Track list
pink venom
Close
Type Girl
Yeah yeah yeah
hard to love
The happiest girl
Score
ready for love
After almost two full years since the release of their first full album The Album, K-pop superstar Blackpink is back with Born Pink. The expectations were extremely high and the pressure for this comeback was considerably higher due to the long gap since their last full project, with everyone wondering, “Will Blackpink disappoint?”
NOIRPINK
Blackpink shut it down
Blackpink apparently heard it and made the decision to end it all with their title single, Shut Down. The song sounds like a hip-hop tune with trap beats in the perfect places over a sample of Niccol Paganini’s classic composition La Campanella, giving it the band’s classy vibe.
Shut Down is both refreshing and strikingly reminiscent of Blackpink’s sound thanks to the mesmerizing production and engaging hooks; it is not without originality but does not go too far from the characteristic elegance of the group either.
The song is seductive and appealing (just like any other Blackpink track), but it’s not obnoxious or dependent on clichéd stuff. It feels cool but is obviously Blackpink.
The sample is used in this song in a smart and nice way, acting more as a signature to support the song’s opulent and unique aesthetic than a main focus and letting the beat take care of itself. It generates a noticeable underlay that keeps the main body of the song moving in the right direction without dominating the track.
Shut Down seems like the ideal fusion of a song and an earworm as it maintains a consistent underlying structure throughout. It’s crafted well enough to be enjoyed for its musical quality, yet catchy enough to stick in your head.
Taste it pink venom
Almost a month ago, the first single from the Pink Venom album was released, and it instantly became a global hit.
The song’s chorus, when the women urge the audience to “taste that pink venom”, contains the song’s main hook. But even without its catchiness, the song is really intriguing and interesting, especially in terms of production.
The song begins with a menacing chant of “Blackpink” over traditional Korean music, which lingers throughout the first verse. In the second verse, they dive into ’90s rap with hints of hyper-pop, and the song culminates in a dramatic “RA TA TA TA” ending before being abruptly cut short. This can sometimes leave you confused.
In all honesty, the climax of ‘RA TA TA TA’ isn’t one of the most confusing moments in the song because it’s, in fact, more likely to happen than not. Although the song’s sound is actually quite unique to the band, we’ve heard dance break endings sung in just about every main Blackpink song, which makes the song extremely similar.
Pink Venom is known for seemingly unrelated lyrics that are actually related by the order in which they are presented. Although this is a new approach for Blackpink, using the same old conclusion formula detracts from the novelty of the style. It has a lively, infectious feel that is unmistakably Blackpink. Maybe a little too much.
B-sides – a weak and hesitant count
Typa Girl, a trap/hip hop B-side with a distinctive organ melody, strong lyrics and even stronger beat, continues the trend of Blackpink tracks that feel incredibly Blackpink. With its aggressive demeanor and nasty drop-offs, the song blends seamlessly into the band’s discography while remaining fresh.
Typa Girl seems like the ideal sequel to Shut Down due to its simple and appealing production style; both tracks will grab your attention without being too loud.
As the soundtracks on the record change, we hear the pop song Yeah Yeah Yeah, which features 80s-style production and retro synthesizers. While this song is a welcome change of pace from the band’s typical B-sides, it really feels like another victim of Kpop’s uncontrollable fixation with the 1980s over the past few years.
It really doesn’t add anything fresh to the table due to its dated and bland progression; rather than being a full meal, it’s more like something you have to go through to get to the next course.
Hard To Love, a pop B-side with a retro vibe that’s number five on the track chart, is sung by lead singer Rosé. This solo sounds extremely similar to disco, just like the previous track. However, the production reaches a more sophisticated and intriguing climax when the brilliant vocals are combined with the energizing guitar sound, making it one of Born Pink’s standouts.
The predictable The Happiest Girl follows, serving as the record’s requisite ballad moment. The gloomy and gloomy tone of the song is perfectly complemented by the excellent vocals of the members, which successfully conveys the emotions expressed in the lyrics.
However, the performance risks becoming a bit monotonous by not deviating much from the melancholy standard piano progression. It’s only in the final chorus that we get a more developed composition that makes the song feel like it’s over. It gives a dramatic climax, yes, but it also makes the rest of the song feel like a chore you have to do to get to the end.
The last of the all-new songs is Tally, a hip-hop influenced pop track with a crisp guitar sound that gives it a more rock vibe. This B-side provides an easy listening experience due to the repetitive production and circular progression, but is nonetheless memorable and distinctive due to its simplicity. It is also simple to adore.
Ready for disappointment
With Born Pink, Blackpink and I decided to save the worst for last. Ready For Love, the album’s final track, was originally released as a PUBG Mobile tie-in after being dropped as the B-side of the band’s debut album (for understandable reasons). And in my opinion, that’s where it should have stayed – on PUBG, away from records and away from all of us.
The song isn’t inherently awful, but it looks like the creators were trying to replicate a 2018 track from memory and is truly generic and outdated. Even said, it still has some redeeming elements, so I wouldn’t write it off entirely.
The fact that Ready For Love appeared on the album, and especially as the last track, is all that makes it so awful. It’s disappointing and disappointing for Born Pink to end their album with this song of all songs; it’s almost like getting socks for Christmas; it’s not horrible in itself, but deep down you wanted something better.
Ready for disappointment
Overall, Born Pink accomplishes things that its predecessor couldn’t, but it also fails in the same way.
Born Pink looks like a worthy album, conveying a clear message to the audience, unlike The Album, which was more like a collection of (excellent) songs cobbled together with the aim of producing at least one album with more than five Songs.
Despite the wide range of sounds and subgenres, Blackpink’s identity is felt in every song. They stay true to who they are throughout the album, gracefully showing off their rosy side and their dark side.
However, The Album and Born Pink both have the same fatal flaw: they’re just too short. Both albums only have eight tracks each, so they’re done in a flash and don’t provide enough material for fans to go on.
Also, due to the lack of time for the highs to counterbalance the lows, such short albums make any flaws on the record much more apparent. Flatness, dating, and derivation all look even more dated, flat, and derivative. There just aren’t enough songs to feed and satisfy the listener, as the tracks tend to blend into each other.
If you disregard Ready For Love, Born Pink is a more developed work than The Album, but it still makes you want more Blackpink.
