Review: Golden Child's 'Replay' is energetic but surprisingly amelodic

"Even down a member, Golden Child seize the opportunity and drive the song forward with intensity and panache." - The Bias List

"Woollim isn’t the best when it comes to promoting they know how to choose a song and Replay does everything right." - Hallyu Reviews

"I bet I will get obsessed with this song." - Deforested Music (in a Discord server)

"By the time the grungy guitar comes in lead the track during its climax, I’m already completely sold by what is probably 2022’s first real showstopper." - Kbopped

"I just found “Replay” almost impossible to not at least bounce along to" - Asian Junkie

So... the K-Pop review blogosphere has a few artists we love, and Golden Child is definitely one of them. It started with The Bias List and has soon spread across the entire K-Pop blogging community, giving Golden Child a small but devoted segment of the K-Pop community as fans. I for one, count myself among the group's fans. However, I truly began to appreciate the boy band with their turn to darker and more emotive themes with the BLSSD era. While many within the blogosphere view Genie and DamDamDi as the group's peak songs, I will always prefer the likes of Lucid Dream and Burn It. This has created different expectations for what makes a good Golden Child track. While most disliked DDARA and Without You, I count them among the group's very best offerings. We mostly agree that Rat-Tat-Tat was a mistake though!

While we still mostly agree if a song is good, I and others would certainly disagree on their top songs, even if the community has influenced younger me's decisions (looking at you, overrated Pump It Up review, how is the song a 9?) The group's latest single, Replay, has received rave reviews from the community. I appreciate it, but it is certainly not one of the group's best efforts.

Golden Child have once again switched their styling and sound, moving towards the futuristic funky electropop of MIRAE's debut. It is instantly ambitious in style and structure, opening with the chorus and powering with a stylistic concept. Part of this energy comes down to the relatively new production team in Fascinador, who previously were best known for their work with Kim Woo Seok's solo material. I love it when new songwriters and producers enter and grow, and this is a great example.

Replay's production is really sharp, with a crunchy edge the group has not provided since Lucid Dream, two years ago. From the clicking percussion to the crunchy electronics, to the full-fledged rock riffs, Replay is big and bold. It hardly gives a moment to breathe, with over-the-top drama at the heart of its every moment. Even the bold vocal moments add a sense of propulsion and force.

Unfortunately, the immaculate production leaves little room for melody. I often have a rule for judging a song's melody, I call it the acoustic test, "Would you listen to this song if it just was the main melody played on a piano or acoustic guitar?" Replay mostly fails this test, with the exception of the punching the chorus. Part of this is due to the repetitive sonic structure, there is no room for the song to explore new melodic routes, or try to add some real emotion. Some melodic twists could help the song, but there is no such twist strong enough. It leaves Replay a little empty.

That is not to say Replay is a bad song, the phenomenal vocals and production make the song a fantastic listen. But without a strong melody, the song cannot reach massive heights. Nonetheless, the production is worth high acclaim.

Rating: 8.25/10

Purchase Golden Child's Replay, and its accompanying album, Aura, right here!

Image Source: The Bias List