Song Review: tripleS – Girls Never Die

It feels like tripleS have been dropping releases every other month, but this is actually their first comeback as a full group. Apart from last years’ Assemble, everything else has been performed in sub-units. Girls Never Die brings together all twenty four (!) members. With that level of participation, you might expect the track to become an unwieldy mess. Instead, it fits right within their smooth, slightly aloof wheelhouse.

This is definitely not a sound I’d expect from such an ambitious project. Girls Never Die is quite pleasant — especially during its lush, layered chorus — but I wish its strongest elements built to a more rousing whole. Much of the track is wasted by fitful instrumental breaks and moody verses that add to the atmosphere but stall momentum. As I often say with this year’s K-pop slate, the entire song needs to be faster and more dynamic.

Fortunately, Girls Never Die‘s chorus is a total winner. It’s worth slogging through the dull sing-talk verses to get to it. The melodies stretch in unexpected ways, adding mini climaxes to break apart its predictable “la la la” framework. Then entire track is drenched in reverb, adding to its dreamlike appeal. There’s vast potential to be built upon here. We just need to harness that into tighter material.

Grade: B-