In the first 3 years of their activity, EVERGLOW, simply put, was on fire. From comeback to comeback, they delivered. Along with BLACKPINK, they were the pioneer and embodiment of the girl-crush concept. They were one of the few groups that I can confidently declare to not have only established their signature sound early in their career, but to have performed it a very high level. In particular, their 2021 comeback ‘LA DI DA’, in my most humble opinion, stands strong as one of the best K-pop songs of all time. However, ever since their 2022 scandal, they have been on a long hiatus. A while back this year when I was still inactive in my blog, they made their comeback with ‘SLAY’, which I had very high expectations for- which were not met. It pained me knowing how much better they can do and their solid track record. With ‘ZOMBIE’, Yuehua Entertainment decided to take a detour from their signature sound, and my initial impressions are more positive than I expected.
Every EVERYGLOW title track up to this point has been ‘hype’ in some way or another, taking a maximalist approach especially within their beat-drop choruses. In stark contrast, ‘ZOMBIE’, throughout its entire runtime, takes a minimalist approach that aligns with the trends of the K-pop industry within the last two years. However, the track manages to set itself apart from the rest of the minimalist tracks due to series of factors.
What may not be immediately apparent at first listen is the stickiness of the song’s melodies. From verse, to pre-chorus, to chorus, I can easily remember how the song goes, for each phrase as it transitions into the next is cohesive and musically works well. It fits the theme, which imbues resonance and hence, memorability. I anticipate that it will continue to do so as it ages, but sometimes, one can never know. After all, it admittedly does not develop as much as it could, for example, as apparent in the second verse, which is cut short to opt for more run time of the main chorus phrase to repeat. I think the effectiveness of this decision in influencing the song’s quality will be more apparent after more time passes, but for now, I think it works out because it refocuses the most memorable melody of them all (in the pre-chorus) in to the spotlight.
Second, the members absolutely delivered a stellar vocal performance through the track. This might be some of the best they have ever sounded through their career. A huge reason why the song sells to me is because of their execution. The execution of a track via vocal delivery becomes much more important to the overall quality of the song in minimalist songs like ‘ZOMBIE’ because the vocals cannot be as covered up or compromised through heavy production and vocal effects in more maximalist songs. This is one of the things that some recent minimalist K-pop songs have not achieved, such as Le Sserafim’s ‘EASY’.
On the flip side, some of the production choices still feel slightly undercooked. There is more buildup and development within the song than one might realise at first listen precisely because the extra instrumentals added through the different sections have been sound balanced against it. Hence, one may not fully appreciate the production unless they wear good quality earphones while listening to it. I would have personally added more volume to the bass, which was really good, as well made some of the interesting percussion seep through the top line. Finally, the production in the final chorus could have amped up more in my personal opinion, as the development from the first chorus to the first part of the second chorus and into the repetition was a much greater build-up and pay-off compared to difference between the penultimate chorus and the final chorus. This, I think, would have completed the song.
All in all, ‘ZOMBIE’ is a good comeback for ‘EVERGLOW’ and a definite step-up from ‘SLAY’. I wish them all the success they deserve!
Hooks – 9
Production – 7
Vocal Delivery – 10
Overall – 8.75
K-pop Evaluated 
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