Song Review: TRENDZ – Chameleon

TRENDZ have become one of my biggest frustrations in K-pop. They had such a good thing going with last year’s mega-banger Go Up, but a piecemeal approach to collaborators has resulted in music that feels haphazard and incongruous. new single Chameleon (카멜레온) might as well have come from a totally different group than Go Up or Vagabond or My Way.

In a way, I guess the word “chameleon” describes this perfectly! The song is yet another transformation for the group, depositing them in the world of old-school hip-hop. It’s a well-trodden path for K-pop’s boy groups. We’ve heard a ton of this sound in the past few weeks alone. And like a broken record, I’ll say once again that any genre can be revitalized if the classic elements of songwriting (melody, chords, beat) are strong.

Rather than aim for a fully-realized production, Chameleon feels more focused on becoming an earworm. Its chanted hook is repeated early and often to the point that it begins to grate even before the track has finished. It’s catchy, but “catchy” isn’t always a compliment. I find the chorus an obnoxious listen, which dampens everything else swirling around it. There are some interesting ideas embedded within the verses (that corrugated synth is cool), but overall this is an easy skip.

Grade: C-