MiSO is not the kind of big name I would usually write about, but sometimes a song warrants coverage even if most people have never heard of the artist. She was a member of the hilariously-named group Girls Girls, who I actually wrote about all the way back during the first year of this blog. Since then, she’s gone on to solo work and released new single Spotlight today.
While there are a few things holding me back from loving this song, the reason I wanted to spotlight it is that it follows the ultra-propulsive Navillera/Chaser sound we rarely (if ever) hear in K-pop anymore. The entire track is one long stretch of acceleration, egged along by electric guitar and bounding percussion. This template happens to be my favorite K-pop (and J-pop) trope ever, so any music that draws upon it is almost guaranteed an 8+ rating.
When it comes to Spotlight, the melodies aren’t strong enough to fulfill its potential and the vocal arrangement/execution leaves something to be desired. For lack of a better description, it’s clear this is the Navillera template on a budget, but I want to give MiSO major props for attempting the sound at all. We need to hear more of this in modern K-pop!
Hooks
8
Production
9
Longevity
8
Bias
9
RATING
8.5