(G)-idle released one of my least favourite songs of the year with the incredibly grating Oh My God. An unpopular opinion for sure but one that I’ll stand by. The song felt like a culmination of all my gripes about (g)-idle in one momentum killing package. It was an example of style over substance and one that I wish groups would stop attempting over and over again. I say this because while new single Dumdi Dumdi isn’t anything revolutionary, it for sure is a step up.
Now a step up doesn’t automatically mean good. In fact, I would have been more surprised if they released a song I liked less than Oh My God. Dumdi Dumdi is less than impressive in its own way but at least it has a proper sung chorus! That alone elevates it over what could have been. The tribal beat that frames much of the track is also a nice touch and had it been explored further, would have lent itself to a much more interesting track. I love how the song is upbeat and feels perfectly suited to summer and the girls manage to sell the track with utmost confidence. The verses have a nice drive to them and the girls provide an equally enjoyable vocal performance. As usual Miyeon and Minnie do much of the vocal heavy lifting and this is one aspect of the girls music that I really enjoy. The members know their individual strengths and are able to capitalise on them to great effect.
But what really lets Dumdi Dumdi down is its rather one note melody. The chorus feels far too inconsequential too really stand out and while Miyeon’s vocals do help elevate the moment, it just doesn’t carry the kind of rousing mood it theoretically should. The arrangement also feels far too safe, devoid of the standard musical peaks and troughs you would come to expect from a pop song of this kind. This paints Dumdi Dumdi as rather boring in my eyes. It all comes together to create a song that’s neither bad nor good but completely forgettable.
Verses: 8
Chorus: 7
Production: 7
Performance: 8
Final Rating: 7.5 / 10
KBopped 