This isn’t a uniquely Okay-pop situation, however I maintain ready for a male pop star to select up the mantle of showmanship beforehand held by such titans as Michael Jackson and Prince. Okay-pop was once a haven for this model of virtuosic pop star with formidable artists like Taemin, however the brand new gen appears to want a extra lo-fi, guy-plucked-from-your-neighborhood type of popstardom. I point out this right here as a result of I really feel like TXT’s Yeonjun has it in him to be the form of world-conquering showman I miss however appears extra keen on a looser, extra melody-averse presentation. This was true on his debut mini album and carries over to new title observe Ice Cream.

I simply… don’t know what I’m purported to get from a tune like this. This sparse, percussive Neptunes-esque sing-talk schtick has been finished to demise from artists each inside and outdoors of Okay-pop. Do we actually want extra of it? It definitely doesn’t paint Yeonjun as an artist with something new or dynamic to say. It’s a groove. It’s a vibe. It’s about two minutes lengthy.

Essentially the most irritating factor about Ice Cream is that it’s little greater than an aesthetic. There’s not a lot of a tune thrown excessive. As an alternative, we get a string of catchphrasey traces using the beat with out trying to forge into something past a short diversion. It’s extra sonically palatable than final 12 months’s Speak To You, but in some way nonetheless appears like a retread. I don’t suppose anybody can be mad to listen to this blasting out of a automobile stereo on a sizzling summer time day, however I want somebody (anybody!) to rediscover their ambition and ship greater than a easy tune sketch as a result of the threadbare nature of a observe like Ice Cream is actually extra miserable than joyful. And admittedly, followers have to cease settling for this as effectively.

Grade: D