Song Review: Brave Girls – Red Sun

Despite their huge boost in popularity, I haven’t yet had an excuse to write about Brave Girls this year. To put it briefly, I’m thrilled for the girls. Rollin’ was a total jam back in 2017, and more than deserves its delayed recognition. It just goes to show how many amazing K-pop songs fly under the radar, making me wonder what the charts would look like if everyone was as musically curious as us blogger-types seem to be. I can think of so many tracks that deserve renewed attention, but chart popularity really depends on the perfect storm of factors.

Now that they’ve become Korea’s 2021 obsession, Brave Girls are in demand. That means CFs, variety show appearances and an upcoming summer comeback. Red Sun is a partnership with Lotte Department Store, making it more of an advertisement than a pop song. But, it’s the first music to arrive after Rollin’s explosion, so it’s worth writing about.

To tell you the truth, I wish this hadn’t been the first music to arrive after Rollin’s explosion. It’s amiable fluff, but nothing more. To forge their viral success into something that can be sustained, the group needs to release a few killer follow-ups. And, I’m sure they have those songs waiting in the wings. I hope future music will be more compelling than Red Sun, because after a confident introduction this song sputters. The plonky percussion is oddly lifeless, underlining a ‘been there, done that’ melody that treads water rather than pushing forward with dynamic energy. This leads to a drop chorus, followed by a chanted catchphrase hook perfectly designed for advertising. As a CF release, Red Sun fulfills its obligation. For now, I’m casting it as a palette cleanser before their inevitably amazing summer comeback. Fingers crossed!

Hooks 6 Production 7 Longevity 7 Bias 7 RATING 6.75 Original Article