Release Date: June 22, 2017
Tracklist:
- 마지막처럼 (AS IF IT’S YOUR LAST)
Total Runtime: 00:03:33
Recommended for: haters because either they just want to be cool and jump on a casual YG bandwagon hate speech, or simply readying themselves for some enlightenment.
NOT recommended for: BLACKPINK fans, and those with superior music taste, because this song will get them scalped.
YG Entertainment’s popular girl group BLACKPINK (also stylized as BLΛƆKPIИK and Summer Queen) is back with their latest single “AS IF IT’S YOUR LAST”! This single acts as an expensive, high-end appetizer before the group’s entrée “SQUARE THREE” or “SQUARE ROOT” or anything-with-the-word SQUARE-in-it album grace our lives in 2020. It is all square now. Empecemos!
Track Review:
Track 1 – 마지막처럼 (AS IF IT’S YOUR LAST)
AS IF IT’S YOUR LAST is comprehensively a mix of modernized and vintage Retro track, coated with Summer Pop for extra panache and pizzazz. That flair is meant for us to keep bopping to its groovy beat despite the hot weather. The song and its music video exquisitely represent each other with unnoticeable (unavoidable) flaws that worth nix tête-à-tête. The music video is a feast for the eyes. The girls, all of them look so beautiful and stylish (trademark BLACKPINK). Even if you don’t like the song, you’d watch the music video on repeat. But I doubt the former is even a case here.
Moving onto the song’s composition. It’s brighter and of faster pace than their previous releases. It’s Summer so we shouldn’t be expecting a brooding song from them. Since I’m a total sucker for Retro songs, I love it at first listen. I don’t even feel sorry about it. However, the song does suffers from getting flat at certain points, especially during verses. But both bridge parts (first by Rose and then Jisoo) are so good, albeit disjointed from a verse before and a chorus after. The chorus are divided into two parts (based on my listening). The first part is not as powerful as you expect from a girl group like BLACKPINK and is actually quite paint-by-number, alas formulaic. Luckily, the second part is very catchy and where’s the hook at; with Lisa’s voice just makes it much better.
There are many claims out there, stating that this song reminds them of 2NE1 or similar to certain 2NE1 songs of some sort. Allow me to give some enlightenment regarding this claim. First of all, if you think this song reminds you of 2NE1, there is some truth to it. The reason is however remains the same throughout the Big 3 (SME, YGE, and JYPE). They all have their own distinctive and unique sounds. In-house producers and preset concepts by the companies made it possible. Both 2NE1 and BLACKPINK are the only girl groups ever produced by YGE. 2NE1 is highly successful and considered as legends. YGE may use the same approach for BLACKPINK, albeit with less angst and more feminine images. Much like most girl groups these days albeit peculiar flavor that most of them don’t have.
Secondly, this song is nothing like any 2NE1 songs. No 2NE1 songs out there that is as bright and upbeat as AS IF IT’S YOUR LAST. None is even close as to have the same composition with this song. Perhaps the structure at, again, certain points, are vividly similar, but that is most probably because Pop songs all around the world retain the same structure thus actually identical to each other. If you trusted it to be otherwise because of words from the masses, then you are forgiven. Herd mentality is hard to avoid and is a silent killer. Whenever there are new releases, I would avoid myself from reading any comments and such, so that my first impressions and immediate judgement won’t be clouded. And I came up with this review. As pristine as it could be.
