Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
Berry Good have just passed their fifth anniversary since debut, and they’ve been hanging on for all five of those years. Their 2016 work, in particular, deserved a much wider audience than it received. But no matter what they release, the girls have never been able to break through the competitive world of K-pop girl groups. The dreaded disbandment discussion came up during the promotions for their last album, and I honestly assumed that their days were numbered. However, Berry Good have bounced back yet again with the pre-summer pop of “Oh! Oh!“.
Clearly restricted by a limited budget, I don’t see “Oh! Oh!” making any more waves that the group’s past material. I was shocked to learn that the song has five composers to its name, two of which are some of my personal favorites. Both LDN Noise and Ryan S. Jhun have crafted some of K-pop’s most exciting tracks, but their touch feels completely missing here. Instead, “Oh! Oh!” delivers generic girl group fare, indistinguishable from any of Berry Good’s peers.
This muddled approach is a problem, as the group desperately needs a breakthrough. The song’s insistence on riding the ultra-dated tropical trend doesn’t do the girls any favors. I imagine this song has been floating around the industry for years, kicked from one group to another before finally landing in Berry Good’s lap. It’s too little, much too late. More importantly, it doesn’t allow the girls an opportunity to display what makes them unique. The members have nice vocal tones, especially evident on the playful verses, but nothing about the performance is memorable.
