I recently finished watching the JYP edition of The Game Caterers — a field day suite of games involving members of every active JYP group. The series was a lot of fun and I admired how agency COO J.Y. Park participated as well. It was like watching the principal of a school hang out with different generations of students. Whatever you may think of the man, he certainly boasts an admirable work ethic. That includes his yearly solo single, which often riffs on musical trends of decades past.
New single Happy Hour (퇴근길) enlists the help of non-JYP singer/songwriter Kown Jinah, though the two share a history through the 2013 season of K-pop Star. Rather than his usual forays into disco and synthpop, Happy Hour adopts a country sheen. I feel like J.Y. Park has been threatening a country song for awhile now, and though this one doesn’t completely lean into the genre the guitar is definitely twanging.
While the song’s music video highlights the humor we’re accustomed to from his late-career period, the song itself is rather dull. I don’t think this genre is suited to J.Y. Park’s strengths and the melodies aren’t memorable enough to make up for the lackluster instrumental. Perhaps if I spoke and understood fluent Korean I’d be more charmed by the overall package. As it stands, this is a rare pass for me.
Hooks
7
Production
7
Longevity
7
Bias
7
RATING
7