K-pop loves nothing more than to run a trend into the ground. You’ll get a fresh, exciting debut track (ITZY, NewJeans) only to see years of middling copies that suck all the charm from the sounds you first fell in love with. We’re currently in an age of what many have called “easy listening” girl group fare. These songs take trendy club sounds and extract much of their energy until we’re left with a vacuous sliver of a song.
Unfortunately, woo!ah! have become absorbed by this monolothic approach. They’ve been on a roll lately, releasing the strong Catch The Stars and Rollercoaster back to back. Now after sixteen months away, they’re back with the ultra-trendy Blush. This is another one of those tracks that just sort of wafts by, featherlight and stuffed with sugary hooks that feel more like ringtones than fully-fleshed out ideas. It’s airy and bright and might have sounded kind of awesome had we not been stuck in this trend cycle for nearly two years now.
Fans of this sound will find much to enjoy here. The melodies are catchy and insistent, even if most are either sing-talk or truncated little catchphrases. There are some nice harmonies throughout, but to me the song feels like elevated elevator music. It creates a pleasant haze but never really compels on its own. It’s pop music evaporation, more vapor than water.
Hooks
8
Production
7
Longevity
8
Bias
7
RATING
7.5