Review: SB19 - What?

What?

That was my initial reaction to this song. SB19 have slowly proven themselves worthy of their fame by providing strong releases from generic formulas. Hanggang Sa Huli should have been your run-of-the-mill ballad, but some strong arrangement and performances helped it become a highlight. Meanwhile, Alab slowly grew into a highlight, despite there being like 5 million songs in the same style releasing each week. If there is was one issue with their discography, it is that nothing was unique. Every song was a clone of something else.

Enter What?. When I first entered the MV, I heard the rock guitar and was amazed... before realizing that it was just the intro. Then, the heavy, aimless trap hip-hop hit. The ultra genericness of this section nearly shut me out, but then the melodic pre-chorus randomly entered. I liked it a lot.

When the chorus hit, I genuinely checked if, for whatever reason, I entered a new song. The pre-chorus just randomly pauses, and then we reach a stadium rock 90's hip-hop H.O.T-like blend song. I am not really sure what just happened, it even is another key entirely. Maybe there is some cultural significance I missed? But this is I Got A Boy by SNSD driven hyper.

When the structure repeats for the next verse, it is more bearable. Weirdly enough, I wished they'd do something different this time too. For if you want to keep us on our toes, continuously do that.

In the MV version, we get an On-like dance breakdown. That is why I prefer the MV version, the guitar in the front, the dance break, all make the song more daring.

The bridge is a solid, better-written version of the pre-chorus. This is followed in the MV by muted chants, before the final chorus. The final chorus is more joyful and less aggressive, adding another dimension.

Lyrically, some say What? is a political song. I don't fully understand the situation in the Philippines, so the lyrics switch between swag and rise-and-fight anthem. I also saw an explanation saying it is about their rise and their personal struggles. This I can see through the lyrics. Apparently, also, there is some clever wordplay as well.

I can't remember the last time I looked at a song with such a confused and shocked face as with What?, it is just weird. Time will tell how it will age.

Rating: 7.5/10

Also, Pablo's hair kind of reminds me of Hyunjin's. I wonder if that it was on purpose. If so, it was terribly timed.

Image Source: CNN Philiphines