Song Review: LE SSERAFIM – Crazy

From the moment they kicked their legs in the air to open Fearless‘s compelling choreo, LE SSERAFIM have displayed tons of potential and even more style. But too often, the group has been saddled with ultra-trendy material that feels like an echo of Western pop sounds rather than a guiding light forward. With new single Crazy, they turn their attention to a more energetic club track the builds upon last year’s viral hit Eve, Psyche & the Bluebeard’s Wife.

To its credit, Crazy opts for a more specific, unique vision than many K-pop tracks of this genre do, even if much of that vision is appropriated from drag culture. “All the girls are girling, girling” is not a chorus lyric you hear every day and is delivered with a deadpan tone that somehow makes it all the more amusing. The banging production echoes this vibe, stuffed with familiar samples and interjections that draw out the song’s not-so-serious appeal. The instrumental even makes good use of a piercing, high-pitched tone to cap off each pre-chorus with an unexpected flatline. I wouldn’t call Crazy musically adventurous, but by HYBE’s standards it has personality.

But here’s the thing… You really need to bring drag queen level personality to sell a track like Crazy. Apart from the (very enjoyable) burst of melodic harmony that opens each pre-chorus, the vast majority of the song sees the girls strutting their stuff with a half-sung, half-rapped delivery. On its face, this approach is pretty flat unless the performance itself steals the show via its own eccentricities. K-pop’s idol system doesn’t necessarily allow for this, making me wish LE SSERAFIM had the chance to turn their weirdness dial up to eleven.

Grade: C+