Golden Child GAME CHANGER: In-Depth Album Review – Game

It’s ‘Golden Child comeback’ time again, which means a track-by-track review of their new album, Game Changer! Check back each day of the week as I make my way through the ten new songs.

1. Game Changer (Intro) // 2. Ra Pam Pam // 3. Bottom Of The Ocean // 4. Fanfare // 5. Singing In The Rain // 6. Game // 7. Spell // 8. Out The Window // 9. Poppin’ // 10. That Feeling // 11. I Know

Game (Tag & Jibeom)

It would be accurate to refer to Game Changer as Golden Child’s “brassy” album. So many of its tracks incorporate some form of brass in ways the group hasn’t explored thus far. Game opens with a muted brass loop, calling back to earlier tracks like Fanfare.

Tag and Jibeom are an unexpected pairing, but their contrasting personas make Game stand out. The song is composed by the MosPick team — responsible for many of Golden Child’s brighter title tracks (DamDaDi, Let Me, Pump It Up). As a song, Game is slightly more generic – akin to their recent work with WEi. But, strength of personality drives it forward, making for a very fun, upbeat b-side.

I love when Golden Child’s rappers are given more room to stretch their charms. Tag has such an endearing voice for rap – impish and playful but downright fierce when he moves into a spitfire flow. His verses are a definite standout, especially when he adopts a more melodic style. Jibeom’s velvety tone offers a nice contrast, playing the straight man to Tag’s eccentricities. But, he packs a wallop during the chorus, anchoring Game with a strong, funky performance.

I’m not a huge fan of Game’s more repetitive hooks, but the bounding instrumental bolsters them with plenty of upbeat energy. Like Singing In The Rain, the track succeeds on the strength of its performances rather than the songwriting itself — even if the two couldn’t be more different from one another!

Hooks 8 Production 8 Longevity 8 Bias 9 RATING 8.25

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