SISTAR are back with “I Like That“, and contrary to expectations based on the teasers, it’s not actually about hawking rugs.
After all the mess that’s been going on recently, this is exactly the type of shit I needed to hear. “I Like That” effectively builds energy throughout the verses, slows things down a tad for a short pre-chorus, and then accelerates into a rapid-fire chorus. During the chorus, they drop things to half-time to add some seductive flair to the track, and then speed up again to finish the hook off. That kind of up-and-down roller coaster has the potential to be messy and jarring, but they pull it off amazingly well and make every bit of it feel cohesive. Yet, despite enjoying all of that, perhaps may favorite part is the post-chorus, where SISTAR exchange just “ooh ooh ooh ooh” and “I like that” over a stripped-down instrumental that focuses on the brass section with just the underlying drums.
Speaking of the instrumental, I loved the nice, strong bassline that carried the pace throughout, and then it really seduced me with the strong brass section. The most impressive part was how the instrumentals appeared to be so diverse yet segued so fluidly despite the roller coaster composition of the song. In particular, I enjoyed the pre-chorus instrumental switch, which gave a rock edge to the track.
Negatives? Well, I guess given the pace of the song, Bora‘s rap seemed shoehorned in because it actually seemed to lessen the edge on the track because of how impactful the vocals were at the pace they were going. However, in the grand scheme of things, that’s a rather minor complaint. Quite frankly, I find it hard to nitpick “I Like That” for complaints, which is always a good sign.
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So I loved the song, but I was honestly equally or more impressed by the music video.
While SISTAR obviously have enough visuals just as themselves to make any music video appealing, the attractiveness of watching “I Like That” went beyond just them. I loved the diversity of the individual sets…
…the use of lighting to make the group shots look different…
…and the way they managed to match the feel and concept of the song.
Just for good measure, the music video included this shot of an optical illusion that was just cool as hell.
“I Like That” is SISTAR’s best effort in a quite a while, and the track being an upbeat, playful, and diverse effort helps makes the track eminently replayable. The fact that they were able to get a music video that matched the song step-for-step was impressive, and it just goes to show the totality of the success of this comeback.