Song Review: Ten (WayV) – Outwest

Ten’s music is no longer promoted solely to K-pop audiences, aiming for global reach instead. Like his recent singles, Outwest is performed in English and adopts a sound palatable to the widest audience possible. This is not a unique approach, but it’s one that almost always results in music far less idiosyncratic than it could be. Ever since his solo debut, Ten has been the kind of artist whose material is usually slighter than he is as a performer. K-pop is littered with such stories, but male popstars are struggling worldwide to find iconic material. Outwest‘s heart is in the right place. It gives Ten a swift tempo to play with (at least for a little while), incorporating dreamlike interludes that keep the listener off guard. However, there’s not much song to be found within the production and the arrangement becomes murkier and less engaging as it goes on. You could almost imagine Outwest as two distinct singles. The first half has a satisfying lift that ushers you to the dancefloor. The “talk over an instrumental” chorus is a disappointment and feels like taking the easy way out. But as Outwest moves into its second half, the energy lurches into trap territory. This may thrill...