There have been many pre-release tracks this week, a strategy that K-pop seems to be very fond of lately. Yves has an album scheduled for next month and gives us an early taste with White Cat today. Her previous work has delved into hyperpop influences, no doubt inspired by the huge success of Charli XCX’s Brat last year. White Cat continues this approach with an indie-electro sound.
Songs like this can be difficult for me to fully wrap my arms around. I can tell they’re trying to be cool and alternative, and that effort — from the warped vocals to the quirky instrumental — has a way of feeling less authentic than it wants to be. When it comes down to it, I’m always looking for similar qualities in a song: fantastic melodies/hooks, a sense of satisfying development and an energy that keeps me coming back for more. This can look and sound different across genres.
White Cat has certainly mastered its specific sound. It would fit in perfectly on any indie pop playlist and Yves’s cool, aloof performance works well over the production’s crunchy textures. But for me, the track feels more like something I should appreciate than something I can unabashedly love. I can tell that it’s objectively good, but I just can’t make a connection beyond that. Honestly, though, that sentiment could apply to most LOONA/post-LOONA projects for me.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
