There’s this K-pop sub-genre lovingly referred to as “Christian horse girl music.” Think early efforts by GFriend, Lovelyz, Oh My Girl, April and the like. If you have time, do yourself a favor and go down the YouTube rabbit hole of this music, as it encompasses much of my favorite girl group output of the last decade. Girl groups have completely moved on from this sound, leaving the mantle of Christian horse girl music to be picked up by… The Wind?
The Wind have been traversing this road since debut, but new single Only One might be their most potent example of the form yet. There are several things I love about this song. First, it centers melody as its main musical ingredient, never losing its structural momentum to plunge into needless sing-talk. The tune is wistful yet dramatic, building to a chanted climax that gives each chorus an exciting through-line. This melody also makes room for several stirring vocal turns. After losing their main vocal in 2023, I worried that the group would become mired in material that didn’t stretch them vocally. That’s certainly not the case here. I mean, just listen to the bridge for proof!
Second, Only One throws the musical sink at its instrumental. So many “beigepop” entries of this K-pop moment could learn from Only One‘s ornate arrangement. A little electric guitar and a lot of strings never hurt a K-pop single, and in this case they give The Wind a sense of grandeur that transforms this song into a real statement. It’s not quite up there with the “Christian horse girl” classics of the past, but I’ll very gladly take it.
Hooks
9
Production
9
Longevity
9
Bias
9
RATING
9