I hadn’t really connected with Vanner’s music in the past, but their post-Peak Time comeback album impressed me last year. The group harnessed a sleek funk sound that took advantage of their impressive vocals and stage presence. Now it’s time to see if that track was a one-off or if the guys can forge an enduring career going forward.
For Jackpot, Vanner have enlisted Pentagon’s Hui as co-composer — and you can definitely hear the influence. The song sounds like something he would have crafted for Pentagon, melding boisterous energy with rock influences and hip-hop spirit. When it comes to intensity, the song won’t leave you wanting. They really threw the kitchen sink at the instrumental, and that sense of maximalism is appreciated. It elevates an otherwise so-so song that hinges on a weird “jack to the pot” hook. I don’t even know what that’s supposed to mean, and I can’t tell if it’s stupidly amazing or amazingly stupid.
Jackpot also joins the “two-and-a-half-minute song” club, but it doesn’t feel overly short. I guess this is due to its straightforward structure and continuous energy. It wastes no time getting going. At best, its combination of bombast and rambunctiousness recalls early 2010’s groups like Block B and B.A.P. It’s too early to know if Jackpot will endure in the same way, but I’m willing to give it the benefit of the doubt.
Hooks
8
Production
9
Longevity
9
Bias
8
RATING
8.5