CLASSy have removed the colon from their group name as a subtle rebranding, and to be honest that’s probably needed. They haven’t released new material since 2024 and even before that struggled to generate memorable output. I wrote reviews for every one of their singles and couldn’t hum any of them back to you today. Such is the case with K-pop’s fast fashion. Much of it tends to fizzle out as quickly as it comes into vogue.
Opting for a more timeless sound, the group has enlisted prolific composer EL CAPITXN for new single Tear Drop (눈물이 난 채로 걷는 게 나다운 거라서). This is a much more striking rebranding than the removal of punctuation and places CLASSy within the current idol landscape in a convincing way. Tear Drop is a surging rock track — midtempo but driving. Apart from 2026’s nods toward rock music, it feels refreshingly trend-free. At the same time, it doesn’t feel like an obvious single.
I like this overall sound and the song effectively deploys its emotional backdrop through a series of melodies that blend the anthemic with the sentimental. However, Tear Drop ends up feeling flat because of its arrangement. Almost all the vocals have this doubling, echoey effect that causes them to blend together into one impersonal tone. Rather than listening to an idol group, it feels like we’re listening to a group’s voices run through a machine and spat out as a conglomeration. This removes a ton of character from the track and flattens the experience. This song itself is solid, but lacks dynamics.
Hooks
8
Production
8
Longevity
8
Bias
8
RATING
8