Apink not at 100 ‘Percent’ in new album [Music Review]
K -pop main-stayers Apink have just released their eighth mini-album Percent. Following 2018’s I’m So Sick, the group announced an image overhaul in a recent press conference – but if this record is anything to go by, the six-piece have churned out a set of songs which are nothing more than ordinary.
The title track opener has a charging cheerleader beat cutting through a dreamy aesthetic, but it leads up to a slightly disappointing nondescript chorus, given the promise of the opening verses. And this summary fits for every song that follows.
That isn’t to say that Apink don’t mix up their genres on Percent. What Are You Doing has these brash, prominent Japanese-pop keyboard blasts, and a clear tropical house beat, but again, the best parts show up in the build-up rather than in the drop or crescendo.
The lighthearted funk of Push & Pull also lacks impact, before the jazzy Enough, which cranks up the pop elements and shows off their most expansive range of instrumentation that nod towards radio-friendly 90s hip-hop, ultimately being the most cohesive track here.
Memories is a particularly drab closer, even if the girls sound at their most emotive and comfortable.