As I have dove deeper into the K-Pop world over the last couple of years, one thing has become more apparent to me as time goes on. BTS has had an unbelievable and unprecedented impact on this genre and industry. One could argue that they are the reason that K-Pop has started to really take off in the Western world. Without BTS, more casual music fans would have never been exposed to artists like NewJeans, TXT, or Le Sserafim, all of whom have been doing numbers in 2023 in America. BTS recently went on hiatus due to its members being required to fulfill their mandatory military service in Korea for the next couple of years. While each member of the group slowly starts their service, they have been releasing solo albums, showcasing what they can do when they are not within the confines of their group. So far, since late last year, RM, Jimin, Suga, j-hope, and V have all put out solo music(I have actually reviewed the projects from Jimin, V, and Suga on the blog this year, so go check out those posts after reading this one if you have not yet). There is one more album from a BTS member that just came out about a week ago, and this one is by far the one that I personally was most excited about. Besides maybe Jimin, Jung Kook has always been one of the most popular(if not the most popular) members of BTS. He is a striking vocalist and dancer, captivating the audience whenever they see him in a video or performing live. Over the last couple of months, he has released a couple of very good all-English singles, showing how talented he is and getting listeners very excited about the release of this new record. Jung Kook’s GOLDEN is finally here, and it is exciting to see if its quality as a whole is as good as its singles were. With that being said, here is how I feel about Jung Kook’s new album GOLDEN. Please let me know in the comments below what your favorite songs are from GOLDEN, and also comment on how you feel about it.
Jung Kook gets GOLDEN started out with the second single released in anticipation of this record, ‘3D,’ which features Jack Harlow. To be honest, I have had mixed feelings about this track since it came out. I kind of love it and am indifferent about it at the same time. The instrumental for this song has a 1990’s R&B BoomBap sound that I absolutely dig. The instrumental, which is driven by a groovy bassline and guitar riff that are put on a quick and light beat, reminds me of artists like Blackstreet, Bobby Brown, or early Boyz II Men. Jung Kook’s vocals on this song are great. His easygoing and airy tone on this track goes so well with the funk nature of the instrumental. The thing about this song that brings it down for me is the Jack Harlow verse. It just feels kind of corny and out of place to me. Overall, though, ‘3D,’ is a solid Pop track that will get any dance floor jumping, and it is easy to see why this song has become so popular around the world. ‘Closer To You,’ which features iconic EDM duo Major Lazer, keeps the energy up and goes in a darker and more modern. This is an extremely funky Track that sort of toes the line between Reggaeton and downtempo House music. There is something about the beat of this track that makes me think of both of these genres. Even the melody feels like a crossover between Latin Music and European Electronic music; I could literally imagine this melody being on a Bad Bunny song, but I could also see it being on an Oliver Heldens song. It is very cool and interesting how ‘Closer To You’ brings two very different styles of music together in this way. Junk Kook’s vocals on this song are soft and high-pitched, going very nicely with the pristine feeling that the instrumental has. ‘Closer To You’ is a fun club track that has elements to it fans of Latin music and fans of House music can love. ‘Seven,’ which features Latto, is the first single that was released in promotion of GOLDEN. This is a track that got me and so many other people super excited for Jung Kook’s new record. ‘Seven’ came out in the middle of July and already has well over 1 billion streams on Spotify, so that is an indication of how popular this song is. ‘Seven’ is a colorful and vibrant Pop track with a Tropical feeling to it. The melody for this track sort of sounds like it is being played on Steel Drums or other kinds of Caribbean pan instruments, giving the song an island music component that I enjoy so much. As good as the instrumental is for this track, the best thing about ‘Seven’ is the vocals. Jung Kook shows off his range in this song in a dynamic way, and Latto brings the kind of heat with her rap verse that gives the song a tougher element that makes it feel full. ‘Seven’ is an excellent and wavy Pop track that was a great way to introduce Jung Kook to the world as a solo Pop artist. ‘Standing Next To You’ feels like a blast from the past. I would not be surprised if this track ends up becoming a sleeper hit from this record considering some of the trends that have been popular in Pop music over the last couple of years(due to artists like Silk Sonic and Dua Lipa). ‘Standing Next To You’ straight up feels like it was produced in 1975. This song has a Disco song that immediately makes me think of The Bee Gees, Diana Ross, and Chic. The song is driven by an insanely funky bassline that will give anyone the “stank face” when it comes on; this bass line is complemented by bright synths and is put on top of an entertaining Disco Drum beat. Like with ‘Seven,’ Jung Kook displays how great of a singer he is in ‘Standing Next To You.’ He hits extremely high notes on this track that make it so fun and exciting. ‘Standing Next To You’ is an awesome track with an old-school feel that fits very well into the Pop landscape of today. ‘Yes or No’ is a song that once again completely changes up the sound from anything before it. One thing that is apparent from this record is how Jung Kook can certainly make any kind of Pop music he wants to. This is the first song that reminds me a lot of BTS’ own older music. In fact, when my brother walked into the room while I was listening to it, he asked if ‘Yes or No’ was just an older BTS song. Maybe it is because this kind of Pop music has not aged super well for me or maybe it is because this song feels the least unique, but ‘Yes or No’ is the least engaging track of the record so far for me. This song just does not grab me like the rest of the songs. Jung Kook’s vocals on this song are pleasant, but they do not bring up the quality of the track for me. ‘Yes Or No’ may seem like a throwaway track for me, but I am sure there is a big population of older BTS fans who appreciate this one a bunch. ‘Please Don’t Change,’ which features DJ Snake, sees Junk Kook return to the world of House music that we got from his earlier. Like ‘Closer To You,’ ‘Please Don’t Change’ also has a bit of a Latin feeling to it. There is a tinge of Latin House mixed into the beat of this track. The melody even has a Latin element, as it has a Tropical House sound that seems as if it is being played on Steel Drums or other types of pan instruments. Jung Kook’s vocal performance on this track is a bit understated, but that is okay because of the soft nature of the track. Although I am not a massive fan of the Tropical House sound, I can appreciate how popular it is. ‘Please Don’t Change’ may not be for me, but I know that there are a lot of people who like and appreciate it. ‘Hate You’ is a track where Jung Kook totally switches things up and slows things down. This is the calmest and most subtle song on the record. The instrumental consists of a melancholy yet pleasant piano riff that gets intensified by synths that get more and more brash as the track goes on. Jung Kook’s excellent vocals are on display on this heartfelt track. Jung Kook hits beautiful falsettos on ‘Hate You’ that contribute to the emotion of the song and make it so touching. ‘Hate You’ is a track that shows a more restrained and gentle side to his artistry that I appreciate a ton.
‘Somebody’ brings the tempo back out and brings some intensity to the project in a big way. This is easily the darkest and hardest-hitting song on the record to this point. ‘Somebody’ follows a trend that artists like The Weeknd and Dua Lipa have made popular over the last couple of years. This track leans into the newfangled version of 80s New Wave music that has become big recently. ‘Somebody’ is driven by deep, bass-heavy synths with some brighter notes that come in and out that give the song a lighter element. ‘Somebody’ easily has one of my favorite vocal performances on the record. Jung Kook hits high and low notes on this track, proving how versatile of a vocalist he can be. ‘Somebody’ is a spirited and exuberant song that I feel like could be a sleeper hit from this album. ‘Too Sad To Dance’ is an additional track where Junk Kook gives us a completely different side to his musicianship. This is a track that feels inspired by some of the emo-tinted Pop-Rock that was big in the late 2000s and early 2010s. I can hear the influence of artists like The Plain White T’s, Hellogoodbye, or even Walk The Moon. To be honest, this is the only song of the album that feels like a true throwaway to me. It does not really fit into the context of this record at all, and it is not good enough for me to look past how out of place it seems. Nothing about ‘Too Sad To Dance’ pulls me in. The vocals are not anything special, and the instrumental is not very engaging. ‘Too Sad To Dance’ is a forgettable track that I do not think I will ever be coming back to. ‘Shot Glass of Tears’ is what I would consider to be the unofficial ending to this record. There is technically one track that follows this one, but it is a clean version of the song ‘Seven,’ which I do not count. ‘Shot Glass of Tears’ is an acoustic Pop track with an epic feeling to it. This song has an ethereal and Heavenly melody that is provided by a piano riff and complemented by big synths. Considering some of the vocals we have heard on this record, I feel like Jung Kook’s vocal performance could have been more pronounced and full of range on ‘Shot Glass of Tears.’ His vocal performance on this track certainly is not bad, but if it was larger and bolder, this song could have been more impactful. Regardless, ‘Shot Glass of Tears’ is a solid climax for Jung Kook’s debut album.
Due to BTS’s massive popularity as a group and Jung Kook’s massive popularity within the group, GOLDEN was one of the most highly anticipated Pop releases of the year. I am happy to say that Jung Kook lived up to the hype and delivered a quality debut record with a lot to love. On GOLDEN, Jung Kook proves how well-rounded and multifaceted a Pop artist he is. GOLDEN is a very enjoyable Pop album with something to love for so many different kinds of music fans. GOLDEN is a very good record that proves Jung Kook can be a force as a solo Pop artist. I hope we get to see him make more solo music in the near future, because it is easy to see how talented he is when he is on his own like this.
EAST SIDE VIBES 