THROWBACK #18: GFRIEND- ME GUSTAS TU

Released: July 23rd, 2015

Although spring may be nearing its end here in North America, G-Friend's Me Gustas Tu takes us to a paradise full of blossoming flowers with its gorgeous crisp orchestral instruments and its vibrant 90s concept. It's a total retro-pop perfection, and it's done so without the extensive use of synths or any kind of electronic sound.

The 2015-2017 era was one of the golden periods when G-Friend consistently released spectacular single after single, all of which relied on symphonic kind of production to give each of them the modern K-Pop treatment. The peak of this scope though, was Me Gustas Tu, where it truly made G-Friend the group they are today. The explosive chorus is everything that I love about G-Friend's sound, and what better way to showcase those assets by putting it at the very beginning of Me Gustas Tu? The dramatic use of the strings, the powerful combination of G-Friend's vocals, and the slight touch of the retro percussion all contribute to a heck of a climax with attitude, but it builds up to an even more dramatic post-chorus, where I particularly like the brief pause in the rhythm of the beats, before kicking it back up to end the section on a high note.

But it's not just the chorus that carries Me Gustas Tu's pulse forward. The verses quickly pick up where the chorus left off, relying on the keyboard to keep the momentum moving. The verse even has a climax of its own, thanks to the same shift in the beat along with the powerhouse vocals of Yuju. The instrumental break in the bridge, another common element deployed by G-Friend, is also deserving of attention, although not the very best out of all their singles released (that title has to go to either Navillera or Fingertip), but that feisty guitar solo fits in well with the moderate, but lively tone of the song.

G-Friend's Me Gusta Tu is a timeless classic that shouldn't falter at all anytime soon. It's a celebration of the cheerfulness of K-Pop, and as the genre continues to evolve into the unknown, which can seem quite fearful, its happy moments will always be treasured, and Me Gustas Tu best describes one of those moments.

RATING: 7.8/10