Taeyeon MURDERS your faves in the “Rain”, which is more than the sum of its parts

Taeyeon, the yodeling god-hating murderer, came back recently with “Rain” as a part of SM Entertainment’s crazy a-release-a-week plan, and she thankfully isn’t yodeling anymore.

The song is a jazzy mid-tempo ballad, and while not outstanding as a standalone, it manages to do more as a sum of its parts. The verses sounded like they would build up to something great, but the chorus was a little disappointing initially. It did grow on me after a few listens, but I still sort of wish they had taken it a different direction since it had the potential to be amazing and fell short.

The real meat of the release lies in its lyrics: rather simple and a little cheesy, they are nevertheless contemplative and wistful. The lyrics resonate with the listener, speaking of past love with a nostalgia that is universally relatable. I was mostly struck by how pretty the words were, honestly. “The long and blinding season/Will it fade away, stained, inside some photo album?” Yesss, give me more of this shit.

Taeyeon’s vocals in “Rain” complement the song quite nicely, adding to its melancholic flavor. This was the first time I didn’t think her voice was utterly dull, as she showcases more than her ability to sing boring high-notes. Please use your voice in better ways like this for now on instead of yodeling, thank you.

Taeyeon also dropped the shepherding white grandma aesthetics she has had going since “I” and looks great in the music video. The music video also complements the song very nicely, setting a melancholic mood.

That said, I have no idea what the fuck she’s doing in it: you flood your house by filling fishbowls and have floating furniture?

What?

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While the song itself wasn’t dazzling, all parts of this release work together quite nicely to form something really enjoyable, which is rather rarely seen in K-pop. I’m admittedly a sucker for melancholy, but that really was the central thread holding all of this together: the lyrics, song, music video, and vocals all playing towards one theme to make it a cohesive whole. Certainly much better than the forgettable and rather painful “I”.