Double title tracks seemed to be all the rage a few years ago, but we don’t see much of them anymore. Woollim Entertainment has a history of this tactic, previously promoting two singles from Sungkyu’s 2015 album. It’s a great way to showcase multiple sounds. In Dongwoo’s case, the exciting Party Girl makes up for the lack of momentum supplied by its partner-in-crime, the downbeat News.

For much of Party Girl’s opening verse, you might suspect it to follow in News’ murky footsteps. It opens with ominous keys, painting a bleak atmosphere that doesn’t feel as if it’s going to grow into anything memorable. It turns out that this is only the beginning of an extended (too extended, if you ask me) build towards an aggressively uptempo beat drop. This structure isn’t new, especially when talking about EDM, but it feels particularly off-balance here. Party Girl’s slower parts are especially slow, while its energy-building dance floor moments are extra (in)spirited. (that pun was for you, Infinite fans…)

I’m sure no one will be surprised to hear that I much prefer Party Girl’s lively side. I’m not usually a fan of beat-drop choruses, but the instrumental here is pretty irresistible. It helps that it’s anchored by a succinct, memorable English-language vocal hook. I wish we didn’t collapse back into moody, slow-burn territory for much of the second verse. I’ll never understand this structural approach. If you’re at a club, do you really want to be fluctuating so dramatically between tempo? It’s kind of exhausting, and not in a good way. Even so, Party Girl is the superior Dongwoo title track, and hints at a promising new genre for his chameleon-like talents.

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