Song Review: NMIXX – Young, Dumb, Stupid

I’ve been a little hard on NMIXX’s music thus far, but it pushes a lot of my buttons in a bad way. I appreciate the ambition it takes to meld multiple sounds (and songs!) into one. I just don’t think the execution has been there. The music hasn’t showcased the group’s talent in a way that pushes me to listen further. However, new comebacks mean new opportunities and the upcoming Expérgo pairs NMIXX with different producers who may be able to harness different strengths.

Or, things could just get worse.

I can’t with Young, Dumb, Stupid. I just… I don’t even know what to say.

I often criticize certain K-pop songs for sounding like children’s nursery rhymes, but occasionally a track actually interpolates one of these familiar melodies and things get extra awful. Young, Dumb, Stupid coasts along just fine through its opening verse. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but at least we get a chance to enjoy the members’ charisma. Then, the chorus reveals itself as an ode to “Frère Jacques/Brother John.” If this wasn’t bad enough, the girls are literally singing:

Young, Dumb, Stupid
Young, Dumb, Stupid
But who cares? But who carеs?
We’re fearless, do whatever we want
Ding dang dong Ding dang dong

I hate this. I hate everything it stands for, both musically and lyrically. This chorus is so bad and sucks everything else into its orbit, which is a shame because the rest of the song is probably NMIXX’s strongest work yet. They sound great and the vocal arrangement is robust and crisp. The pre-chorus is exciting and I enjoy the round-style singing they’re doing during the hook. The breakdown during the bridge is downright galvanizing. So much potential! But, I have a knee-jerk reaction to nursery rhymes (blame it on a career spent in early childhood education) and I just can’t get past the track’s young, dumb and stupid centerpiece.

Grade: D-

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