Of all the new girl groups debuting this week, I was most looking forward to Candy Shop. This is more to do with the song production of K-pop legend Brave Brothers than anything else. Candy Shop is his agency’s first new girl group after Brave Girls (now BB Girls) departed last year. The only thing giving me pause is the fact that Brave Brothers often gives his best material away to other agencies (exhibit A: TRENDZ’s excellent Go Up!).
Brave Sound songs tend to exist in one of two realms. We have the upbeat party starters (my favorites!) and the more subdued slow burns. The latter can also be super effective, resulting in tracks as addictive as Brave Girls’ Deepened. Candy Shop’s debut Good Girl seems to fit within this same musical approach, but skimps on the hooks necessary to make it work.
Ugh! What a disappointment this is. Good Girl didn’t need to be an upbeat banger, but it did need to have some personality that establishes Candy Shop right off the bat. Instead, its instrumental and repetitive melody feel like lesser versions of stronger songs. From the echoey tropical house synths to the sing-talk verses, Brave Brothers retreads familiar territory but tries to force it into current girl group trends. This ends up forging a song that doesn’t go anywhere. The “good girl” hook isn’t very memorable and the leaden energy doesn’t help uplift the performance. I still think this group can be amazing, but Good Girl is a debut better left on the shelf.
Hooks
7
Production
7
Longevity
7
Bias
7
RATING
7