BLACKPINK, The Album | Album Review 💿

Rising K-Pop girl group BLACPINK deliver a short, sweet, and utterly infectious eight-track album with The Album that never disappoints.

K-Pop girl group BLACKPINK are on the rise in the United States, period.  After dropping a few bops themselves, including a collaboration with Lady Gaga (“Sour Candy”), they are becoming a force to be reckoned with.  On their short but utterly sweet The Album, the girls continue to impress with their knack for making hits that won’t leave your head anytime soon.  The Album may only have eight songs in total, but guess what? All eight are worthy of multiple spins.  Let’s jump right into the certified bops, shall we?

“How You Like That”

✅ “How You Like That” opens The Album with a surefire BOP – NO CAP! It commences with an aggressive, dramatic sounding intro, which sets the tone superbly.  Beyond the initial ear candy, the production on “How You Like That” is nothing short of superb.  Sleek, ear-catching, and near-perfect, K-Pop backdrops are always on-point.  Beyond the marvelous sounds, BLACKPINK, deliver powerful vocals that cut through and pop out of the production.  Honestly, I live for the energy and sass these girls bring to the table. Even with the Korean lyrics, the energy and the vibe help to bridge the language barrier.  Like a movie with subtitles, listening to “How You Like That,” you definitely don’t feel as if the difference in language is a big deal.  If nothing else, the chorus and post-chorus sections are EVERYTHING.  Furthermore, the bridge section brings excellent contrast, which segues into an outro – a breakdown section – for the ages.

“Ice cream chillin’, chillin’, ice cream chillin’.” On ✅ “Ice Cream”, BLACKPINK collaborates with Selena Gomez.  The result is a short but sweet record chocked-full of attitude. This record is catchy, feisty, and tongue-n-cheek.  Performed almost exclusively in English, there are just a select few lines in Korean.  Featuring production by Tommy Brown, Mr. Franks, TEDDY, and 24, like “How You Like That,” the sleek backdrop is exactly what we’ve come to expect from K-Pop music. The synths and the beat are marvelous. The sound is very ‘urban pop,’ with plenty of hip-hop cues.  Furthermore, there’s a cool ‘oriental’ line that’s quoted by the synths. The first two verses are all collaborative, with Selena Gomez and respective members trading various lines – quite a cool approach. Lisa performs the third verse, where the only Korean lyrics in the entire song are found.  Even so, most of it is also performed in English. “Ice Cream” features an epic chorus (collaborative as well) and post-chorus (excerpted above) – easily gets stuck in one’s head.

“Pretty Savage” 

“S-A-V-A-G-E,” keep it pretty, pretty savage.” “Pretty Savage” maintains the mad attitude that BLACKPINK established on the opening duo of The Album. If anything, the attitude is only more pronounced, accentuated by aggressive English lines like “Born skinny, bitch,” “F boys, not my boys,” and “Yeah, we some bitches you can’t manage.” Even when the girls are singing or rapping in Korean, even without fluency in the language, you can sense the savagery, and I’m here for it! Furthermore, the production bangs, a consistent characteristic of The Album.

✅ “Bet You Wanna” doesn’t cede any momentum in the slightest.  Arguably, it’s the song to beat on The Album, featuring a clean rap verse by Grammy-winner Cardi B (yes, she’s tame, but admits it was hard).  Performed exclusively in English, “Bet You Wanna” is a bop from the opening tip.  The production continues to maintain the sleekness of The Album, anchored by beat that packs a mighty punch.  Furthermore, the songwriting is catchy – particularly the chorus below –  while the vocals by BLACKPINK #winnning.  Listening to The Album the first time, I found myself wanting to keep “Bet You Wanna” on repeat – it has surefire BOP written all over it.

“Something ‘bout me’s taking you higher (Hey, hey)
And you ain’t ever gonna come down (You ain’t ever, you ain’t ever)
I’m lighting your fire (Hey, hey)
And it ain’t even gonna go out (It ain’t ever, it ain’t ever).”

“Lovesick Girls”

The first half of The Album is fantastic – four straight hits.  The second half doesn’t disappoint either, beginning with ✅ “Lovesick Girls.”  Performed with a blend of Korean (mostly) and English, BLACKPINK make sure they emphasize key lyrics in English for their English-speaking fans.  This includes the epic chorus (“We are the lovesick girls”) as well as an entertaining hip-hop verse (“No love letters, no X and O’s / No love, never, my exes know…”).  Honestly, “Lovesick Girls” sounds like a contemporary, American pop song.  That’s a positive thing.

✅ “Crazy Over You” continues the impressive run for BLACKPINK, period.  It begins with the backdrop, which features both a sick beat and sick synths. I love the ‘oriental’ touches coupled with the modern dance, pop, and hip-hop script.  Like “Bet You Wanna,” the girls serve up only English lyrics, never missing a beat. Like everything that’s graced The Album, it’s catchy and infectious – most decadent dessert.

“Love to Hate Me” 

“Kinda sad that you always been like that / See me making waves and you don’t like that / Driving through your puddles going splish, splash.” Penultimate joint “Love to Hate Me” keeps The Album rolling. Another English exclusive record, we get more pop excellence from BLACKPINK.  The boxes continue to be checked off including awesome production, strong vocals, catchy and infectious songwriting, and ample attitude.  “Love to Hate Me” represents all the things that have helped make this K-pop group so popular – it feels incredibly fresh.

The Album concludes strongly with “You Never Know,” which blends Korean and English once more.  Furthermore, this mid-tempo ballad incorporates some contemporary R&B sensibilities, in addition to the standard, hella slick K-pop script.  That’s not far-fetched, considering the influence of R&B on the genre.  Here, it shines in magnificent fashion.  One more, the vocals are ripe and the artistry (personality) lit. Most of the chorus, the epic centerpiece is in English, which certainly ‘brings it on home’ for the fans and stans stateside.

Final Thoughts 

All in all, The Album is a fine album by BLACKPINK. The Album, all of eight tracks, never disappoints.  With tight efforts like this one, there’s an emphasis on quality, and the girls definitely deliver. Would I go so far as to characterize The Album as a game changer or incredibly innovative? No, but this is a well-rounded, enjoyable, must-hear K-pop album that should have wide appeal beyond the K-pop audience.

✅ Gems: “How You Like That?”, “Ice Cream,” “Bet You Wanna,” “Lovesick Girls” & “Crazy Over You”

BLACKPINK • The Album • YG Entertainment / Interscope • Release: 10.2.20

Photo Credits: YG Entertainment / Interscope