To preface, I’m not saying it’s bad music or anything. It does align with what they’ve put out in the past, and I do think the EP is cohesive. All the songs sit in the same sonic realm, so to speak. They’re all very soft, light, easy listening tunes.
And before I get into it, I want to point out that I’ve listened to it over ten times by now and read the lyrics. I normally listen to a song multiple times before I form an opinion I can confidently share.
Let’s talk about their title track, With. The song is already No. 1 on Melon, congrats to them! I don’t wanna sound like a debbie downer, but to me, it just doesn’t sound like a chart-topping track. Almost every single time, regardless of whether I personally like a song or not, I can understand WHY a song is at the top of the charts. For example, looking back at all the recent hits we’ve had since last year, we have:
KDH: Golden
Nmixx: Blue Valentine
Hwasa: Good Goodbye
KiiiKiii: 404!
IVE: BANG BANG
AKMU: Paradise of Rumors
Cortis: REDRED
IOI: Suddenly
Soyeon: TOESA
A2O LITE: NEON
I don’t necessarily like all the songs I’ve mentioned above, but I can absolutely see why they became so successful and how they resonated with the GP. I can see the selling points. Some have incredible toplines, some have very addictive hooks, some have unique melodies, and others have lyrical messages that really resonate with Korean listeners. Whatever the reason, I can pinpoint exactly what made these songs click with the GP.
And then I listen to Rescene’s With, the latest chart-topping track, and I find myself struggling to identify that special element that makes it stand out as a No. 1 hit. Sound-wise it’s reminiscent of some 3rd gen girl groups like Lovelyz, and also very similar to the kind of music 4th gen’s H1-KEY puts out. I hate using this word to describe a song, but I honestly can’t think of a better one than “generic.”
The topline and progression are predictable, and the whole song sounds like something you’ve heard of many times before in kpop. I also don’t think the lyrics help its case. The main chorus basically revolves around the repetition of “Runnin’ on you~,” followed by a post-chorus melody built around a single word, “You~You~.” “Both sonically and lyrically, I just don’t see what makes this particular song so special or what exactly sets it apart from what we’ve already heard before.
I haven’t really seen or read what people think of this comeback yet, aside from the fact that they’ve already topped the charts, so I could very well be in the minority here. Maybe everyone loves it except me. One thing I keep wondering though, is whether the song is performing so well because people genuinely love it or whether it’s largely a result of the insane hype surrounding the group and the support of their massive fandom.
Anyway, I’m really curious to hear what you guys think of their latest comeback.
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