I’ve been a massive fan of pretty much everything GOT7 has released in Korea. Given this, I’m continually baffled with how utterly terrible their Japanese singles have been in comparison. Other than one or two tracks, their jpop persona might as well be that of a completely different band.

Yo Moriagatte Yo is the lead track from their first Japanese studio album. It’s certainly stronger than their last single (the nearly-unlistenable Laugh Laugh Laugh) but it still has a great deal of catching up to do with their Korean discography. This time around they enlisted 2PM’s Wooyoung to produce the track, and he does an admirable job. It’s noisy and a bit all over the place, but at least this time there are some interesting touches here and there, especially towards the end when the song develops a retro 80’s/90’s flavor.

While the main hook is little more than a spoken repetition of the title, the exuberance of its delivery ensures that it’s catchy, if a bit half-assed. Like their other jpop singles, the song is ultimately tuneless, focused more on creating a party atmosphere than crafting an actual melody. If this is the concept they’re going for in Japan, then I guess I’ll admit this is their best jpop single yet. But, with each successful Korean comeback, they’ve proven that they are far more than this. It’s a shame that the Japanese fans get saddled with a one-note image that doesn’t display even a fraction of the group’s charms and potential.

Audio can be played by clicking on this link. Unfortunately, it can’t be embedded.