Song Review: Hurt by NewJeans

NewJeans is on a roll. Just today, it has been reported that their debut album has already amassed a record-breaking 440,000 preorders! Considering the ingenious marketing strategy that ADOR has used to promote them, not to mention their excellent music so far, it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, but even then, these numbers are quite phenomenal.

I spoke too soon when I mentioned in an earlier review where I said that Hypeboy doesn’t have hooks that are as effective as Attention, because random moments of the song just keep coming back to me even if I haven’t played it in a few days! Seems that I will have to adjust its rating in the future.

Meanwhile, their 3rd release, Hurt, showcases a new side for the girls, letting their voices take the spotlight in a mid-tempo track. The problem with ballads and mid-tempo tracks in K-pop is that usually, it ends up being a bit boring or at worst, forgettable. Luckily, Hurt just manages to escape from this trap.

Hurt is fueled mainly by the members’ vocal performance. There is a certain delicate way that the girls phrased their singing in this song that makes it charming, separating it from all the ballads out there. There is development within their singing, a sense of richness and depth to their voices that gives this song a magnetic quality. This is even though its main hook, ‘I’m not gonna be the one to get hurt’, could end up being repetitive and one-note. Just like Attention, however, the girls’ charisma and vocal performance win me over.

The melody of Hurt doesn’t exactly go anywhere, but it does play around with some variations that keep it from being completely predictable. ‘I’m not gonna be the one to get hurt’ was sung differently every time. I always anticipate whenever they sing this line, and it keeps me interested in the song as a whole.

If there is a weakness in the song, it would be its production. While as usual, the girls sound as beautiful as ever, perhaps even more clear than they were in Hypeboy, I think that the production was a tinge too stripped down. I think that there could have been a bit more variation in the beats and the sounds they used to make it a little more varied. I understand that the members’ voices are ought to be the highlight of mid-tempo tracks like this, but its simplicity almost makes it generic.

Luckily, the song is still quite successful in what it intended to be, giving it that slight touch of originality that separates it from all the ballads out there.

Hooks – 9
Production – 8
Vocal Performance – 10
Overall – 9