THROWBACK #23: F(X)- HOT SUMMER

Released: June 14th, 2011

Although Summer 2020 may end up becoming one of the more forgettable summers for many of us, it doesn't hurt to look back at the some of the memorable tracks that were released and made specifically for the summer. If I was asked to choose a song that best represented the season, the first one that comes to mind is F(x)'s Hot Summer, and it's not just because the title contains the name itself. Hot Summer embodies the elements that I love about the K-Pop of the early 2010s.

Hot Summer's overall composition is minimal, yet extremely catchy; the song is dominated by a synth glazed with static-like sounds to give it that extra edge. It's a fun poppy sound, and it helps in branding F(x) all over the track. A sequence of it is repeated throughout the entire song, but it deviates into a defined melody when it has to, primarily to support the chorus section. Before getting to the chorus though, I want to briefly discuss Hot Summer's structure. The song is well known for its classic "four sets of 8" phrasing, where sections in the verses can be further divided by phrases that are repeated 4 times. The rhythm is used in many songs, but only in the early 2010s era were the phrases actually repeated. Hot Summer adapted this formula to make it easy to follow along with, and therefore catchy to hear. Each of the unique phrases in the verse have their individual charms, but the pre-chorus takes the cake here, putting forth an extremely infectious melody that's backed up by the chord progression of the synths.

Like the verses, the chorus also utilizes the 4-phrase repetition, but there's enough variation in some of those phrases to avoid it from sounding too repetitive, which is also due to the same previous chord progression playing. Nevertheless, the melody is insanely catchy. As to no surprise, the exact same structure repeats in the second half of the song to maximize the capacity of that ear candy. The bridge slightly changes things up with a different 4-phrase part, along with a short rap part by Amber that has its flavor, but doesn't really add any value to Hot Summer. To my delight, I love how the pre-chorus plays again before the final chorus.

Hot Summer deserves attention as a fun dance tune to jam to. It's lighthearted and it captures the experimental genre image that F(x) is well known for. It's purely a track that's a top contender for the best song released in the summer, for the summer, and at the end of the day, its catchiness is what matters in order to have a good time.

RATING: 7.7/10