As a sub-unit of girl group AOA, AOA Cream is composed of members Chanmi, Hyejeong and Yuna, none of which have received a huge spotlight in the past. I don’t believe for a second that the trio’s suggestive name was an accident. AOA’s ridden the sexy concept to great success, but they’ve had a series of very solid singles to support their image.

It’s a good thing I’m Jelly Baby is a sub-unit track, because it’s nowhere near the level of quality we’re used to seeing from AOA. The song tries to be too many things at once, without a connecting element that brings it all together. We’ve got hip hop, cutesy pop fluff and noisy electronic breakdowns. The transitions are often jarring, particularly from the first verse to bridge, and unfortunately the song doesn’t have enough personality to cover up its more egregious moments.

On the positive side, the hook isn’t all that bad. Ignore the repetitive lyrics and cheesy aegyo and there’s a solid piece of pop music there. But, it’s buried under a claptrap of noise that prevents it from really taking hold. It’s a shame, because AOA’s been on a roll and seems to be getting better and better. This feels like an unnecessary regression that doesn’t further the group’s brand or musical style. It certainly doesn’t give these lesser-known members the chance to shine that they deserve, and that may be the biggest shame of all.