Song Review: Jennie (BLACKPINK) – Less Than A Lover

For every exciting sonic statement of intent from Jennie, we seem to get at least two dull tracks that attempt to shoehorn her into current pop trends. The trouble is, “current pop trends” tend to be incredibly beige these days. I recently had a revelation about the pop industry as a whole. Rather than take its overriding gestalt from big, dramatic performance-based artists of decades past (Madonna, Janet, Britney, Gaga, etc), we’re living in the post-Taylor Swift pop lineage of “relatable,” lyric-and-vibes driven material. To this, I posit the following questions: “Aren’t you bored? Isn’t this boring?” Less Than A Lover is pop music on Ambien, designed to make absolutely no noise but instead settle its way into your airpods and streaming algorithms. I’m sure the lyrics will be relatable to someone, as vague and generic as they are, and the song’s gentle, atmospheric strum will offend no one. The repetitive hook is meant to be an earworm but instead feels like a recurring visit from the sandman. At about two and a half minutes, Less Than A Lover passes by before you know it, though by this time you’re likely half asleep already so it could last for about twenty minutes and you’d ha...