Song Review: Yves – Viola

After LOONA dissolved and re-formed as acts like Loossemble and ARTMS, Yves made her solo debut earlier this year. The stylish Loop offered plenty of potential but succumbed to so-so songwriting that failed to leave much of a mark. Now, she’s back with the confidently-titled Voila and she’s brought the beat with her.

As soon as Voila started, my mind immediately went to Charli XCX. I hadn’t yet considered what impact her hit album Brat might have on the sound of K-pop, but its brash electro textures make an obvious fit. Yves isn’t a — for lack of a better word — bratty singer in the same way, but her airy vocals work well against Voila‘s electro thump. At its best, the production has a compelling late-2000’s bloghouse appeal. It’s quite simple but full of texture and personality. There’s an almost DIY appeal to the track.

The song itself is less exciting. The “I just need some space” hook works very well as a centerpiece, but beyond that there isn’t enough melody to grab hold of. And without a firebrand personality driving her performance, Yves struggles to compensate for the track’s more underwritten moments. So rather than regard this as a total triumph, Voila feels like the opening of a door that could very well lead to total triumphs in the future.

Grade: B-