The fact that Lovelyz worked with Sweetune for That Day (그날의 너) is some consolation for personal faves Snuper ditching the production team for their upcoming comeback. It also brings renewed interest to the question of Woollim Entertainment’s partnership with Sweetune. I wish I had some knowledge of the inner workings of the industry, but the fact that both Golden Child’s and Lovelyz’ 2018 title tracks have been Sweetune productions gives me hope that Woollim plans to stick with them for the long run. I would not say no to a future where Sweetune become in-house producers for all of the agency’s acts.

This hope is only increased when listening to the excellent That Day. Lovelyz have already established a consistently solid discography, but working with Sweetune has softened their more cliché aegyo habits in favor of a classic disco shimmer. The track kicks off with a volley of bright synths that recall the intros to both Infinite’s Man In Love and Golden Child’s It’s U. I love that there’s no trendy tropical nonsense to be found here — just a shot of timeless, unadulterated pop magic.

That Day soon segues into its verses, which are the song’s weakest moment. Their energy is just a bit too low to keep the momentum going, though I appreciate how the instrumental briefly takes on a jazzy, almost lounge vibe. But any quibbles are forgotten as we launch into the chorus. It’s one of the strongest we’ve heard yet this year, cresting on a gorgeous, fully developed pop melody that feels at once wistful and explosive. Coupled with the synth refrain and wall of layered vocals that follows, That Day’s hook is an early love letter to summer and will have lasting appeal as the weather continues to improve.

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