Buried Treasure: CRAVITY – Automatic | The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion

A K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. Sometimes, b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of K-pop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve.

When it comes to September’s K-pop albums, CRAVITY’s New Wave is my favorite. I’m surprised to write that, since I’ve never really connected to this group before. New Wave is a steady stream of 8.5’s and 8.75’s, without the transcendent 9+ rated track that would send it over the edge. But, its consistency and upbeat nature makes it an absolute pleasure to listen to.

Before I cover my buried treasure choice, I want to give a special shout-out to Colorful. One of the reasons I haven’t become a huge CRAVITY fan is that I find their vocal line a little lightweight and flat. This may be a misguided perception based on the kind of music they’ve been given before, but Colorful’s robust chorus is a revelation. Where were these vocals before?

Even so, I find myself returning to Automatic most often. The song feels like what they were trying to do with the silly My Turn. We’ve got those hits of rhythmic falsetto in the verses, but on Automatic they’re funky and addictive in a humorous way. Automatic’s electro groove is a blast, gaining steam as it creeps forward. There’s a feeling of acceleration, even when the instrumental pulls back just before the chorus. And though that chorus is relatively simple, it’s catchy and well-calibrated to the overall arrangement. CRAVITY could’ve released any song from New Wave as a title track, but this would make a particularly nice follow-up to Party Rock.

Hooks	8
Production	9
Longevity	9
Bias	9
RATING	8.75

7 thoughts on “Buried Treasure: CRAVITY – Automatic”

Agreed the Cravity album is strong, and I can definitely see Automatic be part of future follow-up stages or concerts.

Also just a random fun fact, they brought back the producer of My Turn, Alawn, for New Addiction. I always thought Alawn’s funkier productions are stronger anyway.

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YAAAAASSS this one was my favorite off the album, and Colorful is my second. I originally thought you’d dislike this song because the vocal gimmicks in the verses resembled My Turn.

But upon further listens, I definitely saw how that bassline and melody in the chorus fit the Bias List vibe, so I’m glad to see those highlighted here 😀

I will hold the unpopular opinion that I actually enjoy My Turn. I originally found it totally unpalatable, but once I learned to embrace the ridiculousness (i.e. “it’s so bad it’s good”), it’s actually got some nice elements and strangely fun to vocalize along to.

But I like that I didn’t have to go through that process with Automatic, and I agree it’s like a more refined My Turn.

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It’s a cute cousin to NCT’s Faster rather than My Turn. I like it a lot.

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Automatic is my favorite song from the album, it reminds me a lot of SuperM’s 100 (another Alawn production) but much more interesting.

Cravity actually has some really good vocalists…I think Woobin is among the best in 4th gen but underrated, Jungmo and Minhee are decent, and Seungmin has a very unique tone.

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