Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
As with too many groups of their underrated stature, Berry Good has been pretty inactive of late. After carving a path of mature, melodic pop with 2016’s “Angel“ and “Don’t Believe“, last year’s juvenile “Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo“ marked a jarring tonal change that seems to have derailed their momentum. Perhaps this is a reason behind the decision to come back as a sub-unit. Berry Good’s Heart Heart may be a ridiculously convoluted name (and way too much cute stuffed into four words), but “Crazy Gone Crazy” returns the girls to the refined style they excel at.
Heart Heart is composed of half of the group’s members (Taeha, Sehyung, and Gowoon, to be exact), but I’m curious why “Crazy Gone Crazy” couldn’t have simply been performed by Berry Good as a whole. There’s nothing about the song that instantly screams sub-unit, though I guess it’s also not the kind of track that provides all that much opportunity for multiple voices. Instead, “Crazy Gone Crazy”‘s subdued r&b/pop works harder at painting an ethereal, late-90s atmosphere.
The instrumental is the standout here, pulsing with soft synths and creeping strings that give it a hypnotic appeal. The girls counter with vocals that rarely rise above an airy hush. This approach doesn’t feel instantly ear-catching, but has the effect of gradually drawing you in until the melody knocks you out with its sultry refrain that rounds out each chorus. I’m not sure that “Crazy Gone Crazy” will draw too much attention from listeners unfamiliar with the group, but it’s a welcome return to form that Berry Good could easily build upon for their next group comeback.
