Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
“Seulgi X SinB X Chungha X Soyeon” is quite a mouthful of a name for a project group! Honestly, though, I can see why SM Entertainment would want to highlight each and every performer in this temporary supergroup. It’s not every day that this level of star power is harnessed for one track. It almost seems a waste to relegate “Wow Thing” to a simple SM Station release. And given that only one fourth of this quartet is actually signed with SME, it’s kind of odd that this song falls under their Station umbrella at all.
Of course, a momentous pairing like this means nothing if the song itself doesn’t stand out. Before its release, “Wow Thing” was described as an addictive pop dance track — a refreshingly straightforward pitch in this modern musical landscape of countless sub-genres. The track delivers on this promise, coming across as a trend-free affair that recalls the kind of turn-of-century female collaborations (Brandy and Monica, the “Lady Marmalade” crew) that used to set American charts alight. The pop-r&b beat has a throwback appeal, driven by slinky percussion and dripping with charisma.
Much of “Wow Thing”’s vocal performance is given a layered arrangement, which results in a surprisingly powerful effect. The girls sound like a bonafide K-pop group, as if they’d trained together for years. The chorus itself isn’t all that novel, but it’s fleshed out in a way that too few melodies are nowadays. The extra post-chorus refrain is stronger, crackling with sassy energy and multitracked to maximum effect. Of all the Station releases so far this year, “Wow Thing” feels like the most definitive fulfillment of the project‘s potential.
