There’s no K-Pop group hotter than NewJeans right now. Bursting onto the scene last year with the NewJeans EP, the rollout was nothing short of incredible as they mashed together a retro Y2K sound with sugary melodies and a splash of future bass. Each song was an instant hit and vaulted them directly into the mainstream. They finished 2022 even stronger with the releases of “Ditto” and “OMG” which would become their biggest songs yet. It’s crazy to see a new group blow up so effortlessly but when you listen to their style of K-Pop, it’s not hard to see why.
For the past decade, a lot of K-Pop has become predictable and overly reliant on familiar gimmicks. In particular, the production has shifted towards EDM and hip-hop stylings. It’s just not interesting to hear the same structure of verse-chorus-rap-bass drop over and over again. The most captivating groups these days aren’t afraid to dive into different genres and experiment with sounds that people don’t typically associate with K-Pop. NewJeans’ secret is that they have never conformed to a recognizable strain of the genre.
From the future bass drumlines on “Hype Boy” to the Baltimore Club influences on “Ditto” to the footwork fills in “Cookie”, the production for NewJeans always has an intuitive groove that keeps it in motion. On their second EP, Get Up, NewJeans once again jump right into their dance influences with shuffling breakbeats and rhythms. With an addictive chorus of “New hair, new tee, NewJeans, do you see?” laid over a crossover garage and liquid DnB beat, the opener “NewJeans” is a fresh take on their distinctive sound. Followed by a Jersey club beat on “Super Shy”, the girls balance the bouncy drumline with a timid delivery about developing crushes. “ETA” ups the ante with a spliced brass section and an urgency in its pulsating kicks.
Slowing down with “Cool With You”, NewJeans delivers a dreamy atmosphere against a shuffling garage backdrop. The two music videos for this song are a nifty concept as they explore the myth of Psyche and Eros with guest stars Hoyeon and Tony Leung. “Get Up” is the weakest part of the EP, a tiny intermission that links up the ending of “Cool With You” but stops abruptly. It could’ve benefitted from getting fleshed out more or connecting into the final track somehow. The EP closes with “ASAP”, a sample-based track with no instrumental melodies and minimal vocals whispering “Tick tock tick tock tick tock”. While the minimalist idea is interesting in theory, there isn’t enough time to develop anything in depth. Closing in at a mere 12 minutes, Get Up is shorter than their first EP but still has two more songs. There’s plenty to enjoy on this release, especially in the first few songs, but it ultimately feels like bite-sized samples of an inevitable debut album. Hopefully, NewJeans get more space to elaborate on their ideas because if they keep up their creative approach, they could dominate the charts for years ahead.
Must Listens: New Jeans, Super Shy, Cool With You
