It could merely be my exhaustion with present Ok-pop traits talking, however I really feel like businesses typically study the flawed classes from their successes. aespa’s most profitable title tracks have hinged on various ranges of repetition, however ever since final 12 months’s Whiplash it seems like SM Leisure has been on autopilot with the group’s materials, providing retreads of a monotonous music construction wrapped in several musical guises. June’s Soiled Work suffered from this strategy and new single Wealthy Man additionally struggles to interrupt free from its repeated catchphrases.
Judging by any metric, aespa are one of many largest lady teams on the planet. Nonetheless, songs like Wealthy Man don’t really feel worthy of that title. I dig the monitor’s dirty, guitar-infused instrumental, however there are numerous factors the place the vitality drags unnecessarily. That is most evident in the course of the refrain, which deserves a weightier association that will assist distinguish it from the verses. It doesn’t assist that Wealthy Man‘s “la la la” hook is puny and throwaway, barely even attempting to supply an fascinating melodic centerpiece.
As an alternative — as at all times — Wealthy Man depends on charisma. Charisma is superior and the Ok-pop business has a surplus of it. Charisma can carry a so-so music, however you recognize you’re in bother when even charisma begins to really feel monotonous. Charisma with out the means to channel it seems like a superbly adorned field holding nothing. I wouldn’t say Wealthy Man is “nothing,” nevertheless it’s a reasonably boring entry into the overstuffed self-empowerment sub-genre. There are solely so many occasions you may say “I’m a wealthy man” and count on your viewers to be enthralled. It’s an entire lot of telling and little or no displaying, which makes the entire train really feel stilted and surprisingly joyless.
| Hooks | 6 |
| Manufacturing | 8 |
| Longevity | 7 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7 |
Grade: C-
