This isn’t a uniquely K-pop issue, but I keep waiting for a male pop star to pick up the mantle of showmanship previously held by such titans as Michael Jackson and Prince. K-pop used to be a haven for this style of virtuosic pop star with ambitious artists like Taemin, but the new gen seems to prefer a more lo-fi, guy-plucked-from-your-neighborhood form of popstardom. I mention this here because I feel like TXT’s Yeonjun has it in him to be the kind of world-conquering showman I miss but seems more interested in a looser, more melody-averse presentation. This was true on his debut mini album and carries over to new title track Ice Cream.
I just… don’t know what I’m supposed to get from a song like this. This sparse, percussive Neptunes-esque sing-talk schtick has been done to death from artists both inside and outside of K-pop. Do we really need more of it? It certainly doesn’t paint Yeonjun as an artist with anything new or dynamic to say. It’s a groove. It’s a vibe. It’s about two minutes long.
The most frustrating thing about Ice Cream is that it’s little more than an aesthetic. There’s not much of a song thrown over the top. Instead, we get a string of catchphrasey lines riding the beat without attempting to forge into anything beyond a brief diversion. It’s more sonically palatable than last year’s Talk To You, yet somehow still feels like a retread. I don’t think anyone would be mad to hear this blasting out of a car stereo on a hot summer day, but I need someone (anyone!) to rediscover their ambition and deliver more than a simple song sketch because the threadbare nature of a track like Ice Cream is honestly more depressing than joyful. And frankly, fans need to stop settling for this as well.
Hooks
6
Production
8
Longevity
6
Bias
6
RATING
6.5