When Lovelyz went on indefinite hiatus last year, all members except leader Babysoul went their separate ways. She – now going by her given name Lee Sujeong – elected to stay with Woollim Entertainment as a soloist. Never mind the agency’s uneven reputation when it comes to their senior artists. But, just months after splitting from the group, Sujeong has released her debut mini album. Even by Woollim’s standards, the promotion around this release has been hushed.

Given Sujeong’s past work, I’d expected to hear a ballad. Walking Through The Moon (달을 걸어서) is more upbeat, which makes me wonder if the song was originally meant for a Lovelyz album. Its modern sound feels like a natural evolution from their 2020 single Obliviate. Lee Sujeong has proven herself adept as both a vocalist and rapper, and that skill is evident on this track. She has a great pop voice and imbues Walking Through The Moon with enough personality to make it pop. Unfortunately, the song itself is K-pop-by-the-numbers, predictable from the first to last note.

The track hinges on a familiar set of instrumentation. It’s vaguely tropical, but not enough to maintain a perspective of its own. The percussion feels ripped from any number of songs over the past several years, bounding forward without much character. We even get a tempo shift halfway through. The melody is catchy but safe. It gets the job done, but doesn’t push itself further. The one exception is a cool guitar solo at Walking Through The Moon’s finale. This injects a new texture that elevates the energy. It makes me wonder what Sujeong could do over more dynamic production.