Song Review: Rosé (BLACKPINK) – Toxic Till The End

I haven’t listened to Rosé’s debut album yet, but judging from the promotion so far I feel that the raucous Bruno Mars duet APT. will be a sonic outlier. It’s always annoying when an album’s biggest hit sounds nothing like any other song surrounding it. This is less of a concern in the age of streaming, but back when we had to purchase fifteen-to-twenty dollar CDs it felt like a real betrayal.

This is going to be a very obvious (and possibly annoying) comparison, but a song like Toxic Till The End exists in a post-Taylor Swift universe. Rosé is a different type of vocalist and performer with a far different background, but Toxic‘s diaristic lyricism and soft, synth-meets-guitar atmosphere feel very familiar. Even the punchy, anthemic chorus has a similar energy to highlights from Swift’s catalog. What I’m getting at here is that it’s hard to feel a distinct artistic personality emanating from Rosé’s music. This song is perfectly serviceable but could have come from just about anyone looking to score a radio hit in 2024.

On the plus side, Rosé’s voice fits this style particularly well. There’s enough character in her tone to make Toxic Till The End work despite its generic leanings. I don’t think I’m the target audience for this and likely won’t be seeking it out, but I much prefer Toxic‘s hearty arrangement and singalong chorus to last month’s more reserved Number One Girl. Neither holds a candle to APT.

Grade: C+