Review

Song Review: DIA – Hug U

Posted on by 13 Comments

DIA are back with their annual comeback, but this time they’re down two members. Apparently, this release operated on a volunteer basis, where willing participants chose to join promotions, and other members (Chaeyeon and Somyi) opted out. It’s a novel approach, and I’m all for artists have more control over their own career. But, this halfhearted configuration can’t help but call into question just how committed MBK Entertainment is to the DIA brand. Of course, MBK has had a long history of poor management, so this is hardly a surprise.

Hug U (감싸줄게요) isn’t a surprise, either. It’s a toothless piece of pop music, so forgettable that I hardly blame the girls for questioning their own participation. What’s most surprising is that this is composed by the Seo Youngbae/Iggy team – one of my favorite producer duos of the past few years. After forging GFriend’s iconic sound for their first several years, the duo has mostly worked separately. I’ve been longing for a reunion, but Hug U is not what I had in mind. It feels more like an abandoned scrap, repurposed for a quick summer release.

The Youngbae/Iggy hallmarks are all there. Wispy strings, slightly subdued New Jack Swing percussion, bright harmonies and a general sense of refreshing innocence. However, Hug U feels much more like an unspectacular GFriend b-side than a world-conquering hit in the vein of Rough or Navillera. I’m predisposed to liking this sound template, and would probably enjoy it more in the context of an album. But as a comeback single – especially after almost fifteen months of hiatus – it leaves a lot to be desired. Oh, DIA… will you ever find your niche and stick to it?

 Hooks 7
 Production 7
 Longevity 7
 Bias 7
 RATING 7

Be sure to add your own rating by participating in the poll below!

13 thoughts on “Song Review: DIA – Hug U”

  1. I’ve listened to this song atleast 10 times by now and I can’t remember a single thing about it other than parts of the instrumental. Really hoped more from both DIA and IggyxYoungbae!

    Time to go back and listen to WooWa on repeat.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  2. It sounds like GFriend on half the budget. And I didn’t even know it was produced by the Gfriend team, but hey now I know and it makes sense that it does.

    Like

    Reply

  3. I just realized That DKB’s Still , Suju KRY’s Wher we were us and also E;last’s Swear
    all of my k-pop songs who were in the Top 3 of this year have all fallen down so quickly because none of them carried a certain bombast or hook. Just imagine how quickly a 2020 song can fall down…… THAT FAST!
    This song is also okay , I’d give it a 7.25

    Like

    Reply

  4. At this point, DIA’s drastically different sound, group concepts & group configurations are their signature which isn’t the best thing. I remember them starting as a somewhat soft pop/hip hop mix and it being a big deal they got a major CF pre-debut and it’s like they’ve really tried to be every type of girl group imaginable.

    It’s a fine song but like you said – forgettable

    Like

    Reply

  5. My first thought of this song was “I haven’t heard this type of song in a long time”.

    Yes, this song is really forgettable, but I do think it would stand out from the singles with dark or girl crush concepts that have been releasing this year. If only the producers made the song unforgettable.

    Like

    Reply

  6. im quite surprised that mbk opted to go with iggy youngbae though the song seems to be a good song for 2016. guess they tried to replicate their slight success in on the road

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.