When it comes to EXO solos I haven’t really enjoyed a single one of them. While each member is unique enough to embark on solo careers but rather than capitalise on the charms of each individual member we’ve gotten either balladry or RnB. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing but it feels almost limiting. You can have amazing ballads or RnB songs but the songs that we’ve gotten so far feel incredibly generic. Even Baekhyun’s own U.N Village which I enjoyed felt a little underwhelming. New single Candy follows suit providing another uninspiring single to stack.
Being my bias in EXO, I’m always excited for a new Baekhyun song. He’s got an incredible voice and is singlehandedly responsible for some of the most chill inducing moments within EXO’s discography. So it pains me to say that Candy as a song just feels incredibly lifeless. While listening to it, I was immediately reminded by recent Justin Bieber or Ariana Grande projects. While this might be a positive for some, it’s a sound that I’ve come to hate. Nothing here feels remotely original and could potentially be interchanged with any number recent RnB singles. I enjoy the tracks playful vibe but it feels much more throw away than I would have expected or liked.
I like the increasing incorporation of vocal adlibs throughout the tracks run-time and adds some personality to an otherwise bland single. And while i doubt it will last the test of time, the hook is decently catchy. I really feel like Candy could have done with a much more prominent funk backbone than the trap/ future bass mix that we ended up getting. That brings me to one of my main questions for 2020 kpop. Where’s the funk?
Verses: 6
Chorus: 7
Production: 6
Performance: 8
Final Rating: 6.75 / 10
KBopped 
Ha, not to mention, the song sampled “Throwaway (with Clairo)” – SG Lewis, Clairo, I think.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n256GrUVie0
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