 (7, 9, 7, 7) for me. Also, reading your first two paragraphs and your tweet on this song, I was bracing for a 4s or 5s rating, hell, even a 2s rating 😭
LikeLike
this title sound as if it was made by AI
LikeLike
ironic you say that when youre rocking an ai generated profile picture
LikeLiked by 2 people
That clock is crazy😭
LikeLike
dont clock them like that
LikeLike
I am no aficionado of this sub-genre, but to me it sounds like a pretty good example of this sound. That said, I think I am allergic to songs-that-sound-like-youtube-ads, and so for me it is a pass, or more properly a “hunt for the window that has the youtube ad playing to find the skip button before the ad is done and skipping is moot.”
LikeLiked by 2 people
This is the most pure hyperpop I ever heard in K-Pop just by judging the production.
Lyrics wise… well in the era where producers are allergic to create melody, their verse is actually good but the chorus is just meh.
Visually, I’m in love of their concept this time. All of their snippet are very y2k-focused, so does their musically sound. I wish they could put more effort in their chorus rather just playing with the production only.
LikeLike
im literally the prime audience for this type of music, is it bad that it might be one of my contenders for kpop song of the year LOL
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not bad at all. I’m glad you like it! Since you said you’re the prime audience, I’m wondering if you’ve been loving K-pop on the whole this year?
LikeLike
The title is so amusing to me. It’s definitely too much, but I’m enjoying reading it. I’m actually not even gonna listen to the song until I’ve finished processing the title, and imagining what it might sound like 😆
LikeLike
i mean ur opinion on hyperpop is fair enough but i wonder how ur opinions on this would change knowing that they worked with actual korean underground hyperpop artists for this (effie more specifically)
LikeLike
also i feel like given ur opinions i wonder what ud think of sophies (rip) music? shes arguably the pioneer of this type of sound n her influence on modern pop truly cant be overstated. a sampler of her classics
LikeLike
It will never be a favorite genre of mine, but there’s just so much more to those Sophie songs than these recent K-pop efforts, both when it comes to length and ideas (and real human emotion).
LikeLike
also as for the song itself its definitely on the weaker end of this kind of sound cuz like u said theres not much of a good melody here but still the fact that a kpop group is doing classic hyperpop this authentically when the vast majority of attempts have sounded corporate/ai generated (cough katseye) makes me so happy
LikeLike
to me even though hyperpop isnt for me either i tend to hate it even more when kpop does it compared to established artists in those scenes (*cough cough* chat by girlset *cough cough* born stunner by artms)
i at least can appreciate artists like jane remover & underscores for the authenticity within the chaos they create, which kpop lacks as they treat the glitching synths and pitched up vocals as a trendy aesthetic, sanitizing it while somehow making it even more obnoxious
LikeLike
this also applies to other underground, niche genres like rage & drill
LikeLike
as someone that literally grew up on that kid, slayyyter, ayesha erotica, and other varieties of noise music (gameboi, mcsynth, euvn, miss madeline, chase icon) this year has been SO good to me in terms of kpop releases. I love this song, but I think the chorus will get grating and annoying, definitely ruining the staying power. However, I love kiiikiii’s nostalgia and aesthetic-driven concepts– their EP with delulu/404 has heavy staying power for me because I also love house (another reason this year of kpop will be imprinting itself onto my playlists hard), and I think the girls are so good at pulling off these concepts with their insane dancing and vocal chops. I’d say this is a good hook as a prerelease (especially with the marvelously edited music video), but I’m hoping the tt (I still can’t tell if its ever2late or pop off pop off) will be a bit more of a full-bodied track imbued with the sound and aesthetic rather than the aesthetic snippet that candy pink magic hole flip phone is. Either way, this song will be getting me through the next weeks leading up to the EP release (and hopefully through my thesis alive), and its served well as a preview because I am now strapped in for the EP release!
LikeLike
I am actually a fan of KiiKii overall Y2K sound. I DO ME and To Me From Me are my favourite songs from their discography. However, I am not a fan when their Y2K aesthetic took precedence over their actual music. That’s why I don’t really enjoy 404 New Era and this Candy Magic songs. It feels like they are doing too much to fit the Y2K aesthetic to the track (concept over substance) yet the actual song is just a blend of old electronic hyperpop production infused into talk-chanting soulless machine sound. The song just goes in one ear and left the other without any lasting impression. Hope the title track contained more actual singing than this prerelease.
LikeLike