With over 2,600 songs on my iPhone’s “K-Pop Singles” playlist, I thought it would be fun to add a bit of unpredictability to my song review posts. So as a result, we have the “Random Shuffle Review” feature.

The rules are simple. I fire up my playlist, press “shuffle,” and whatever song plays first gets the full Bias List treatment!

Year Released: 2011

Autotune has made a resurgence in K-pop lately, following trends from the global music scene. But, there was a time when the effect was slathered over everything. And by “slathered,” I mean “used without any subtlety whatsoever.” This compromised many K-pop tracks of the 2009-2011 era, but those were also years when pop songwriting quality was at a high. A good melody and knockout concept can overcome almost any overused production flourish.

This could have been the case with Teen Top’s second single Supa Luv, but the song just isn’t all that memorable. It’s sandwiched between two superior title tracks from the guys, and precedes the group’s winning collaboration with producer Brave Brothers. As such, it stands as an underwhelming entry in their discography. The instrumental pounds on a dirty, textured synth loop that rarely modulates as Supa Luv carries on. The verses have potential, pitched somewhere between melody and rap, but they never really go anywhere. As with much of the track, they’re painted over with so many vocal effects that it’s hard to pull any personality from the performance. Luv’s repetitive chorus flirts with funk, layering vocal ad-libs on top of each other to create a dense brew. As with so many elements within the track, there’s tremendous potential here. It just needs a more streamlined vision and less trendy execution.

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