Review

Buried Treasure: Everglow – Untouchable

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Most of the time, a k-pop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, 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.

Everglow’s La Di Da has been quite a revelation, and comes from their strongest album yet. To my delight, the girls maintain their retro sound for Untouchable, which would make a great follow-up single if they were so inclined. I happen to be a huge sucker for this style, which is one of the reasons why Wonder Girls’ Reboot is my favorite K-pop girl group album. In a perfect imaginary world, Everglow would craft an entire career around synthpop influences. They’ve certainly got it in them.

Untouchable isn’t quite as in your face as La Di Da, but its electronic groove hits hard. Right from the start, the track bounds forward with funky synth that forms an addictive backdrop for the girls’ performance. Everglow dial back the brash shouting that usually characterizes their work in favor of a more streamlined approach. The approach works wonders when paired with Untouchable’s rhythmic base. To be honest, this is the kind of unaffected girl group singing I’ve been missing for years in K-pop.

Untouchable’s melody has a slinky appeal, fueled by layered vocals that tug at the refrains in all the right places. The track never builds to much of a climax, but the entire thing is so enjoyable that it hardly matters. Compared to La Di Da, this is more of a groove than a “big pop moment,” and that contrast makes for a perfect pairing. I have a feeling that its straightforward nature will give it plenty of long-term appeal. I’ll certainly be revisiting this Everglow album far more times than any of their past work.

 Hooks 8
 Production 9
 Longevity 9
 Bias 9
 RATING 8.75

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15 thoughts on “Buried Treasure: Everglow – Untouchable”

  4. The song is fine, well done. But not my style. I don’t really listen to kpop to find songs that I could find just about anywhere on the planet. I feel like I could hear this resonating out of the doors of H&M or GAP or Old Navy on any continent. I suppose that is and should be taken as a high compliment, because getting on the soundtrack of that kind of store would be great! Perfect, even! … yeah, but I not that kind of store’s customer, so its not for me.

    I am not quite so sure about the unaffected singing comment. The main title word “Untouchable” is so mangled that it sounds like “I’m such a buzz” to me.

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