In an incredibly surprising turn of events, last years Beautiful Monster proved to be a turning point for the otherwise wildly popular StayC. And not in a good way. The girls went from being heralded as one of the leaders of the current generation of K-pop to being pushed quite unfairly to the sidelines. And while Beautiful Monster lacked the addictive nature of tracks like Stereotype and ASAP, it definitely did not deserve the negative reception it got. And while the fizzy pop buoyancy of new single Teddy Bear works as a stark contrast to their previous effort, I can see why it has similarly divided opinion.
Now I must admit, Teddy Bear didnt do much for me on my first few listens. The bright instrumentation and melodic focus of the track did interest but it did little to really stick in my mind. I came away from those first few listens feeling very little. A surprising development giving just how much I was looking forward to the track after the teasers. The production seemed right up my alley and the melodic nature of the chorus was very much constructed to match my tastes but It just wasn’t clicking. However, after firing it up today morning and giving it another listen, most of these elements came together just like hoped they would. Teddy Bear is a great single from the girls, delivering a bright, sunshine in a bottle style effort that perfectly skirts the line between bright and cloying. Sure it has its more cheery pitfalls but they’re so sparingly used that they almost fade into the background.
The girls also do much of the heavy lifting, delivering a wonderfully charismatic performance that does much to enhance each and every one of Teddy Bear‘s musical twists and turns. It isn’t the most experimental of tracks but in this case, the simplicity works. I’ve also really come around to that high pitched synth riff that frames much of the track. It feels effortlessly fun whilst also acting as a wonderful caper to the tracks more melodic leanings. Of which the chorus reins supreme. I’m still not totally convinced by it but it just manages to hit so many of my weak spots that I’m sure I’ll come around to it in a big way eventually. It’s not the kind of track that will make waves in the industries current state but at the moment it’s right up there with some my favourite efforts from the girls.
Verses: 8
Chorus: 8
Production: 9
Performance: 9
Final Rating: 8.5 / 10
KBopped 