Rating: 6.5/10

K-pop sensation BLACKPINK released their sophomore album, Born Pink, packed with anthems of self-empowerment to ‘shut down’ their haters. The group consisting of Jennie, Lisa, Jisoo, and Rosé of YG Entertainment returns after a two-year-long hiatus. Born Pink maintains the sound of previous Blackpink tracks like “Kill This Love”, “You Never Know”, and “Pretty Savage.” From slower ballads to stronger pop-rock, their themes of self-love and girl power are heavily shown all throughout.

Pink Venom

If you were lucky enough to catch their VMAs performance, you can’t deny the power Blackpink has in their music. The intro is eerily captivating with the repeated “Blackpink” chant and traditional Korean instrument, the geomungo. Jennie and Lisa return with their combined English rap, sampling 90’s hip-hop artists such as the Notorious B.I.G. and 50 Cent. Rosé and Jisoo’s vocals in the pre-chorus and the bridge were the perfect build-ups and cool-down from JenLisa’s rap. The lyrics themselves aren’t anything special but the production makes up for it with its intensity being strong enough to captivate you, yet not attacking you like other noise music.

Shut Down

The kicker for “Shut Down” was, surprisingly not the vocals or rap, but the production including a La Campanella strings sample. The instrumental gave the song a more refined and “cool girl” feel than previous tracks. Of course, this wouldn’t be Blackpink without some hip-hop influences, as well as an (average) rap. The song feels both new yet safe at the same time, with a gradual build-up heard in the chorus that ultimately leads to nothing. You’re left with the constant feeling that a big drop and shift is coming and then disappointed when it’s over and nothing happens.

Typa Girl

An absolute godsend after “Shut Down”, a fully English track, “Typa Girl” checks every single box in both the Blackpink handbook and the perfect song category. “Heaven’s gate just opened up, hearing choirs” really held a new meaning when I heard the vocals in this song combined with the frequent drops into quick rap verses. The instrumental is aggressive without attacking you; the lyrics at times seem a little off, but they’re quickly countered by the affirmation that Blackpink is in control, not you.

Yeah Yeah Yeah

This track was not my cup of tea. The melody and vocals of this song were beautiful but not enough to counter the lyrics. The frequent repetition of  “yeah” was instantly off-putting for me, no matter how eloquent the Korean lyrics may have been. If almost all of the English lyrics weren’t the same word repeated over and over, this would’ve risen to one of my favorites on the album.

Hard to Love

Admittedly, once I realized that this was a Rosé solo song, I was thrown for a loop since it fell flat in the middle of the album with no external promotions like her previous solos. This didn’t take away from the fact that “Hard to Love” is undoubtedly the easiest track to listen to. The lyrics and melody are vulnerable enough to make me relate yet not so much that I am crying on the floor (looking at you “The Happiest Girl”). 

The Happiest Girl

If  “You Never Know” had a sister that was facing the worst heartbreak of her life, it would be this song. Not even the instrumental can disguise the pure emotion behind this song and it’s heart wrenching lyrics. The “happiest” part of this song is that being solely vocal, all members got to show off their beautiful voices. 

Tally

Whiplash is the only word that can describe the transition into “Tally.” This is the stage of anger that comes after grieving, a prime example of “I don’t care about what you say”, what Blackpink does best. The instrumental is slightly underwhelming but somehow works well with the energy being given in this song.

Ready for Love

Initially, when released on Youtube as a collaboration with PUBG Mobile, I was absolutely obsessed with this song, yet it quickly became overplayed for me. Ignoring my current feelings on it – “Ready for Love” has the catchiest and maybe even best melody of Born Pink. Being fairly split between Korean and English, the song has something for everyone.

Born Pink manages to elevate Blackpink’s discography without going into left field with a new sound. I do hope, though, that they produce more music like “Ready for Love” with the city-girl-pop sound as well as their current “girl crush” concept. As they continue on their solo endeavors with their rise in Western stardom, Blackpink’s future is unpredictable yet exciting.