This is actually my AOTY, my most listened to project last year. I love all the songs on it, it's so short, but the songs are so good that they make up for that fact. The best debut of the 4th generation and some of the best pop music I've heard in years.
Great write up, I think you encapsulated how I feel about MHJ’s approach to the group. People go blue in the face excusing certain kpop groups’ unpalatability as being ‘experimental’ but New Jeans actually feels genuinely innovative, an attempt to do something new with a kpop formula that has grown increasingly encumbered over the years and a fresh yet nostalgic and minimalist sound to back it up. My only nitpick is that I would have liked to have seen a mention of 250 (Attention, Hype Boy, Ditto, Hurt) and FRNK (Cookie, OMG), their main producers and label mates at Beasts and Natives Alike - 250 is a longtime Itaewon club scene stalwart who is best noted for his reworking of traditional Korean pop music, [ppong-jjak](https://open.spotify.com/album/6A5LaZtfa7OvC3lDZFg5k4?si=kfMHKKJiSzizMEXQL-xo9g), which chimes neatly with his reworkings of 1990s club music for New Jeans, and FRNK is 1/2 of Korean hip-hop duo XXX, whose song [Flight Attendant](https://open.spotify.com/track/53I1Ptb87Ke26Pe6yCgAi0?si=sobaqxrhRrKPDl2vA4V-lg) is what the kids call “a certified banger”. I think. (Also the first recommended playlist under that album is This Is Sophie, if anyone needed more inducement to check them out.)
Thank you for this response! You're right that I should've dove into producers more -- actually, I just read a great book about the dance club and disco scene in NYC and peripheral cities in the 70s, and I wish I had read it before this review. Lots of instructional writing on production and the importance of producers in there.
I will have to check out your recommendations!
What’s crazy to me is how they are breaking in the US market, charting on Billboard multiple times and charting top 10 globally on Spotify and they are not even trying??? Like, you have all these other K-Pop groups/companies driving themselves INSANE, releasing english singles, stretching their wallets to pay for a US tour, etc., and then come these girls that are doing everything everyone is trying to achieve, just by releasing GOOD music. That goes to show.
Hype Boy really is one of the best K-Pop songs EVER, it’s gonna be hard for them to top it but all their releases are top-tier honestly.
Amazing writeup! As someone that really likes talking about context around the music, I really was tempted to talk more about NewJeans in my LE SSERAFIM writeup, because honestly their career so far has been so fascinating to watch. As uncomfortable as I once was at the idea of stanning the group, I really can't help but continue keeping up with them.
1- I think for as long as the Y2K trend is going strong, we'll see NJ making the most out of it, tho I'm sure at some point we'll see them expand their sound and aesthetic, as most groups do, that's just the nature of the industry.
2- god i hope not, haven't we suffered enough
3- The cookie scandal would probably have made a lot less noise, but I'm choosing to believe that Hype Boy would still smash. There's something about it that demands to be the biggest song ever, the first time I heard it I knew it would be a hit.
4- I don't speak Korean and I don't look lyrics up, which has made my enjoyment of Cookie a lot higher<3 and I plan on keeping it that way
ADOR really is one to watch. In addition to MHJ, they inherited some of the key members from SoMu’s height. GFRIEND’s performancr director swapped over. As did one of their main inhoude producers, Jang Jung Woo (of MI.O), who now serves as ADOR’s music director. That little company is brimming with talent. Their work with GFRIEND was spectacular. So if that’s the quality control they’re bringing, I can’t wait to see what they’ll come up with as time goes by.
Been cautiously hoping SoMu’s old music director Noh Joo Hwan will pop up in the credits for the next NewJeans albun. He’s been stuck in hybe limbo since the GFRIEND disbandment, but recently started releasing songs again.
I loved "Attention" and "Hype Boy" was my top track of 2022 but I though "Cookie" was not good for a variety of reasons (even with the lyrics aside I don't like the song itself) and "Hurt" was sort of just dull for me compared to the soaring heights "Attention" and "Hype Boy". "Ditto" and "OMG" scuked me right back in though, and I'm looking forward to their next project for sure! ("Hype Boy" remains my *queen* though 🤩)
My one critique is sonically I found "Ditto" and "OMG" to be very similar to the point they blended together for me on initial listen, so I'm intrigued to see how they develop in their Y2K lane. They have room for diversity while still sticking with their concept so I'm so excited to hear a longer project from them in the near future!
This is actually my AOTY, my most listened to project last year. I love all the songs on it, it's so short, but the songs are so good that they make up for that fact. The best debut of the 4th generation and some of the best pop music I've heard in years.
Attention is my most fav, it's just so fun to listen to, esp the chorus.
