Akdong Musician’s “Last Goodbye” is a song … and that’s about it

We are at the tail-end of winter releases and, of course, Akdong Musician has decided to add themselves to the fray. Their latest release “Last Goodbye” is the winter song that no one asked for, but got anyway … for better or for worse.

Akdong Musician is the sort of group that one has to accept at face value. They are folky and mellow and recognize this as their niche. Consequently, much of their songs (“Last Goodbye” included) do not deviate from their tried and true formula.

Ostensibly, “Last Goodbye” is not a horrible song. It has a cute, albeit brief, play on “Canon In D Major” to start the track off, and has a few interesting spots here and there. If anything, this song proves that Akdong Musician are certainly talented musicians in that they execute both their vocal and instrumental performances. I have always adored their harmonization and think that they are a prime example of how to execute a co-ed concept.

Musically, however, “Last Goodbye” simply does nothing. It, like many K-pop ballads, exists during the span of three minutes and no further. It is instantly forgettable, impact-less, and (perhaps worse of all) is a disappointing way for Akdong Musician to spend their brief moments out of the YG Entertainment dungeon.

Also, Akdong Musician look bored as fuck in the video. Look at their faces. Not even they want to be associated with “Last Goodbye”.

At best, “Last Goodbye” sounds similar to Akdong Musician’s other releases. Releases like “Melted” and “Re-Bye” have a similar twang, but differ in critical ways. “Melted”, for example, is similarly slow but takes the time to build to a strong crescendo. This crescendo injects memorability into a song which, much like “Last Goodbye”, could have been ‘meh’. “Re-Bye”, conversely, does not take itself seriously and is playful with its inherent quirkiness. “Last Goodbye” lacks the heart present in both of the aforementioned songs. It is melancholy in spite of itself and builds towards nothing more than an ending.

=====

‘WINTER’ Album

“Last Goodbye” Song