THE ALBUM / BLACKPINK / October 2, 2020
- Joshua Yoo
- Oct 16, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 22, 2020
To say that their debut studio album was an anticipated release would undoubtedly be a massive understatement. BLACKPINK has garnered an immense global following over the last couple of years, based off of seemingly less output than many of their K-Pop contemporaries. Given this, the boldly titled “THE ALBUM” is notably brief in length, attempting to pack a serious, no-frills punch in its terse runtime. But while there are quite a few high-intensity, impactful moments of fun found within the project, the total effort is a bit too inconsistent track-to-track to fully substantiate its short length.
The back-to-back lead singles that kick off the album make for quite a triumphant start to the project. “How You Like That” delivers a tour de force electro-pop banger, with piercing vocal lines, booming bass drops, and a slick rap verse from Lisa, while “Ice Cream” is a more lighthearted and bouncy piece of pop that finds collaborator Selena Gomez meshing well with the girl group’s sound. The track “Pretty Savage” also serves to be a powerful boss-type anthem, the aggressive vocals and confident lyricism seeing the group of women at their most self-assured.
However, as the album progresses on, their sound begins to shift to different styles, with not every attempt exactly sticking the landing. "Crazy Over You” features a blend of varying global sounds and percussion, but the plainly underwhelming pre-chorus/chorus overshadow them. And while lyricism isn’t normally a primary focus, the writing on parts of this album can sometimes lack nuance or depth, such as on “Bet You Wanna.”
The strengths of BLACKPINK most clearly surface on their debut effort, and despite its patchy areas, “THE ALBUM” contains aspects of their artistry that they can look to build off of for the future.
Best Track(s): How You Like That, Pretty Savage
Lowlight(s): Crazy Over You, Bet You Wanna
SCORE: 5/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioNng23DkIM
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