As soon as a Okay-pop group reaches a sure stature, comebacks really feel like large occasions as a result of they simply don’t occur regularly anymore. The final time Pink Velvet launched new music as a full group was all the way in which again in 2024 with their superb Cosmic. This time, they’re again with a bossa nova sound and summer season theme. They’ve additionally returned on the twelth anniversary of their debut music video (the basic Happiness).

A couple of weeks in the past, I used to be virtually sure we had been in for a summer season of huge seasonal bangers. With the likes of Pink Velvet, fromis_9, Hyolyn, Sunmi and BBGirls making summery comebacks, how might we not be? However a lot to my chagrin, the output turned out to be extra subdued than summer season bangers of years previous. Surfin’ Boy matches inside this sample as properly. After all, “subdued” doesn’t routinely imply “dangerous,” however coupled with Okay-pop’s present wrestle to search out memorable melodies, it tends to be a reasonably uninspiring recipe.

Surfin’ Boy opts for a languid, mid-tempo groove that provides a pleasant playground for Pink Velvet’s all the time impeccable harmonies. Their vocal efficiency is likely one of the tune’s highlights, imbuing a so-so refrain with a welcome sense of drama and environment. This continues into the standout bridge. However even with all these parts shoved into the tune’s slender body, Surfin’ Boy nonetheless feels considerably underwhelming. The tune tries to throw each iteration of Pink Velvet into one observe, however this method makes it come throughout as neither right here nor there. It’s a high quality effort — as even their least profitable songs are — however you possibly can think about the glowing gem it could possibly be with a extra dynamic execution.

Grade: B-