Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
Somehow, despite disliking the bulk of AB6IX’s special solos album 5NALLY, I have now written about all five tracks at length. And every once in a while, I even had some positive things to say. That’s the kind of twisted dedication you’ll find on The Bias List! But now that we’ve arrived at the fifth and final track, I’m struggling to find a whole lot of praise for Park Woojin‘s “Color Eye“.
Prior to AB6IX’s debut, Park Woojin was the member I was most familiar with. He had some real standout moments in Wanna One’s discography, as well as a wonderfully deadpan personality that really rew my attention. It’s a shame that he’s been sidelined by injury for much of AB6IX’s promotional periods — a fact that likely influenced their decision to release this special album. He’s a vital part of the group, but that doesn’t make “Color Eye” a vital song.
To be fair, this style of hip-hop track was never designed for my musical tastes. It draws upon several of my least favorite K-pop trends: sluggish trap beats and a heavy use of vocal effects. The instrumental’s a total drag, pulsing along the same sluggish mix of keys and skeletal percussion for its entire running time. There’s no modulation to tracks like this, just a languid, druggy haze.
Woojin brings a bit of excitement to the production, delivering a relatively high-energy flow that offers a glimpse of his appealing personality. Unfortunately, much of this is undercut by a hazy, lifeless chorus that amounts to little more than stylish muttering.
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IATFB says: As I work through Korean hip-hop albums, I hear innumerable almost identical songs like this that are just as terrible. Some of those artists are popular even, and the fact that their efforts are virtually indistinguishable from this is … telling. I guess me not getting this kind of stuff is a sign of age or something, but good god I hate it.