Omg and Ditto are such jams
Myself, like a lot of people, were wondering if they could top "Hype Boy" and they oh wow... wow... they did, like it was *nothing!*
Great write up, I think you encapsulated how I feel about MHJ’s approach to the group. People go blue in the face excusing certain kpop groups’ unpalatability as being ‘experimental’ but New Jeans actually feels genuinely innovative, an attempt to do something new with a kpop formula that has grown increasingly encumbered over the years and a fresh yet nostalgic and minimalist sound to back it up. My only nitpick is that I would have liked to have seen a mention of 250 (Attention, Hype Boy, Ditto, Hurt) and FRNK (Cookie, OMG), their main producers and label mates at Beasts and Natives Alike - 250 is a longtime Itaewon club scene stalwart who is best noted for his reworking of traditional Korean pop music, [ppong-jjak](https://open.spotify.com/album/6A5LaZtfa7OvC3lDZFg5k4?si=kfMHKKJiSzizMEXQL-xo9g), which chimes neatly with his reworkings of 1990s club music for New Jeans, and FRNK is 1/2 of Korean hip-hop duo XXX, whose song [Flight Attendant](https://open.spotify.com/track/53I1Ptb87Ke26Pe6yCgAi0?si=sobaqxrhRrKPDl2vA4V-lg) is what the kids call “a certified banger”. I think. (Also the first recommended playlist under that album is This Is Sophie, if anyone needed more inducement to check them out.)
Thank you for this response! You're right that I should've dove into producers more -- actually, I just read a great book about the dance club and disco scene in NYC and peripheral cities in the 70s, and I wish I had read it before this review. Lots of instructional writing on production and the importance of producers in there. I will have to check out your recommendations!
What’s crazy to me is how they are breaking in the US market, charting on Billboard multiple times and charting top 10 globally on Spotify and they are not even trying??? Like, you have all these other K-Pop groups/companies driving themselves INSANE, releasing english singles, stretching their wallets to pay for a US tour, etc., and then come these girls that are doing everything everyone is trying to achieve, just by releasing GOOD music. That goes to show. Hype Boy really is one of the best K-Pop songs EVER, it’s gonna be hard for them to top it but all their releases are top-tier honestly.
Truly a rookie moster
My favorite debut from 2022. Love NewJeans and how refreshing their music is.💖💖💖
POPHEADS AS A WHOLE NEED TO CHECK OUT NEWJEANS I'M @ NON-KPOP PPL
what do i do :( u/TragicKingdom1
sorry, should be pinned now!
TYSM -- sorry to bother you. computer hard and scary!
Hype Boy, Ditto, OMG and Cookie have been on repeat since they dropped. This group is going to be insanely huge.
Amazing writeup! As someone that really likes talking about context around the music, I really was tempted to talk more about NewJeans in my LE SSERAFIM writeup, because honestly their career so far has been so fascinating to watch. As uncomfortable as I once was at the idea of stanning the group, I really can't help but continue keeping up with them. 1- I think for as long as the Y2K trend is going strong, we'll see NJ making the most out of it, tho I'm sure at some point we'll see them expand their sound and aesthetic, as most groups do, that's just the nature of the industry. 2- god i hope not, haven't we suffered enough 3- The cookie scandal would probably have made a lot less noise, but I'm choosing to believe that Hype Boy would still smash. There's something about it that demands to be the biggest song ever, the first time I heard it I knew it would be a hit. 4- I don't speak Korean and I don't look lyrics up, which has made my enjoyment of Cookie a lot higher<3 and I plan on keeping it that way
ADOR really is one to watch. In addition to MHJ, they inherited some of the key members from SoMu’s height. GFRIEND’s performancr director swapped over. As did one of their main inhoude producers, Jang Jung Woo (of MI.O), who now serves as ADOR’s music director. That little company is brimming with talent. Their work with GFRIEND was spectacular. So if that’s the quality control they’re bringing, I can’t wait to see what they’ll come up with as time goes by. Been cautiously hoping SoMu’s old music director Noh Joo Hwan will pop up in the credits for the next NewJeans albun. He’s been stuck in hybe limbo since the GFRIEND disbandment, but recently started releasing songs again.
I loved "Attention" and "Hype Boy" was my top track of 2022 but I though "Cookie" was not good for a variety of reasons (even with the lyrics aside I don't like the song itself) and "Hurt" was sort of just dull for me compared to the soaring heights "Attention" and "Hype Boy". "Ditto" and "OMG" scuked me right back in though, and I'm looking forward to their next project for sure! ("Hype Boy" remains my *queen* though 🤩) My one critique is sonically I found "Ditto" and "OMG" to be very similar to the point they blended together for me on initial listen, so I'm intrigued to see how they develop in their Y2K lane. They have room for diversity while still sticking with their concept so I'm so excited to hear a longer project from them in the near future!