Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
Ex-Wonder Girls member Yenny overthought her soloist name of HA:TFELT, that much is obvious, but it’s the same mindset that likely allows her to pump out truly special songs like “Life Sucks“ (the real star of her 1719 album). Fortunately, her idol roots seem to have also provided a grasp of what makes a quality pop song while still maintaining some of the true artiste feel in “Sweet Sensation“.
“Sweet Sensation” is appropriately produced, with the softer moments fitting the lyrics playfully addressing hardships, while the burst of the chorus representing a hopeful outlook going forward reflected in the lyrical shifting of tone. The song builds as things get more assured and positive until, thematically at least, you’re ready to face the world as a new person. Good stuff.
Musically, it’s overall pleasant, with a summer-y vibe that’s easy enough for anybody to delve into. The chorus is appropriately catchy, enough to at least wear you down into grooving along with it at a whim, and posing a threat to become a long-term earworm.
While it was likely unintentional given when Yenny likely started working on this song, thematically and musically it’s quite perfect for those stuck in quarantine during the summer but don’t want to wallow in misery. That said, the true test of “Sweet Sensation” will be how I feel about this at the end of the year and if over time it embeds itself further or becomes tiresome, as that tends to be the litmus test for easily-digestable pop in this mold.
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TheBiasList felt relatively similar about “Sweet Sensation”, focusing in on her vocal pleasantness.
