Blackpink returns, still slays

Source: Blackpink's YouTube page, also on Fobres

After a very very long wait, the remarkable YG female group of four Blackpink returned with the launch of their album Square Up and of their music video for their carrier single "Ddu-Du-Ddu-Du". The group has matured, yet their comeback was something worth the wait. When before they were Playing with Fire, now they returned "tigeowo [hot] like Fire."

Astounding MV

I should have started with listening to the audio alone. But starting with the visual was not bad at all. Both have shown that Blackpink has come back with a loud bang. Visual-wise, "Ddu" caught me in amazement. It has a lot to tell, perhaps because it has a jam-packed of mise-en-scene, those visual elements comprising what you see in a motion picture. 

Jennie and Lisa slay as rappers, but Jennie leveled up her 'angas' this time around, especially in the rap after the first chorus. The other two, Jisoo and Rosé, have shown again that they are great vocals. Jisoo, my bias, carries herself so great, be it in holding an umbrella while in black dress or donning a pink bangs while intently slipping her feet. Rose, meanwhile, has stood so much prettier, especially in those first lines she sang while standing on a pedestal. Cinematography and editing must have done great work here. Nevertheless, the four perfectly weave their choreography.

Source: Wikipedia

A sure-fire comeback

They are turning fiercer, as much as the message of Square Up is. Their sound has tuned up to a stronger tone than Ddu's predecessor, "As If It's Your Last"; and this shows how the group has been growing up. All the four songs (I wonder why only four) are good head-bopping tracks which blended pop and hip-hop, the Western drop and the Oriental tunes. "Forever Young" and "See U Later" unfold in a way that is very much unexpected it will only leave you saying "Wow!".

But of all the four songs, and while "Ddu" is a good LSS, my pick is "Really", for being an easier listen and a cleaner lyric. I have to admit that while Square Up is promising, I still miss the vibe of "As If". 

But to find out a very different Blackpink is not that bad at all. They have gained much success as of this writing, gaining a record-high 200 million views on YouTube, hitting a "certified all-kill" in Korean charts, and even reaching high rankings in the US' Billboard and UK's Official Singles charts. I just wonder if the princesses could get into Myx, as the queens 2NE1 did. Or on RX 93.1 or on any radio station—as did BTS, Twice, and Momoland (BP got played on regional stations, nonetheless, according to one radio listener). 

Blackpink's return has been worth the wait, and it is worth applauding and rooting for. I'm convinced they have worked hard for it (and maybe that's why it's four tracks, yet almost perfect four), and they are earning the wide reception they deserve. 

They're back—on long-burning fire. And fans, both constant and new, felt it for real.