WayV’s Ten has a new mini album out later this month and — like seemingly everyone in K-pop — has teased it with a pre-release single. Pre-releases often end up being bigger hits than the actual title tracks, as artists want to come out of the gate with their strongest material first. Bambola takes a different approach, eschewing chart potential for experimentation. It sets the stage for a musically ambitious project.
If I were to describe Bambola succinctly, it’s like a typical K-pop song thrown in a blender until it’s shredded and put back together again. Many of the pieces are in the “wrong” place, yet the structure still (barely) makes sense as a song. It can be difficult to get this balance correct. Too “experimental” and we lose the aspects that make pop music great, yet too safe and the song feels more like a gimmick than a statement. Overall, Bambola hits a satisfying middle. I wish it was a bit hookier, but its constant barrage of sound is compelling in its own way.
For me, this kind of song works best when cutting its frantic nature with an oasis of melodic perfection. Though it’s not nearly as weird as Bambola, Xia Junsu’s 2016 single Rock The World is a great example of how to execute this well. The “yaba daba” chorus here doesn’t work for me and only heightens the song’s more obnoxious elements. I’m much more interested in the dramatic pre-chorus, which hints at a more robust series of hooks.
Hooks
7
Production
9
Longevity
8
Bias
7
RATING
7.75