Barbarians! [/never-ending stream of Latin non-humor]…
[Video][Website]
[5.57]
Patrick St. Michel: This is pure, no-concerns-given pop, all about escaping from “daily life.” Sometimes a non-English song benefits from a translation, as it shines light on what’s actually going on here. This is not one of those times. It’s an energetic romp, but also one that burns itself out a bit. Maybe add in something besides “jumping” to the repertoire.
[6]
Anthony Easton: I love that they broke up in 2012 and the comeback single is in 2013. Also, the shouting choruses are iconic enough to be pleasurable, if not that interesting.
[6]
Alfred Soto: Closer to modernized ABBA than K-Pop, especially the semantic snarl that is “I don’t want to stick at home now.” The track’s anything but static, anything but sticky.
[6]
Frank Kogan: A year ago, at the time of “Bing Bing,” your humble correspondent, having heard Crayon Pop but not seen them, wondered if they might perhaps be bohemians in their mid twenties. The catchiness seemed a bit studied. What? Was I crazy? In any event, I saw Crayon Pop on YouTube and realized they were genuine teenyboppers. Then David Frazer told me that, in fact, Crayon Pop are in their twenties, and that lead vocalist/rapper Way went to Seoul Art College. I nonetheless decided that Crayon Pop are a bona fide something, though I’m not sure what. Their reality show on MBC Music portrayed them defying their handlers. “Crayon Pop reveal they aren’t afraid to confront agency” said a headline at Allkpop, winning the group plaudits from cultural studies departments round the world. Then this, “Bar Bar Bar,” was let loose, power pop that was somehow even catchier than their previous dance pop. What made it an absolute ear worm was the transition at 0:50 from the pa pa pas to the slightly dramatic “Jumping yeah jumping yeah jumping everybody.” Scandal threatened our good times, however, ’cause a member or the CEO put forth a tweet containing slang from a right-wing hate forum. At least that’s what people said on Reddit. I don’t know Korean and don’t know what to make of it. The scandal faded because Crayon Pop aren’t actually famous. A strange “story ver.” video appeared that ends with Crayon Pop doing a goof on exploitative K-pop contracts, a label shyster signing members up for a 35-year commitment and guaranteeing to make them stars. Live, they perform in toboggan suits, or something, and shoot their fans with water guns. A dance vid was released, to which a YouTuber commented, “What’s this?! Idols that are fully dressed! Amazing!” igniting a war between those Crayon Pop fans who like sexy and those who think sexiness is obscene. But if the concept is meant to be “Crayon Pop don’t have a sexual vibe,” group member Ellin seems not to have gotten the memo, as she’s been cavorting around the set of All The K-pop, playing kissing games, showing skin, and dancing provocatively. Meanwhile, the sociologist in me poses the following question, for those who can provide insight: Helmets? Athletic wear? Winter wear? What?
[9]
Iain Mew: They treat technique as secondary to energy, colouring outside the lines in the rush to get something down, which is not something we have heard often in the K-pop we’ve covered previously. Nor indeed does anyone anywhere else sound quite like this. Past the most accurate group name in ages and a big initial whack of novelty, though, they don’t have much to offer here. The song and its guitar chug are just too limited to make much of its assets. It sits at the awkward point of being too repetitive without carrying over to making repetition into the point.
[4]
Will Adams: The production is cheap, the performance cartoonish. Even the hook checks out halfway through.
[3]
Brad Shoup: Hurray! An East Asian pop group that won’t touch the hard metal until they can handle the hairier stuff. Near the end, the track segues from twitchy staccato to half-hearted studio funk, from which I infer the producers are relying on Crayon Pop’s magnetism to an unhealthy extent.
[5]