Apink can sell anything in my eyes. No matter what genre, their voices always work with the material they are given. Percent is a testament to that, and how overlooked b-sides can be. Many people know and love %%, but I don't hear many fans talk about the besides on this mini album. The tracks are chic and scream understated confidence; Think Yuri’s Into You, with a range of sounds. It really speaks to Apink’s artistic growth, and how far they’ve come since 2011.
Though a new stan, and still exploring their discography, I can not believe that I’m only now looking into their albums and what music they have to offer. If Percent is any indicator, then the girl group’s discography is diverse and tackles more sounds than expected. I hope you guys enjoy this review.
Track list:
%% (Eung Eung) (single)
Hug me
What are you doing?
Push & Pull
Enough
%% (Eung Eung)
Written By: Choi Kyu Sung, Rado (Black Eyed Pilseung), Jeon Goon
Master Engineering by: John Davis
Mixing Engineering by: Alan Foster
Arrangement by: Rado (Black Eyed Pilseung)
Composition by: Black Eyed Pilseung, Jeon Goon
There’s something so depressing about %%. Despite it having a fast beat and catchy lyrics, this single is depressing to listen to. It makes sense since the song is in F minor (the same as Exo’s Love Shot!), but the members sound apologetic in %%. Their singing fits with the lyrics, kind of; They do not sound shameless but broken. The lyricism helps with the loneliness of the track. There’s something so simple with the verses used. The beginning refrains are so isolating, like it’s a woman looking out on a city view. That’s how I see it at least. The second parts, lead by Naeun, are chatty, but I like that, it contrasts with the refrains. The pre-chorus builds up tension quickly, but then we hit the chorus. I have to admit the chorus had to grow on me. But now that it has, hell yeah I roll with this. Eunjin and Namjoo have great low-pitched voices that contrast with many of the member’s head voices. The hook is my favourite part of the writing, it’s simple yet addictive. The production is great as well. Though the fast beat uses a lot of hi-hats, I’ll let the producers get away with it. I love the hit of the snare, it adds a lot of power to the percussion. The rhythm (I sadly can’t spot, or find, what instrumental it is) is an earworm, and was the first thing I remembered from the track. The single is synthpop though, and the use of synth in %% is dazzling to say the least. I think the best synthpop in K-pop is ones that don’t follow the 80’s trend, do embark to find their own comfortability in the modern landscape; Looking to the future, not back. %% does this perfectly, it sounds modern, sparkly, but saudade. I love that, %% combines the right amount of sadness and happiness into one song, and we get one of the best songs of 2019.
Hooks: 9
Production: 10
Longevity: 10
Bias: 9
Total: 9.5
Hug Me
Written, Composition, and Produced by: Mospick
I have conflicting reports on the creditdations of Hug Me. Genius documents different workers, but the fandom wiki, CCL, and Discog says Mospick produced this track; I’m going with Mospick.
I love how soft Hug Me is. The production does sound like an embrace. I love the Rnb beat; It’s slick but soft, and floats the b-side up. The piano used for the chords adds this magical feeling to the track. The guitar should be a little louder, but has this smooth and jazzy effect on the song. Not that the track itself is inherently jazzy, but it does add a lot. The writing is the best part of Hug Me. The chorus is uplifting and elegant, and just very happy. Whenever I hear it, a smile paints itself onto my face. The hook is abrupt as the opening, but it works immensely well after the chorus. The verses are written well too. They’re simple; Less is more. The pre-chorus builds up only a bit of tension to keep us on our toes. I love the lyricism, it adds so much depth to Hug Me. I’m happy they’ve left out the bridge, it would’ve added too much to the song.
Hooks: 8
Production: 9
Longevity: 9
Bias: 9
Total: 8.75
What are you doing?
Written by: 1Take, Tak
Mastering Engineering by: John Davis
Mixing Engineering by: Alan Foster
Arrangement and Composition by: 1Take, Tak
When I made the comparison of Yuri’s into you, this was the song I was listening to. And honestly, this track is very similar to C’est la vie. What are you doing is slick, chic, runway. If anything, it also reminds me of an electronic Fearless by Le Sserafim. The hook is addictive to listen to, and the fade in is so hair-raising. I love how sparse the percussion is at the start, as Apink showcases their soft vocals. The chords are also well written. Then we hear more detailed percussion in the background as the pre-chorus uses the lack of layers to make us prepared for the chorus. The chorus is simple enough, and works. Korean songs are usually wordy, but What are you doing? Really is melodic, especially in the chorus. I like the breakdown during the second verse. I can hear something in the chorus, I think it’s the rhythm or the bass, and it just hits my soft spot. It’s both. I love the instrumental break during the bridge, its use of future bass is so well put in. We can hear the bass more at the start of the bridge as well. The outro is amazing as well. The members just work so well on this track and, well, yeah I love it.
Hooks: 8
Production: 9
Longevity: 9
Bias: 9
Total: 8.75
Push & Pull
Written by: e.one
Mastering Engineering by: John Davis
Mixing Engineering by: Alan Foster
Arrangement, and Composition by: e.one
I find the verses, especially the second verse, to be too restricted for me. I enjoy the bass as the rhythm, it makes Push & Pull funky. The guitar is also nice. But I think drums could do more during the verses than just staying in the curtains. The pre-chorus is short but sweet. The chorus is the best segment of the track though. The vocals soar as the power pop influences send through. The drums are amazing in this song, and add so much when they are used to their potential. The brass in the background enhances the funk side of Push & Pull, as the guitars’ chords detail the track more. The writing is also great, but doesn't stand out until the chorus. Don’t get me wrong, they’re okay, but the best part of the writing is in the chorus. The lyricism is focused throughout much of the track, and doesn’t stray off far from the track and its own thing. I love the outro with the electric guitar, I love electric guitars.
Hooks: 8
Production: 9
Longevity: 8
Bias: 9
Total: 8.5
Enough
Written by: CHORONG
Mastering Engineering by: John Davis
Mixing Engineering by: Alan Foster
Arrangement by: WiiDope
Composition by: WiiDope, Kofi Owusu-Ofori, Nikel
This sounds like an ad, especially the chorus; It’s addictive and the first time I heard Enough it became an earworm. The verses are nicely written. The refrain is nice as well. I like the coffee shop vibe of this track, though they aren’t usually my pick of songs I’d like to listen to. I think the guitar is nice, and I love the piano chords. There’s something electronic in the pre-chorus and I find it to be the most unique aspect of the song. Something so small adds so much. The drums do much of the work as well. The brass in the chorus makes the track more than a coffee shop song in my opinion. It’s more of a…hmm…a coffee shop where people dance maybe? Anyways, good song, good ad jingle.
Hooks: 8
Production: 8
Longevity: 8
Bias: 9
Total: 8.25
Memories
Written by: 1Take, Tak
Mastering Engineering by: John Davis
Mixing Engineering by: Alan Foster
Arrangement and Composition by: 1Take, Tak
There isn’t much to say about this ballad. Memories best aspect is its last chorus, the electric guitar just hits my soft spot. The piano’s cool in here, the strings as well. The writing is pretty alright, I like the lyricism in the chorus. The verses are fine. The production in the first and second verses could’ve been better. I just don’t like how normal they sound, if that makes sense. The chorus hits some weird notes whilst the verses are just there. I do like building up though, and that’s why the last chorus just ascends: Because we had to deal with the 2-3 minutes and now we get a segment that’s just amazing. Mmm, I love electric guitars.
Hooks: 8
Production: 7
Longevity: 8
Bias: 9
Total: 8
Total: 8.6/10
Credit to TheBiasList for the rating system
and enjoy your day! 
