CRUSH – 'NAPPA'

Track List:

1. NAPPA

2. Lookin 4 (Feat. Joyce Wrice, Devin Morrison)

Crush has just dropped his new single, "NAPPA." He's the first artist to release something under P Nation, the label founded by PSY. He's the latest in a string of luminaries signed under the label, such as HyunA, E’Dawn, Jessi, Crush, and PSY himself. Crush wrote the lyrics and co-composed the first track with haventseenyou. Of course, the single's doing quite well. “NAPPA” nabbed No. 1 on five of Korea’s major real-time charts: Melon, Genie, Bugs, Mnet, and Naver. It also hit No. 2 on Soribada.

Which is why you're gonna hate me. The single is sort of jazzy R&B, with a hint of tinkling piano keys and some funky horns. He's apparently a fan of improvisational jazz, where he just hops on a tune and sees where it takes him, rather than being a slave to a metronome. His voice runs this way and that, not really following the melody, and is just about him having a good time.

The second track, "Lookin 4," wasn't much better. Starting out murky, it meanders, ending up more lost than smooth. I found my mind wandering about halfway through. If you're looking for something to study to, then maybe this is your song.

Well, I'm more a fan of a well-packaged piece of pop. Throw some production at it, let it be tight, slickly-produced, and just make it perfect, engaging, exciting. This was not only something I'd heard many times before (and am beginning to tire of it), it's consistent with his earlier work. Give me something fresh, shake things up. Apparently, according to the chart positions, I'm in the minority here. As I said, YMMV. If you're a fan, then definitely pick this single up.

MV REVIEW

Crush takes a trip to sunny California. He rides his yellow bike, hangs out with his friends at various places like a liquor store, a diner, and even plays in a swimming pool. His buddies don't understand him. They're pounding 40s, and he's drinking Powerade. Of course he gets a "hangover" from it. And at night, they're chilling in someone's living room watching TV (or is that Netflix). A stranger helps him after a bike accident, and his dog french kisses him. So he rushes home, and does the chromatic yawn in a toilet full of bath toys. And...

No, I won't spoil it for you. But it's funny.

It's actually one of the things that actually made me grade this MV up. Most of it reminded me of a sitcom straight out of the 1970s, except the colors were much brighter. But there wasn't the guy in a beautiful house, with a beautiful girl next to him that he hits on, there was Crush and his friends giving him the side-eye -- and he didn't look like he had a whole lot of money.

It was funny, but there were two things that actually surprised me. One was the scene with the bath toys, but the other was at the very end. And both of those scenes were exactly why I gave it the score I did.

Score

MV Relevance.......8

MV Production......8

MV Concept..........9

MV SCORE: 8.3

Songwriting..........7

Composition.........7

Impression............7

ALBUM SCORE: 7.0

OVERALL............7.6