It’s hard to believe it’s been two years since BLACKPINK’s last album and comeback. No, seriously, their last single ‘Lovesick Girls’ was back in 2020. The girls are finally back with ‘Pink Venom’ from their upcoming second album, ‘Born Pink’. And as much as I love the girls, I don’t love this new song. Because, well, it doesn’t feel new at all.
Just when you think BLACKPINK may possibly be on the verge of a catchy new tune, ‘Pink Venom’ just uses the same structures as all their other songs and throws the typical onomatopoeia at you. The song is extremely rap heavy and feels like it could have been better utilised as a unit song between members Lisa and Jennie, instead of a song for the whole group. The parts of the song with the melody feel like an after thought and make both Jisoo and Rosé forgettable.
The song also heavily ‘borrows’ lines from existing rap, hip-hop and R&B songs like 50 Cent’s ‘P.I.M.P.’, Rihanna’s ‘Pon De Replay’, and The Notorious B.I.G.’s ‘Kick in the Door’, making me wonder at what point do tributes become just downright plagiarism?
Even the music video doesn’t offer anything new, feels all too familiar and provides nothing iconic nor memorable to make both the song and the music video stand out from BLACKPINK’s other works. I did enjoy seeing Rosé on the electric guitar, but blink and you’d miss it. Even for a proper look, you have to pause the music video because it’s that quick.
If this is the best that producer, composer, and lyricist TEDDY can offer after two years of YG Entertainment keeping BLACKPINK in the vault, then it’s high time to let the girls have their creative freedom and create their own music. I really want to see what Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa, and Rosé can do without TEDDY. Not all K-Pop idols are capable of writing and composing their own music, but Rosé did a great job with her solo song ‘On The Ground’, plus the girls have been training and have been on the backburner for a long time, so I highly doubt that they don’t have the capability to do so.
If this isn’t an option, at least give them more choices in producers. Their songs are starting to sound all the same, if not already, and clearly the reason why is because TEDDY does all of them. At least, all their comebacks and singles. YG Entertainment are lucky that the group still have a pull that will attract people to check out the song regardless of how good it actually is, or isn’t.
Until then, I’m not at all confident about ‘Born Pink’ which will have its release on September 16th. Hopefully there are other better songs on the new album because this song is not one of them, and I, like many, are tired of the recycled formulas.
