CURRENT #18: BVNDIT- JUNGLE

Released: May 12th, 2020

Next up we have Bvndit, a 5-member girl group under agency MNH Entertainment. MNH may sound completely unfamiliar, but they house solo artist Chungha, who is arguably the most success soloist in the music scene right now, so Bvndit does have a labelmate to look up to, as well as garning some pre-recognition. Bvndit's latest title track Jungle is quite an intriguing single. It's definitely far from perfect, but there are a few sparks here and there that could certainly make Jungle a game-changer.

Jungle's blueprint has some Moombahton influences, while relying on a distorted wild western-like melodic loop played by what sounds like the harmonica. At the same time parts of the hook also sound reminiscent of the classic tune Macarena from the 90s, or is it just me? Let me know what you think. But WOW the vocalist in the very first verse, my jaw immediately dropped. I honestly thought the voice sounded like a man at first, but Songhee, as her name turns out to be, clearly has some raw talent. With the help of some autotune, the rest of the vocals flow along quite nicely throughout the verse, although I am sure they would have sounded just as smooth without the extra processing. A louder bass in the background or a chord progression would have definitely secured the icing on the cake. The refrain is actually quite interesting, as I like the use of a chord progression to add some melodic flavor in the track, while temporarily slow things down after a relentless first verse, even if the brass makes it sound faint, before kicking things back up into full gear.

The chorus has mixed reactions from me. First of all the use of the bass synths here is dope. It practically has its own melody and takes over the entire part. Now although efforts are made to avoid it from falling into the infamous drop-beat trap, the first half of it immediately sounded like the post-chorus instead. As infectious as the beat is, I couldn't help but feel as if the part wanted to end abruptly. The second half is a welcoming addition, but it felt like the chorus was forcing itself to extend instead. The second verse tidies things up from the first one, with the girls showcasing their fresh vocals more, including a short but sweet high note right before the pre-chorus. Instead of relying on the loop for the bridge, Jungle switches things up yet again with another instrumental loop. The new melodic loop in the dance break is somewhat interesting, but I feel like Jungle would have been better off by skipping the Moombahtoon-like beat and go straight to the upbeat one, as the girls have already invested enough energy in the vocal bridge.

All the complaints aside, if you strip the song down to its very core, then I think with a little bit of re-arranging of some parts, Jungle has the potential to really sound well-developed. And it starts first with the unique vocals from the girls, who clearly have the potential to become great vocalists. For many people, Jungle may best be forgotten and left in dust, but for me, I think Jungle marks the beginning of something special for Bvndit.

RATING: 7.35/10