I’ve had a rough journey with Jinhyuk’s solo music. I try not to be overly negative, but so far very little of it has been to my personal taste. And, the title of his new song “Crack” doesn’t engender a sense of optimism. Might this finally be the Jinhyuk song that wins me over? Or, will this simply be another copy-and-paste review?

At the outset of Crack, things sound promising. I like the bass-driven groove and crunchy guitar. It’s a bit Woodz-esque, and Jinhyuk’s gritty vocal matches the energy and tension. Guitar becomes even more prominent during the chorus, injecting the track with a bluesy sound that works well. But, I’m not sure the actual song lives up to the potential of this sound palette. Jinhyuk’s sing-talk verses are enjoyable, though they don’t leave much of a lasting mark. And in theory, the chorus makes for a galvanizing centerpiece. But, I just can’t handle the “I got that crack, crack, crack” refrain. For English-speakers, there are too many weird connotations no matter what definition of the word you go with. It’s distracting.

Of course, this isn’t really fair to the song itself, and when I filter out the awkward lyrical content I’m left with a better-than-average Jinhyuk track that merges his strengths with fun, evocative production. To its credit, Crack maintains its intensity all the way through without ever feeling overbearing. That can be a hard balance to pull off.