Greater than something, NewJeans’ music has turn out to be an fascinating excuse to investigate pop music expectations and preferences. It’s more and more clear that their songs are designed to be streamed again and again in a loop. They don’t exhaust listeners with massive, glitzy pop peaks. Their melodies are easy and glossy, typically delivered in an aloof model simply past a whisper. I’ve known as this “background music” earlier than, however that’s too simplistic and ignorant a descriptor. These songs are constructed this fashion on function, and their muted strategy has turn out to be more and more fashionable within the age of streaming.

This explains why it’s tough for me to write down about NewJeans’ music. This reserved — virtually hypnotic — model is just not one thing I are inclined to gravitate towards. I like my pop music massive and in your face, in spite of everything. However I can’t deny that NewJeans’ workforce know what they’re doing. Add some art-house visible aptitude and also you’ve bought a trend-leading international juggernaut.

Cool With You is the most recent in an atmospheric rollout for NewJeans’ upcoming album. It’s a wisp of a observe, clocking in at simply over two minutes. At occasions, it looks like a freeform growth of 1 single vocal riff, positioned over a nimble skitter of garage-influenced percussion. In case you put this observe on loop with out paying consideration, you’d scarcely understand when the track ended and began over once more. That is the purpose, and from a enterprise perspective it’s actually fairly genius. However with solely so many hours within the day, I’m extra apt to go looking out these pop music epics that give me extra bang for my buck.

Grade: C+