At their best, E’Last have offered an ultra-dramatic take on K-pop, fueled by orchestral strings and inventive song structures that feel almost like musical theater. Over the years, they’ve drifted from that early sound, most recently in the form of Kiss Me Baby‘s funk energy. New single Gasoline returns to darker textures but fails to recapture the magic of their best work.
Gasoline is delivered with plenty of panache, but the song spends most of its time offering a style of plodding shout-singing that’s become less effective the more boy groups embrace it. Despite its bombast, the melody remains surprisingly flat, cycling through an unadventurous structure that would be quite boring without the aggressive distortion that fuels it. I can see what E’Last were going for here, but the song just isn’t that pleasant or interesting to listen to.
Hooks
7
Production
8
Longevity
8
Bias
7
RATING
7.5