Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
When Kwon Eunbi made her solo debut after IZ*ONE, I wasn’t that impressed with her earliest offerings like “Door” and “Mirror“*. Perhaps that carried over into early judgments against “Glitch” and “Underwater” a bit, but both of those songs have since been regular listens on my playlist and have definitely won me over to the point of being year-end offerings. Now she’s back with her latest single after a going viral with every WATERBOMB performance, and she has fortunately left little doubt about this single’s appeal with “The Flash“, providing straightforward dance-pop fun.
*That said, judging the Universe releases in retrospect, “Esper” was probably one of the better ones.
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Length has been a topic of discussion with K-pop songs in recent years, and of all the artists to provide an effort over three-and-a-half minutes, it’s a bit surprising that it comes from Eunbi. Similarly that she provides a bridge that shifts down a bit before launching into a rousing closing chorus is also a pleasant surprise that goes against current trends. You’d like to see that from those who can put even more of an exclamation point on it (*Cough* INFINITE *Cough*), but the totality of the arrangement is nice to experience again from K-pop.
And really it’s that pre-chorus and the subsequent chorus of “The Flash” where this song excels, as the percussion enters in earnest and it effectively builds to a release, and it then delivers with a fleshed-out production with a catchy refrain that includes the memorable “I fall in looooove” with a whispered “too fast” section. It also hides the song title repetition with emphasis on “in a flash” in the more instrumental second half that also serves as a transition.
That’s really all you need from a propulsive and momentum-building electropop dance song, but as a bonus, the verses are also a treat. There’s a seductive delivery with surprising melodic appeal thanks to the plucky beat that sounds like water droplets echoing in a forest, and the more subdued nature helps make the coming build to the chorus seem more impactful.
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Eunbi has undoubtedly settled into her solo career now, finding something of a signature sound that works for her perfectly, leaning on the production and providing the performance, not unlike other soloists like Wonho (via Taemin). While she is undoubtedly hot as hell and deserves to go viral for that fact like other idols do for their looks, her music has also ventured into the must-listen territory with her last three efforts, and hopefully she gets attention for that as well going forward.
