Flashback Review: Nearly five years later, Yves' "New' is LOONA's masterpiece

Back in 2017, I thought it was a quite weak year musically. Looking back five years from then, the story is quite different, and I would even give six songs from the year a 10/10, with even more waiting in the wings, slowly growing to the highest peak of music. One of the several interesting musical developments in the year was the pre-debut rollout for K-Pop girl group LOONA. While LOONA have yet to really make much of an impact within their native Korea, they have become incredibly successful internationally, being a popular member of the Hallyu Wave.

This was largely possible due to their ambitious rollout, with each and every one of the twelve members getting a solo track prior to their debut. It is not an uncommon opinion within their fandom that some, if not many, of their best tracks have been within this pre-debut era. As much as I love Star and Paint the Town (unpopular opinion, I know), I am somewhat inclined to agree. The entire Odd Eye Circle album Max and Match is probably the best album LOONA ever put out, while many solo tracks by Chuu and Kim Lip have their own full-fledged fandom. However, among all of these, one solo track stands among the very best. That would be Yves' debut track, New. 

New is a perfect example of a song knowing its target audience and acting for them. The song is rebellious, with questioning lyrics such as "Willing to get closer to the sun, flapping my burning wings. (after) My miserable appearances, only then did I learn my new days". Lyrics on self-love and self-confidence are nothing new (ahem), but New is focused, and genuinely feels like a rush out of a sheltered, quiet existence.

Yves is a perfect conduit to express this sound style. Her vocal talents are nothing out-of-this-world, but she provides the emotional depth a song like this requires, tugging and pushing around with the instrumental, while rushing forward with emotional confidence, rising over pain. Given that this is her first song, it is remarkable she carries the confidence to make the emotional core of New convincing, with a stirring middle eight to add to her resume. Her ad-libs through the chorus are also incredible.

New provides a fantastic melody, courtesy of composing duo Ludwig Lindell and Daniel Caesar. The two were omnipresent throughout 2017, and for good reason. They provide two things in nearly all their songs; high-octane, big-budget pop music, and an emotional core with a strong melody. New's melody pushes and pulls in new ways through the verses while coming together for a massive call-and-response in the chorus. Given a few additional vocalists, New could function as an a capella ballad.

Thankfully, Lindell and Caesar set their sites on something much more ambitious. With themes of youthful rebellion, the duo provides a slow-burning, dark, and melodic productional boost over Yves' burgeoning vocals. This is a clever trick, as the chorus, with its surging instrumental reaching for the sky, catches you completely blindsided, while also feeling like a natural successor to the verses' melody.

New is not content with leaving things just at that, as New slowly reveals itself over the course of its runtime, with additional refrains each time the chorus returns, giving a reason for the listener to stay. The song also ends on a high, instantly making me reach for the replay button.

While LOONA have a slowly burgeoning discography, New represents the group's creative peak, a moment of unrivaled brilliance that all LOONA songs are unfairly compared to at launch. Indeed New is fantastic, and one of the best pop moments of the past decade.

Rating: 9.75/10

Image Source: Korea Portal