singasong
V8 · K-Pop
“You hired Pharrell and Dylan Brady, then buried your own two stars so deep in the mix that the debut sounds like a producer demo with idols attached.”
V8, the new SEVENTEEN sub-unit of Vernon and The8, arrived with a self-titled debut EP and a lead single, singasong, that chases the post-Brat hyperpop wave with a producer wall tall enough to block out the sun. Pharrell Williams, Dylan Brady of 100 gecs, Mechatok, Kirara, all stacked behind eight tracks about spent youth, confusion and recovery. On ambition alone, this is a swing. The trouble is who actually shows up in the mix. Critics clocked that singasong rides the Charli XCX dance trend a beat late, that songs like this can feel more like sketches than finished works, and, most damning, that Vernon and The8's heavily processed vocals often get buried under all that famous production. When your headline draw is the two members and they are the least audible thing on their own debut, something is upside down. There is real promise here, and Dazed calling them K-pop's new hyperpop superduo is not nothing. But right now singasong sounds like a producer showcase wearing an idol duo as an accessory. Turn the members up, tighten the sketches into songs, and V8 could be a genuine force. Name notwithstanding, because V8 is one energy-drink pun away from roasting itself.
A genuinely bold, producer-forward swing that shows SEVENTEEN's members chasing something riskier than the safe idol lane. The ambition and the collaborator list point to a real ceiling once the balance is fixed.
The members get buried
“Critics noted Vernon and The8's heavily processed vocals are often buried in the mix under a producer roster of Pharrell, Dylan Brady, Mechatok and Kirara.”
The fix Turn the duo up. A sub-unit's whole point is the members, so let them lead the track instead of the production.
Late to the trend, thin on songs
“The Bias List called singasong a ride on the post-Brat, Charli XCX dance trend where songs like this feel more like sketches than fully fleshed out works.”
The fix Finish the ideas. Commit a hook and a structure instead of a vibe, and arrive with the trend rather than trailing it.
Think your track survives me? Drop a link.
A full teardown from €2,99. No mercy.