It’s ‘Golden Child comeback’ time again, which means a track-by-track review of their new album, Game Changer! Check back each day of the week as I make my way through the ten new songs.
1. Game Changer (Intro) // 2. Ra Pam Pam // 3. Bottom Of The Ocean // 4. Fanfare // 5. Singing In The Rain // 6. Game // 7. Spell // 8. Out The Window // 9. Poppin’ // 10. That Feeling // 11. I Know
Game (Tag & Jibeom)
It would be accurate to refer to Game Changer as Golden Child’s “brassy” album. So many of its tracks incorporate some form of brass in ways the group hasn’t explored thus far. Game opens with a muted brass loop, calling back to earlier tracks like Fanfare.
Tag and Jibeom are an unexpected pairing, but their contrasting personas make Game stand out. The song is composed by the MosPick team — responsible for many of Golden Child’s brighter title tracks (DamDaDi, Let Me, Pump It Up). As a song, Game is slightly more generic – akin to their recent work with WEi. But, strength of personality drives it forward, making for a very fun, upbeat b-side.
I love when Golden Child’s rappers are given more room to stretch their charms. Tag has such an endearing voice for rap – impish and playful but downright fierce when he moves into a spitfire flow. His verses are a definite standout, especially when he adopts a more melodic style. Jibeom’s velvety tone offers a nice contrast, playing the straight man to Tag’s eccentricities. But, he packs a wallop during the chorus, anchoring Game with a strong, funky performance.
I’m not a huge fan of Game’s more repetitive hooks, but the bounding instrumental bolsters them with plenty of upbeat energy. Like Singing In The Rain, the track succeeds on the strength of its performances rather than the songwriting itself — even if the two couldn’t be more different from one another!
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.25 |
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I also like the pairing. Tag’s second verse is my favorite part of the song. However, I don’t think the Duo’s performance makes the song succee. “Play the game, play the game” feels super lazy. With singing in the rain I can find a time to listen to that. I can’t find a time to listen to generic without a catchy part. The duo is the only reason I can finish the song. Worst song on the album.
In the context of the album it was less offensive
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I’m a sucker for a mid tempo funk number with a little pop bounce. The piano really gives it a lift. The litmus test for me is could I roller skate to this (if I weren’t deathly afraid of roller skating)? The answer for GAME is yes.
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I approve of that litmus test!!
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The problem is… I find the song forgettable. I want to remember it but can’t. It stays in my head for a few minutes and then fades out. How I try to remember it:
Me: I know it’s a nice song, very groovy except for that ugh, trap part.
Me: I think there’s a “la la la la” part?
Me: *ends up recalling Miss Right instead and getting pissed*
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Game’s lacking much of anything in the verses. They just flow by without really establishing much. There are some bits of flair, but nothing substantial.
The pre-chorus is decent, but the chorus is just a bit too repetitive. It’s got some meat, but without some bones to really solidify it and instead it’s too much with how much it repeats its hooks.
I think if the chorus was more solid, it’d be like GWSN’s Shy Shy. A song with pretty harmless verses that I can still listen nonstop. I’ve been listening to that song nonstop ever since you grab bagged it, and the main reason is that the chorus is just so addicting it’s hard not to listen for more (I suppose then it gets a retroactive first but I’m going with your rules and just not going back to clarify.). With Game, it’s chorus is just not strong enough to get that kind of treatment.
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