There are occasions whenever you admire one thing even in the event you don’t essentially prefer it. Stray Youngsters’ new single S-Class (특) has these qualities. I love its chutzpah, and I love the group’s willingness to experiment with sound and construction. This appears to be their reply to JYP Leisure’s “mixx-pop” endeavor — mainly cramming a complete spotlight medley right into a single tune.

Musical buffets might be nice — slightly little bit of this, slightly little bit of that. However, the person dishes should stand on their very own and, extra importantly, should result in some sense of satisfaction after they’re mixed. I got here away from my first hear of S-Class overstuffed and a bit dizzy, however not precisely satiated.

Right here’s the factor…. I’m all about pop songs getting bizarre (exhibit a, exhibit b). However, I additionally crave an anchor that grounds the complete monitor and makes me desperate to hit replay. Up till its first refrain, S-Class‘s swerves and fake-outs captured my consideration. The percussion is genuinely attention-grabbing and I really like the segue from brash rapping to clean vocals. However then, we hit what seems to be the primary hook and the monitor loses its gasoline. The intricate, ever-changing manufacturing picks up the slack, however the central chant appears like a placeholder till the fellows can provide you with one thing higher.

I dig the ode to 90’s hip-hop within the second verse (even when it doesn’t meld with the next pre-chorus in any respect), and the rugged dance break simply earlier than the finale is robust sufficient to energy a complete tune. However, you may’t cater a buffet from scrumptious appetizers and toss a chunk of chopped liver on the largest, fanciest plate. Us choosy eaters received’t have it!

Fortunately, when S-Class is nice it’s excellent, and people glimpses of inspiration might give the tune extra endurance than anticipated. I’m desperate to see how I really feel about it in every week’s time.

Grade: B-