[Review] [Album] A Pink – “Snow Pink”

A Pink have flown under the radar this year, and a lot of it has to do with the fact that their music, image, and approach hasn’t fallen into the popular trends of today’s mainstream media. However, somewhere in Korea, A Pink are doing something right because they’ve been the front running girl group for best new artist of 2011.

I smell a hidden gem.

Aesthetically and musically, A Pink is fluffy and cute, but that shouldn’t be mistaken for the absurdity that has plagued K-pop over the last two years. A Pink’s take on “cute” is, in a way, very outdated. Their core style is reminiscent of the late 90s and early 2000s, and one could say A Pink are a younger version of Fin.K. L.

This interesting play on the classics is well documented in A Pink’s latest mini album – “Snow Pink“.

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For a sophomore entry, “Snow Pink” isn’t as inconsistent as I had anticipated. A Pink are without a doubt copying the girl groups of the last decade, more here than in their debut EP “The Seven Springs Of A Pink“. The album opens with “He’s My Baby“, a light-hearted mid-tempo track that sounds fresh only because it sounds timeless.

What A Pink are doing is tapping into the nostalgia of every veteran K-pop fan, and such a strategic move is commendable in its own right. The lead single – “My My” – follows with an even stronger 90s influence that makes it extremely catchy, especially because it mimics an era that many listeners can relate to.

Don’t fret if you miss S.E.S., because A Pink is here to fill your void.

The only things really missing in A Pink’s latest flashback are the elements that made them fresh and relatable in the first place. A Pink’s debut EP was derivative, but it had a generous dose of synths and brightness to tickle the audience. “Snow Pink” loses some of that, and in doing so, loses appeal.

A Pink are vocally solid and the songs on this mini-album are extremely strong and tailored perfectly to their style. What they need is to build a stronger relationship with today’s listener rather than continue to sample decade-old girl groups. While it’s definitely unique of them to do so, and I’ll give them that, going backwards may eventually work against them if they can’t find a fresh way to make it relevant later down the road.

It’s not impossible though, and if any girl group has the potential to modernize the classics, I think A Pink has a good chance in pulling through.