Song Review: Xiumin (EXO) – Whee!

There’s been a fair amount of controversy around the promotion of Xiumin’s Whee!, as SM Entertainment seem to be up to their old tricks of blocking artists who have left the agency. Xiumin remains a part of EXO, but he’s embarked on his own solo career under new management. Whee! is his first work under the INB100 label, also home to bandmate Baekhyun.

Anyone who’s listened to K-pop over the past year will instantly recognize Whee‘s shuffling beat. The sound is quite trendy and — at this point — overdone. This arrangement stymies an otherwise decent song, giving it a strong air of “been there, done that” when it should feel fresh and fun. It’s hard not to hum several other notable solo projects from male artists over this production, especially when Whee! struggles to deliver iconic hooks of its own.

Xiumin makes for an amiable conduit for this throwback sound, skirting through the rhythm with ease. He’s equally at home crooning and delivering a more staccato style of vocalization. Whee! never lets up, layering rhythm upon rhythm. It’ll get your head nodding for sure, but with so many other tracks of this style to choose from I don’t see it sticking around my playlist for long.

Grade: C+