Review: Golden Child - Ra Pa Pam
Golden Child have been playing around with their style for a while. They debuted with a fun and summery concept, eventually devolving into cute. They subsequently peaked with the BLSSD trilogy, which gave them edgy electropop. Afterward, they have moved between the 60s funk, modern funk-pop, and reggaeton. Now, with Ra Pa Pam, they have opted for Latin pop, with some EDM moombahton elements.
First things first, I would like to note I am quite disappointed the MV is not a sequel to January's Burn It. Normally, I don't like zombie MV stories, but Burn It pulled together, asking us questions about humanity, and how we'd act in such a situation. The MV for Ra Pam Pam also kills Dayeol, who is soon to enter the military. This hints that they are planning to continue the storyline started with this song. I would rather have them go make a sequel to Burn It, but I'll deal with what I get. The members give a strong acting performance for an MV anyway, and the story is not really too bad.
Now, onto Ra Pam Pam as a song. It robs Golden Child of the one thing that has made them one of the best fourth-generation K-Pop groups; a sense of forward-moving melody. All of their best songs so far have had a sense of storytelling, even if it was subservient to the MV. Ra Pam Pam is the first time where the song itself where the song feels like an afterthought, rather than even a pairing piece.
The song opens with some awkward and airy moombahton synths, which keep on making appearances throughout the song. The production can best be described as clunky, starting and stopping at the most awkward of moments. The chorus is arguably the worst sinner in this aspect, opening with hard-to-breathe clunky percussion, pausing right in the middle of a refraining line, destroying the momentum.
Of course, the song is not all bad, Golden Child's song line-up of vocalists and rappers is especially strong. The vocalists are not given too much to do that they have not already done, but Jangjun and Tag get a strong rap break. I'd say that they have arguably been 2021's best rap duo, playing off each other quite well.
In the end, I think Ra Pam Pam is one of Golden Child's worst songs and worst single for sure. Thankfully, it is supported by some strong b-sides. I just hope Golden Child, when they release their next single, pull together for a stronger melody.
I agree with this post alot! The Chorus gives off many hooks but none of them are good enough to catch you in a way the BEST golden child songs do.
ReplyDeleteWish or Fanfare should've been the title track!
Yeah, nothing from the chorus lasts unfortunately :(
DeleteAlso, I assume you mean Spell and Fanfare, Wish is their excellent 2018 mini-album.
Thanks for the correction!
DeleteNo problem :)
DeleteI'm not really glad to say that I loved the song. I thought it was the most masterfully done moombahton in a while and a song that combines trend and quality. I'm really sticking with my decision even if it doesn't age well. This song is literally the definition of mixed reception. Others loved it, others don't. I'm just sad with the result of this polarizing track.
ReplyDeleteFanfare is an instant 9.25 in my books and it sure does deliver what I love the most of Golden Child. Now I have a problem with that, yes, I am one of the few people that are very dismayed at the fact that Golden Child only seems to excel in a certain genre, style and production. This was one of the reasons I didn't like Burn It at first and was a little skeptical at Breathe. It felt like there wasn't any creativity in terms of styles, the execution was brilliant but the creativity wasn't staying up. This is my problem.
Anyway enough of the shenanigans! Golden Child's album might be a front-runner for Pop and AOTY so that is brilliant for them! I was impressed at the album. More props to Golden Child, a surprise might be finally around the corner.
Yeah, while we might not exactly agree on the title track, I am glad we can agree that the album is great. True, I wish they were more diverse at times, but they certainly are expanding their sights at times. This certainly could have a chance at AOTY :)
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