Song Review: ENHYPEN – Loose

I don’t often review music that doesn’t have an accompanying video, but every once and awhile big acts release a stand-alone single without the full promotion given to title tracks. ENHYPEN are preparing for their upcoming stint at Coachella and have released the English-language Loose prior to that milestone stage.

To be honest, I don’t buy ENHYPEN in this musical setting. Loose sounds more like a Jonas Brothers song… and not a particularly good one. They’re aiming for slow, slinky funk but end up with the drags of a jukebox playing at half speed in one of those run-down diners you only see in the movies. The song is inert all the way through, not rhythmic enough to be funky, not authentic enough to be country and not catchy enough to be worth its time.

Granted, I’m very much in the anti-“chill” camp when it comes to K-pop. I wish I could magically erase that word “chill” from every K-pop A&R team. Loose feels like the boy group equivalent to the “beigepop” trend currently infecting so many girl group releases and it just doesn’t work for me. Earlier this week, newly debuted boy group Close Your Eyes showcased how to lower the tempo while still retaining strong melody and a compelling vocal arrangement. In comparison, Loose just feels bored with itself. It’s hard not to feel just as bored listening to it.

Grade: C-