If you're the type of person who pines for the all-but-lost art of crafting a light, upbeat pop song like those that saturated 1980s radio, then there is a lot for you to like in "Someone Like U," the high-water mark and leadoff single of four-member K-pop girl group Dal Shabet's latest EP "Naturalness," released on Jan. 5.
With all the flare of 1980s dance divas like Madonna, Lisa Velez of Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam and Janet Jackson, the leadoff single from Dal Shabet's first collaboration with South Korean super producer Brave Brothers is an ebullient '80s homage with the potential to make a big splash on the dance floor.
Brothers even throws in the drum break from the Lyn Collins single "Think (About It)" used to great effect on Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock's 1988 hip-hop smash "It Takes Two" as the intro.
It is the pure frenetic energy clearly born out of an enthusiasm for the music of the period (and one would hope Brothers's own take on it) by all the parties involved on "Someone Like U" that really seem to makes the Dal Shabet (who also stylize their name as Dalshabet or Dal★shabet) track come together. They also make the composition a logical choice as the leadoff single for "Naturalness."
The album's best moments are also its brief glimpses of classic electro nostalgia, like song directly following "Someone Like U," the saucy "From Head To Toe," featuring Dal Shabet member Subin on lead vocals. The rest of it can feel at times like a bit of the recycled parts of the past Brothers projects. For a fan of the Hallyu's hitmakers more innovative moments like 4Minute's "What's Your Name?" or Sunmi's "Full Moon," this latest project doesn't top his best material of his extensive catalog.
But Brothers has created a very satisfying '80s homage on "Someone Like U" with a group that has no shortage of vocal talent, even if the song's rap is getting a bit dangerously close to "Macarena" territory.
Taken on its own, the new Dal Shabet single is a burst of energy in an otherwise rather slow month for Korean pop releases.
Watch the music video for "Someone Like U" the new single from four-member K-pop girl group Dal Shabet from their album "Naturalness" RIGHT HERE
