Though it received a muted response around these parts, LE SSERAFIM’s Overwatch single Perfect Night went on to become a big hit for the group. Someone at Source Music was clearly paying attention, as new title track Easy does its best to replicate that sound. This time, the girls have jettisoned the bombastic turns of Antifragile and Unforgiven to embrace groove and vibe.
To say this style is not for me would be an understatement. I can appreciate that we all have different tastes and there’s a huge swath of Gen Z listeners who thrive on Easy‘s subdued sound. To me, the song just sounds incredibly flat. Melodic range is narrowed to a murmur and the trap-heavy beat simply repeats itself rather than growing throughout the track. The vocal performance isn’t interesting enough to compensate. Heavy filters remove any warmth from the song, further obscuring individual character. It’s one thing to be airy. Easy is just empty.
Given LE SSERAFIM’s (and HYBE’s) standing in the K-pop industry, I’m baffled how a song like this came about. Not every a-list act needs to stuff fireworks and confetti into every title track, but Easy sounds like everyone involved simply gave up. It’s not what I would expect from a group currently topping the charts. But knowing how the industry (and rabid fandom) works, this will probably end up shooting straight to number one. In this case, that would be rewarding mediocrity.
Hooks
6
Production
6
Longevity
7
Bias
5
RATING
6