CURRENT #24: RYU SUJEONG- TIGER EYES

Released: May 20th, 2020

It's quite funny because yesterday I posted a throwback review of Lovelyz's Candy Jelly Love (who Sujeong is a part of), but the thought of Sujeong's comeback being tomorrow at that time actually never crossed my mind. Perhaps when the news of her comeback was announced several days ago, Lovelyz songs started playing again in my head again to where I was dedicated to posting a Lovelyz track review, but soon forget why I thought of that in the first place. Sujeong is arguably the most popular member in Lovelyz right now, and so I wonder whether that fact skewed more into the decision of releasing a solo album, as Sujeong isn't the main vocalist at all. Gone are the bubblegum-filled days of cutsy and fantasy concepts as the face of the group takes on a darker, hard-hitting beat with Tiger Eyes.

Sujeong boldly takes on a hybrid of electropop with some trance influences that will easily find a home in a rave. For the most part, the thumping club beats make up the song's backbone, and while that backbone is well-intact and full of bulk, that's pretty much the only thing Tiger Eyes has to offer. There is no variety in the verses, no magic in the background to overlay on top. All there is besides the bass is some brief pauses and some minimal sound effects, which aren't enough to build some progression. The beat finally takes a break in the ambient-like pre-chorus, where everything that wasn't in the verse shows up. Unfortunately those elements feel too minimally-used, where I was hoping the piano would take over the melody for a bit. The bass has a nice chord progression, but it's too faint to stand out. Nevertheless, it's still a breath of fresh air compared to what's about to heard next.

If you thought the verse sounded too repetitive, just wait till you hear the chorus. It's basically verse 2.0, where the beat simply has claps added to it. Just like the verse, it may sound cool initially, but it looses its punch standing by itself. It's extremely frustrating because there is absolutely nothing in the melody than stands out, other than the synth chords that sound too mellow to define themselves. Bland seems to be best term to describe the entire song, because the composer somehow managed to butcher Tiger Eyes even more in the bridge, where we hear bland at its finest from the other side of the tempo spectrum, once the bass turns off. I don't find Sujeong's vocals to be impactful, but I would have loved for her to showcase them more here, as much of the same elements heard are recycled, and at the exact same volume.

Tiger Eyes is not the best way to start off a solo debut, especially when your group is riding high off the popularity gained from QUEENDOM. I applaud Sujeong for stepping outside the norm exploring new environments, and the bass sounds very appealing initially, but Tiger Eyes leaves a sour taste in my mouth that won't go away anytime soon.

RATING: 7.1/10