In a way, Young Posse were ahead of their time. There’s this garish brand of “quirky” that’s taken over K-pop lately. Think Katseye’s Gnarly or LE SSERAFIM’s Spaghetti. Some of these work better than others (I happen to love the latter), but they share the same approach of placing meme culture ahead of anything else. They’re not so much songs as they are bids for internet ubiquity. This is what happens when cultural moments are reduced to ten second clips online. It used to be that a song could become culture-dominating (or even controversy-starting) through its own merits – not just via silly imagery placed against a piss-poor green screen.
This brings me to Young Posse’s new collaboration with rapper Benzo. Lose Your Shxt fits squarely within this meme-happy realm of music. Not only is it knowingly garish, but it continues K-pop’s recent obsession of speaking catchphrases over a chintzy dance beat. Young Posse have been doing this even before it was popular, so I want to give them more grace. And when they’re firing on all satirical cylinders, they’ve proven their ability to transcend the shtick. However, Lose Your Shxt veers too close to novelty for me. It boasts some actual rapping (and singing!), but overall the song feels disposable — fun in the moment but not designed for longevity.
When it comes down to it, Lose Your Shxt‘s spoken word centerpiece just isn’t interesting. That’s what separates it from a song like Spaghetti or even Gnarly. The chorus wants to be fun but it’s simply exhausting. There are no surprises or spikes of interest, just a droning thump that’s trying so hard to seem as if it’s not trying at all.
Hooks
7
Production
8
Longevity
7
Bias
7
RATING
7.25