Final month, China partially lifted its nine-year ban on Korean content material, together with Ok-pop concert events and releases. This information didn’t obtain almost as a lot consideration because it ought to have, particularly contemplating the huge impact it could have on the business. Given this 12 months’s international affairs, I wouldn’t be in any respect shocked if Ok-pop businesses pulled sources from their American enlargement and redoubled efforts within the Chinese language market. Time will inform if this involves cross, and Photo voltaic’s Chinese language-language debut Floating Free was probably within the pipeline far earlier than this ban was lifted.

Chinese language-language debuts like this was much more frequent in Ok-pop, however after 9 years it’s virtually a novelty to listen to them once more. For Floating Free, Photo voltaic pairs with Taiwanese singer 9m88 over a monitor that sounds very very like her Korean fare. The track has a pleasing mid-tempo bounce, upbeat sufficient to leap round to however chill sufficient to perform as background music for any variety of actions. To me, songs like this really feel caught within the center, by no means fairly committing to a sound. Floating Free gained’t offend or excite many. With none instrumental or melodic sucker punch it merely coasts alongside in a approach that’s unlikely to stay in reminiscence.

These anticipating a Mamamoo reunion might take pleasure in listening to Photo voltaic commerce vocals with one other feminine singer, and 9m88 makes a pleasant duet accomplice. The 2 voices mix effectively with sufficient variation to maintain issues attention-grabbing. Past this, Floating Free makes for stable connective tissue on a playlist however would simply get misplaced amongst greater highlights.

Grade: C