It’s no secret what a huge fan of Golden Child I am. Their music regularly features in my top ten picks of the year and I’ve been championing their excellent discography since its debut. So, I’m not sure what it means when I say that Y’s If I Were The Wind (바람이라면) does little for me. It certainly has nothing to do with Y himself. He’s an incredible performer with a showstopping voice, and he’s one of the many reasons the group has become such a standout.
When it comes down to it, I guess I’m just fed up with the trope of “idol singer releases some drippy ballad prior to enlistment or disbandment.” This is made more frustrating by Woollim’s treatment of Golden Child’s music career, which they seem to have all but forgotten about. Yes, quality is more important than quantity (I’ll take one Reply over fifty Rata-Tat-Tats), but I’ve lived through the latter stage of Infinite and Lovelyz’s time with the agency. Infrequent comebacks – made worse by the general lack of care for an artist’s legacy – seem to be the norm.
Hey, I’m getting off topic. As a ballad, If I Were The Wind is serviceable and pleasant. I much prefer Y’s Fantasia from a couple years ago and would have loved to hear him tackle something rockier like his cover of Shawn Mendes’ In My Blood. He has such a unique voice and it’s a bit wasted on a by-the-numbers OST-sounding ballad like this. Even so, his presence will be sorely missed over the next year or two. Even with my qualms surrounding the nature of this track, I can feel his sincerity in the performance and I hope he’ll be able to make a triumphant return with the group in (gulp)… 2025.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 7.5 |
Grade: C
Publisher: Nick
