[#34] Wonder Girls - "Girlfriend"

From: "Wonder Party"
Format: EP
Released: June
Territory: South Korea
Previous Best of Appearance: #6 -"Me In" (2011) / #41 - "Like Money" (2012)

Sometimes I don't get JYP -- "Wonder World" was easily one of the best albums out last year, but instead of taking what made it so good and making another album with it, he went and gave us "Wonder Party". I mean it's not a bad EP, just underwhelming. It wasn't cohesive enough to have chemistry, and the songs themselves, although some better than others, weren't exactly jaw-dropping or anything. Which is probably why the representative song is at #34 and not at #6 like last year.

"Girlfriend" was one of the songs on the EP that gave me hope that JYP could still whip up something decent -- it was between this and "Sorry", but I thought that this sounded more Wonder Girls.

The song itself is pretty flat, but that flatness is on purpose. It's like one big blob of smudged craypas -- it doesn't get that smudged unless you really want it to be. I like the effect though, because it matches their voices nicely and it's a different kind of intensity. It's not gauging your eyes out sad or throwing tables angry -- it's just there. There are still quite a few instruments in the background, but it's a lighter, nonchalant intensity.

What gives the song kick are, ultimately, the vocals. Ye Eun and Sunye do a fantastic job (as always), and the song manages to use Sohee's vocals to it's advantage by double-tracking and making the line deliberately breathy.