Song Review: SHINee – Hard

SHINee’s Back!

As arguably my favourite group in all of K-pop, I approach every SHINee comeback or SHINee adjacent release with a sense of optimism and inherent excitement. The boys have rarely ever disappointed, both as an ensemble and separately, stringing together one of the most tight knit and consistently thrilling discographies in arguably all of music. With undisputed classics such as Lucifer, Sherlock and more recently Atlantis within their near flawless singles run, every comeback comes with its own set of expectations. Especially when it arrives after a near two year hiatus. And while Hard deviates from the expected SHINee soundscape, it unsurprisingly results in one of the years strongest efforts.

To put it simply, Hard goes hard. The production here is absolutely immaculate, powered by an enthralling 90’s inspired beat that’s supplemented by a number of equally addictive musical flourishes that give it so much damn character. With a heavy dose of 90’s west coast synth alongside some excellent piano riffs, its pots and pans style production right, consistently painting an upbeat and exciting soundscape without coming off as purely noise. The random stabs of percussion to halt the momentum, a usual point of contention, work excellently here, allowing for Hard to play with dynamics in an incredibly engaging way that prevents it from ever feeling remotely repetitive or stale. It’s a track that’s much more Don’t Call Me than I really want you (check out Satellite, Identity and Like It from the album for your fix of this) but when they pull it off with such panache, I’m not complaining. In fact, I think I might like Hard a little more than Don’t Call Me.

The vocal performance is equally as ferocious. The guys absolutely kill every part of their performance, imbuing Hard with extra layers of character that elevate its more one note melody. In other hands, or with a slightly less refined production, I could easily see the chorus coming across as cloying or repetitive. But, coupled with some wonderfully utilised vocal layering and the groups incredibly distinctive vocals, Hard delivers a simple yet instantly iconic centrepiece, playing off its production and energy in an utterly infectious way. I’ll be honest I wasn’t too sure with the track on my first run through but a few listens was all it took for this to stick. And sure I could have done without the anti-drop before every chorus but In my mind it fits much more nicely than let’s say a Super. But even these qualms are forgiven by the time Onew’s spine tingling high note comes along during the tracks potent climax. A climax which though a little underwhelming, does still cement Hard as a rock solid return for one of Korea’s best groups.

Couple this with iKON’s Tantara for a great 90’s hip hop double feature.

Verses: 8

Chorus: 9

Production: 9

Performance: 9

Final Rating:  8.75 / 10