[Review] Lovelyz remain consistent, this time with maturer sound on “Lost N Found”

The quality I most appreciate in Lovelyz’s music is the very same one that may turn some listeners off. Since debut, the girls have pursued a specific synth-pop sound – fizzy and light with complex instrumentals. They’ve pushed outside the lines here and there (the effervescent That Day and For You), but have more or less stayed confidently in their lane. Yet, as predictable as their music can be, it never feels pedestrian. It’s the perfect match between artist and sound. Whether it’s to your taste or not is another question.

Lost N Found” reunites the girls with producer Spacecowboy from the OnePiece team. Sweetune takes charge of the lyrics, which is an oddly limiting role for them given their gift for a melodic hook and dynamic arrangement. As you’d expect from this division of labor, “Lost N Found” is much more indebted to the off-kilter electronics of OnePiece than the lush vocal layering of Sweetune. That’s understandable, since Lovelyz pulls off this sound so well.

The song’s sprightly pace maintains the bubbly energy of the group’s past work, but there’s a newfound maturity in the vocals, and its ethereal tone seems to pull from peers like WJSN and Oh My Girl. “Lost N Found” lacks the power of the former and the quirkiness of the latter, but brings an added sense of depth thanks to its intricate production and silky vocals.

The instrumental never sits in one place for long, chock full of chiptune synths that constantly scatter in all directions. Wisps of strings tug at the arrangement, threatening discordance but always managing to fit just in place. I would have loved to hear “Lost N Found” build to one definitive climax, but its chorus is brisk and delicate enough to act as a memorable centerpiece. If you’ve enjoyed Lovelyz’s music in the past, there’s no reason you won’t love this, too.

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