The first two EPs by South Korean-born producer, vocalist, and DJ Park Hye Jin introduced her compelling fusion of house, techno, and hip-hop, pairing brisk dance beats with coolly detached, bilingual rapping and singing, occasionally tipping both into more aggressive modes. Her self-produced full-length debut feels more elaborate than her EPs while also seeming impulsive and off-the-cuff. Hye Jin's lyrics are more emotionally direct, and her steadfast vocal delivery is commanding, even when she's pining for her family, as ...
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The first two EPs by South Korean-born producer, vocalist, and DJ Park Hye Jin introduced her compelling fusion of house, techno, and hip-hop, pairing brisk dance beats with coolly detached, bilingual rapping and singing, occasionally tipping both into more aggressive modes. Her self-produced full-length debut feels more elaborate than her EPs while also seeming impulsive and off-the-cuff. Hye Jin's lyrics are more emotionally direct, and her steadfast vocal delivery is commanding, even when she's pining for her family, as on the loping, slo-mo title cut. The most blissful club track on the album is opener "Let's Sing Let's Dance," pairing the straightforward vocal chant with more quickly paced Korean lyrics over a swift yet stripped-down house beat. Other than the tunneling techno track "Hey, Hey, Hey," most of the rest of the album isn't as focused on club-friendly material. Hye Jin incorporates atmospheric guitars into the drifting "Good Morning Good Night" and the self-confident hip-hop mantra "Me Trust Me." "Where Did I Go" nicely juxtaposes delicate pianos with booming rap beats and determined rhymes. A stretch of songs in the middle make no bones about her carnal desires, from the haunting creep of "Can I Get Your Number" to the crackling hip-house of "Sex with ME (DEFG)," a more explicit, demanding sequel to Hye Jin's 2018 track "ABC." The brief "Where Are You Think" is as throbbing and repetitive as a deep cut from an old Dance Mania 12", and "Sunday ASAP" could be one of the more experimental tracks on an early '90s Miami bass CD, with its booming low-end and suggestive vocal sample. The album concludes with "i jus wanna be happy," which captures a bummed-out yet comforting vibe with its skittering trap beats and hazy, echo-laced vocals. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi
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