NewJeans arrived on the K-pop scene last year unannounced, a bold move in an industry obsessed with drawn-out lead-ups to artist launches. The day after releasing “Attention,” their breezy, ’90s R&B-indebted debut single, the K-pop quintet unveiled four music videos for their ebullient future-bass follow-up “Hype Boy”; the heartfelt ballad “Hurt” came 48 hours later. This was the first taste the world had of the Korean girl group, guided by industry veteran Min Hee-jin. Their music is noticeably laid-back, defined by gauzy sonics and diaristic talk-singing; their music videos and choreography
eschew aggressive cuteness and imperial pomp—the K-pop standards—for down-home bonhomie
On their second EP, Get Up, NewJeans channel the ecstasy of self-love and infatuation through lively dance music. “Look it’s a new me, switched it up who’s this,” they sing on the opener “New Jeans,” and later the skipping 2-step rhythm morphs into pounding kicks and fluttering harps. “Super Shy” is an iridescent liquid drum’n’bass song about faraway yearning that transitions into Jersey club stutters. The energetic, genre-blending production mirrors the nervousness and giddiness of longing—like Carly Rae Jepsen, the girls are eager to feel. When they repeat “You don’t even know my name, do ya?”, the line transforms from a dejected accusation to the reason they’re so compelled by their crush in the first place.
Full review at: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/newjeans-get-up-ep/
