By NewsInStar, CC BY 3.0, Link

 Review: Mamamoo - Wanna Be Myself

I hate long indefinite hiatuses. I get that artists need a break, but I was genuinely worried that there was some internal turmoil in RBW as all the members of Mamamoo (except Wheein) were releasing music and the group was not. Their last single was the November mega-hit 'Hip' which basically has defined their post-2016 music. Finally the group returns 10 months later..... with a CF track.

I would normally be quite disappointed with the announcement, but Mamamoo usually have a good track-record with CFs ('Woo Hoo' and 'Gleam') and I would not be surprised to see this track appear on an upcoming album.

The verses are mostly okay minus a tempo dropping line from Hwasa in verse 2. The members' vocal delivery leads to some much needed variance. Solar and Hwasa are given the most lines, but I feel that  Wheein was the best suited for this track. Maybe I am just missing her voice. But overall, the verses feel more familiar than fresh.

The chorus starts out with some bass and percussion, not unlike Golden Child's 'One (just without vocals)'. This is followed by a vocal section with disco strings. I love disco strings and their use especially in Italo and space disco. And while 'wanna be myself' is not either of those, it still is a solid use of disco elements. Also, I did not know Moonbyul could have such a high range, maybe I need to check out the group's older material again.

Overall, the song is fine and a pleasant surprise. But it will probably be forgotten a week or two from now.

Rating: 7.5/10