Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
Brave Sound’s new boy group has been teased for some time, but now DKB are officially upon us. Unlike last year, 2020 hasn’t seen all that many notable debuts so far. Brave Brothers’ cache isn’t what it once was, but he’s still a producer with name recognition who can churn out reliably solid hits. Debut single Sorry Mama (미안해 엄마) doesn’t feature many of his trademarks, opting for a heavier hip hop style instead of the retro flair that often fuels his music.
This is already a K-pop sub-genre flush with competition, and a song like Sorry Mama doesn’t really do DKB any favors. While there are a few notable quirks, the bulk of the track plays exactly like you’d expect from one of these boisterous EDM/trap mash-ups. Its verses and pre-chorus are completely skippable, hinging on swaggy hip-hop and barely-formed melody. This would be alright if the instrumental was a little more engaging, but it’s both noisy and plodding. Groups like ATEEZ know how to take these elements and forge them into dynamic arrangements. Sorry Mama gets lost within the maelstrom of its own production.
A ray of light shines at both ends of the track and parts of the chorus, when a compelling female vocal overtakes this chaos to deliver a shot of drama. After J-Hope’s Ego yesterday, this is the second K-pop song in a row to utilize this kind of vocal texture, and I’m loving it. But, it doesn’t bode well for DKB that the best thing about their track is a vocalist completely disconnected from them. Without her, Sorry Mama is an unappealing hissy-fit of a song.
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IATFB says: For some reason, all I can think is “Sorry, Lee Soo Man president-nim, Let me do some hip-hop today, Motherfucker, I’ll also do some curse”.
