Song Review: NCT 127 – Piñata

Every so often, SM Entertainment releases “track” videos for songs that aren’t the main focus of a promotional campaign but serve to build hype. Often, these videos spotlight only a portion of a song, but sometimes they encompass the entire thing. NCT 127 are gearing up for their tenth anniversary comeback. They’re down to five members from a high point of ten at one point — a deflated visual that made me do a double take at first. Piñata sees them going full rock with their trademark shouty hooks. I’ve always appreciated when NCT acts add electric guitar to the mix. It brings a widescreen energy that matches the ambition of the NCT vision, but Piñata is difficult to get through. There are times when shouting a song’s hook can work, especially in punk music. K-pop just doesn’t have much success with it. The way K-pop production works, these shouted centerpieces often come across as more shrill than thrilling, and from a purely tonal approach Piñata‘s centerpiece genuinely hurts my ears. I could embrace a deliberately unpleasant track if that unpleasantness had something to say, but this is just shouting for shouting’s sake. Piñata‘s verses are far more restrained but no less dull. ...