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The group Blackpink, made up of Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa, is one of South Korea’s most successful girl bands. Since their debut with songs “Boombayah” and “Whistle” in 2016, girls have won a total of 76 awards and have 239 nominations to their credit. After a two-year break, the group is back with the single “Pink venom.” The song was added to their latest album “BORN PINK,” which fans interpret as an album ending their career.
One might think there is a grain of truth in this theory, given that the girls still haven’t extended their expiring contract with the YG label. In addition, the numerous parallels in the “Shut down” video to Blackpink’s previous numbers, or the choice of the fan-familiar number “Ready for Love” for the closing track makes one think and question the future of the band. However, on the other hand, the group may simply be suggesting the end of one era and the beginning of another, under the “Pink venom” flag. What’s more, YG has announced that the new songs are expected to write a new story in the band’s career.
Tracklist:
1. Pink Venom
2. Shut Down
3. Typa Girl
4. Yeah Yeah Yeah
5. Hard to Love
6. The Happiest Girl
7. Tally
8. Ready For Love
BLACKPINK in your area, the area been shut down
Blackpink has been working with Teddy Park since 2016, responsible for producing all the band’s songs. The composer is inspired by various musical species, which can be heard especially on the new album. “Pink venom,” which reached number one on the Billboard Global 200, strongly refers to 90s hip-hop, pop, rock, EDM. In addition, it was enriched with geomungo (a traditional Korean instrument) parts and samples of Rihanna’s “Pon de replay,” B.I.G.a’s “Kick in the door” or 50 CENT’s “P.I.M.P.” The song is a combination of music trends from the past 10 years. It fits in with y2k fashion and looks great for the fourth generation of k-pop. According to the members, the single perfectly depicts their dual nature – dangerous and sweet. However, some claim that the comeback is not innovative in any way and the song is called cheesy and “typical of Blackpink”.
Blackpink return after two years with song “Pink Venom”
They are also accused of monotony of the chorus, but it is worth reminding that the main purpose of releasing songs is earning money. This reflects on the composition or aesthetics of the number, which thus needs to be catchier. Blackpink’s talented fans came out with their own initiative and some of them created alternative versions of the song.
“Shut Down”, just like the number that begins the album, is inspired by a other culture than Korean. The song includes a sample from Niccolò Paganini’s “La campanella” (1826). The number was meant to be a message to haters “to know where they belong.”
Shut down begins with a sample of “La campanella”
In this respect, it reminds us of “Pretty Savage,” where classical music is combined with modern music. Another song – “Yeah yeah yeah” – with its light sound is similar to Sunmi’s latest single “Heart Burn.” Blackpink’s song features a synthesizer reminiscent of the 1980s, and the guitar that begins the number combined with simple percussion is similar to indie or bedroom pop. Teddy has achieved that, what is very difficult to achieve – a retro synth that sounds pop and at the same time not cheesy. The song, upon first perception, can be considered a low-grade disco imitation, which, upon further listening, turns out not to be entirely true. You can hear there a strong inspiration of EDM from 2015, whose representative in Europe was Avicii. In “Typa girl” it is worth noting not only the musical layer, which refers to R&B and fourth-generation k-pop trends, but also the lyrics. Blackpink openly advocate the “woman power” movement in this song and emphasize their uniqueness, which can also be heard in “Tally.” Blackpink rightly raise the controversial topic of restrictions imposed by society due to being a woman and the due freedom that men have. “Hard to Love” for this is closer thematically to their pop ballad “The Happiest Girl.” Musically, for its part, it resembles funk, pop with elements of disco, which at times is close to the aesthetics of another Korean singer, IU.
Blackpink “Born Pink” – listen up!
BORN PINK is a producer’s conscious play with various conventions and use of the vocal potential of its members. The album allowed them to fully express themselves, which can be heard in a wide range of musical styles. When undertaking an album evaluation of Blackpink, any scale should be discarded, as it is difficult to determine what they should be compared to. Is it k-pop or just pop now? Evaluation through a scale of 1 to 10 is therefore superfluous. It is certainly worth finding out with our own ears whether the girls have lived up to our musical expectations after a two-year break.
Review: Kinga Glińska
English translation: Natalia Kalinowska
Photo: Blackpink Official FB
Polish version here
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