Earlier this week, BLACKPINK’s Jennie unveiled the star-studded track list for her upcoming solo album. We’ve already heard her collaboration with Dominic Fike, but she’s also set to partner with Doechii, Dua Lipa, Childish Gambino, Kali Uchis and FKJ. It’s a diverse list of talents, for sure. Doechii’s name stands out in particular, as she’s currently enjoying a rapid ascent in popularity. Before even hearing ExtraL, this pairing of immense star power promised to ignite real sparks.
I’ve enjoyed Jennie’s recent releases, making it easy to forget that this project kicked off with last year’s less-inspired Mantra. That song’s catchphrasey approach didn’t connect with me at all, and parts of ExtraL suffer the same fate. It’s another brag track, which isn’t a subject matter I find remotely compelling. However, Jennie and Doechii do much more interesting things here than on Mantra. Regardless of whether the song’s repeated chants and cavernous production matches my personal taste (it occasionally does!), I appreciate the sonic choices being made. As is the case with many of these BLACKPINK solo collaborations, ExtraL‘s guest outshines the main artist. Doechii is able to ignite a momentum in verse two that the rest of the track struggles to match.
I would have loved to hear the song’s melodic chorus utilized (and developed) more often in the track. It’s much more effective than the oft-repeated “do my ladies run this?” hook and offers a change of pace that keeps things interesting. But overall, ExtraL is an assembly line of memorable pieces jammed together to forge a prickly package that feels like an evolved version of the empowerment anthems BLACKPINK built their name on. Even if it’s not my favorite Jennie solo track, it certainly achieves its aim.
Hooks
8
Production
8
Longevity
8
Bias
8
RATING
8