1 week ago
27
In the midst of the ongoing dispute between Min Hee Jin (the CEO of ADOR – the home of NewJeans) and HYBE Corporation (including Bang Si Hyuk), NewJeans is moving ahead with their May comeback. This comeback will feature two songs – Bubble Gum (which is the focus of this particular review with the music video dropping yesterday) and How Sweet next month. The group is also due to release two new Japanese original singles in June. Bubble Gum also marks their first release since their Get Up (which features Super Shy, Cool With You and ETA) comeback from last year.
Bubble Gum serves as both the soundtrack for a Japanese shampoo commercial and a side track for NewJeans’ upcoming How Sweet release. While I do not review commercial music often, I am interested in the latter. And as a side track, Bubble Gum is a decent release. It definitely is not ‘title track’ material, with the overall airy and breezy profile of the song feeling too delicate for my liking. The song features groovy beat and retro elements that grounds Bubble Gum to a degree, but I find the rest of the song (i.e., vocals, melodies, hooks) to be a bit too feathery. Don’t get me wrong, everything works in harmony with one another and is executed well across the board. I also like the flute-like piece that we hear in the background of the verses. But I am unsure of the song’s longevity given all of the lightness going on within Bubble Gum (and the ongoing dispute is definitely taking attention away from the new release – for me, at least). There were definitely some attempts to ‘ground’ the song further, with some deeper vocals at certain parts and the paced rap-sing vocals (which was the exact ending I was hoping for). But again, I only come out of Bubble Gum remembering the higher pitched (sometimes falsetto) vocals and flowy melodies. Overall, I do like the song, but I am not sure how long I will be replaying Bubble Gum.
The music video sees NewJeans hanging out and having fun with one another. To complement the song’s breezy sound profile, NewJeans takes a trip to the beach. Keeping true to the ‘retro is making a comeback’ concept, some of the video (including the intro and outro shot of Hyein and her bubbles) is shot in a home video style. It is an aesthetic that I didn’t like as much when it first appeared in KPOP, but NewJeans does it well. I also like the call back to old technology that appears throughout the video, such as the VHS tape, the camcorder and that old computer. On the modern side, we see one of the members hold an iPhone and the members carry their official light stick.
Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8/10
English (US) · 