SONG REVIEW: LE SSERAFIM – Antifragile

While controversy may have marred much of their debut era, LE SSERAFIM had one of the years most commercially successful landings with the slinky dance pop of Fearless. A song that though slightly monotonous musically, displayed a group with a bucket load of charisma and undeniable presence. But it was the tight and all killer nature of the mini album that really made an impact. Songs like Blue Flame and Sour Grapes showcased the groups more melodic side while The Great Mermaid unveiled a towering electronic soundscape that impressed in spades. As such, the musical diversity of their debut album peaked interest regarding the potential genre of the groups first comeback. And with Antifragile, the girls have gone for a surprising mix of reggae-ton and dynamic pop elements.

Based off the initial previews that highlighted the slightly annoying “anti-ti-ti-ti-fragile fragile” hook, I was honestly pretty apprehensive coming into Antifragile. But after listening to the whole thing, I can happily say that not only is that hook sparingly relegated to the post-chorus but its integration into the track works much better than initially expected. A sentiment that can be stretched into my opinion of the track as a whole. Antifragile is a great first comeback from the girls, melding a trendy yet ever exciting soundscape with an equally potent and magnetic performance. The pulsing percussion that punctuates the verses is complemented with some pretty satisfying quirks such as a nice whistle that peeks its head in and out at regular intervals. I can see this proving to be a deterrent for some listeners but sometimes small touches such as this lend towards a much more interesting listen for a track that could have easily fallen towards its more generic leanings.

Instead, Antifragile succeeds thanks to its sheer verve and exciting melodic choices. The production stays relatively similar throughout the track but moves up just enough to make the chorus pop. I adore both the pre-chorus and first half of the chorus. They offer contrasting sounds that come together incredibly well in the final product, adding a sense of variety whilst still maintaining the musical through-line needed to encourage further listens. It bypasses one of the key issues that plagued its predecessor and instead puts all its bets on the melodic meat of its hook. One that gets more and more satisfying with concurrent listens. The whole package feels undeniably cool without coming across as too try hard, an admirable quality in an era where those efforts have become all too common. And while longevity will always remain a question, Antifragile makes a great first impression.

Verses: 9

Chorus: 8

Production: 9

Performance: 9

Final Rating: 8.75 / 10