Back in 2010, Woollim Entertainment’s Infinite debuted with Come Back Again, but followed it up by promoting album track-turned-single She’s Back. This multi-pronged promo approach doesn’t happen all that often anymore in k-pop without a repackage, but I’m delighted that it has been extended to Infinite-successors Golden Child. The group has made a quick turnaround from January’s It’s U (which has grown on me tremendously), releasing a music video for the second Sweetune-produced track in their arsenal.

Lady is a standout on the group’s very strong mini album, Miracle, and functions well as a single. Shades of Infinite are everywhere, as the melody crests with the kind of classic pop sheen that informs the best of Sweetune’s work. The opening piano paints a melancholic atmosphere supported by the hesitant verse. But once the pre-chorus hits, the instrumental takes a brilliantly percussive turn to create a surging, synth-filled build to Lady‘s standout chorus.

I’m a sucker for songs that don’t sound trendy, but instead hearken back to a sense of classic songwriting and production finesse. Lady never feels as if it’s stretching itself to shoehorn the guys into one specific concept or market. It’s simply a dynamite pop song created by a production team who understand the importance of crafting a substantive melody before turning attention to all the bells and whistles surrounding it. This is the basis for any enduring track, and Lady has already stood the test of time since its initial release back in January. If Golden Child continue to stick with Sweetune for subsequent albums, we could be looking forward to a really exciting discography.

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