The Album - BLACKPINK: Review
are one of the biggest voices in the current wave of genre blending K-Pop groups. Despite having a very slim discography the band has turned heads and achieved major commercial success. After some major collaborations including Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez and Cardi B the group geared up to release The Album, their most definitive statement yet.
Review By Lavender:
I haven't done many, if any reviews sharing my thoughts on any of the emerging girl and boy groups coming out of Korea recently, mainly because the sounds are usually so generic and derivative that I didn't have much to say. But Blackpink have always been the exception to that rule. Since their Blackpink project they have brought an engaging sound through a number of EP's and live projects that had me highly anticipating this statement record. While The Album is anything but generic, it only goes as far as the girl's personalities do.
This record gets off to an absolutely killer start across its first three tracks. How You Like That kicks off the record with swagger filled performances all around. The hard-hitting electronic beats on the hook give it a ton of punch but it's really the confident vocals where the song hits its stride and makes for an unrelenting banger. Ice Cream is a more pop oriented track with just as great performances from Blackpink as well as Selena Gomez. This has one of the best hooks I've ever heard on a BP song and it's been stuck in my head for weeks. Selena fits in perfectly and it makes for a second straight highlight out of the gate. Pretty Savage kicks off with an icy synth line and follows it up with a slick ass hip hop beat. The song genuinely shares a lot sonically with contemporary hip hop including fiery flows and a simple but effective hook. This was the point on the record where I couldn't believe how great a start The Album got. Before we get into the downward spiral I do want to mention there is one more great song on the second half of the record with Love To Hate Me. It's another manic combination of pop, electronica and hip hop with rattling trap high hats that work well alongside the catchy synth lines. There is also a variety of compelling performances from the girls across the track that adds up to a pretty great song.
Bet You Wanna had me excited because it featured Cardi B. Unfortunately the hook is a total mess and the lyrics over the whole track are just one disaster after another. Despite these shortcomings I will say that at the very least Cardi, Rose and Jennie maintain the tracks energy in their performance pretty well. Lovesick Girls is a slightly obnoxious pop song that gets back to the late 90's girl band craze but does it in a way that has aged like milk. The chorus is pretty nauseating but not quite as nauseating as the awful bridge which is the cherry on top of a track that sounds like it was made for an animated children's movie. Crazy Over You has one of the cooler beats on the record that gives all the verses a driving edge. I've gone back and forth on the hook because I hate how much it kills all the songs momentum as soon as it arrives. It reminds me a lot of Taylor Swift's Look What You Made Me Do so take that as you will. I don't hate the song I just with the hook was a lot better. Finally You Never Know is definitely the worst song here. While I understand the inhibition to make a positivity track this sounds like TV commercial music in the absolute worst way. I think it's the generic expressions of emotion that sound so focus grouped and meaningless paired with excessive triumphant explosions of instrumentation that are never really that engaging.
The Album is a crashing blend of different genres, performance styles and emotions so it's no surprise that it comes out pretty inconsistent. At it's best the songs have an explosive energy and fiery edge that makes them intoxicating. But there is another half to this record which puts on display some really taxing hooks and some hard to tolerate song ideas. While it isn't perfect this is still one of the best things I've heard from any of the rising Korean girl or boy groups and I think going forward BLACKPINK should still be considered the cream of the crop given their ability to write high end tunes far better than any of their contemporaries. 5.5/10
Album Cover Review By Tyler Judson:This cover isn't very exciting but it's to the point and very modern. The crown is well rendered and has a lot of detail while the logo stands out against the speckled black background. This isn't new or inventive but it's done well and that's sometimes a perk in and of itself. 5/10
For more personality driven pop check out my review of the new Melanie Martinez EP After School here
