Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
Following the revival of “Rollin’” and their careers along with it, Brave Girls delivered an impressive follow-up mini in ‘Summer Queen‘, and the repackage that included “After We Ride” was another one of the year’s best. Now they look to leave their mark on 2022 as well with “Thank You“, which may want to make Brave Brothers change his branding for the group from summer queens to retro queens.
One thing I enjoy about the Brave Girls releases since their revival is there’s no bullshitting around. Even on the b-sides they mostly just dump the listener right into their concept and sound from the beginning and you’re either going to like that instrumental core or not, which stands out when so many productions seem to want to play with the listener’s expectations. “Thank You” just immediately provides a foot-tapping instrumental that’s unapologetic about what you’re gonna get the rest of the way.
Fortunately, the formula for Brave Girls has generally led to appealing instrumental foundations paired with memorable melodies, which “Thank You” doesn’t stray from. It’s different in that it’s much more on the disco side of retro, and while it has energy there’s a lot less exuberance to it. But that’s not a downside for me, as I found that while “Chi Mat Ba Ram” was great it was also best absorbed in small doses because the chorus is almost screamed at you. “Thank You” is much less impactful in that sense and is better for it, as the chorus is just as catchy and is much more enjoyable in the replayability category, with the titular hook burrowing into your ear.
One complaint is that I don’t think Brave Girls really need the rapping in their music considering it’s not what they excel at. Though it’s a minor issue as the finish of “Thank You” ramps up the energy and the repetition of the strong chorus makes a lasting impression.
Perhaps this is a sign of me getting old or something, but I appreciate the fact that there’s no shock and awe production tactics in Brave Girls songs that reek of desperation to get recognized as original. Instead, their discography continues to resemble more like a second or even early third gen group kind of format. Basic pop, I suppose, but … well, that’s what got me into K-pop to begin with. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the alternative at times, but it’s also nice to get straightforward melodic fun, and Brave Girls delivers that again with “Thank You”.
