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New girl group BADVILLAIN has pluses and minuses going for them. On the plus side, the group includes the little sister of Choi Bomin from Golden Child (a Bias List favorite, as if you didn’t know!). But they’re also called “BADVILLAIN” and that’s a really dumb name. I guess it’s meant to sound imposing, but it feels more like a catchphrase from a Disney Channel original movie franchise and conjures thoughts of a posturing, sing-shout musical style. Worse yet, the group has doubled down on the schtick with an eponymous title track. 
Unsurprisingly, BADVILLAIN is comprised of way too much shouty sing talk (the “bad attitude” exclamation in verse one is maximum cringe), but a dynamic instrumental keeps things interesting. Rather than bludgeon us with distorted synth, the production takes an orchestral approach. A healthy dose of strings supplies constant drama, climaxing in a mostly-instrumental chorus where these flourishes take center stage. This approach loses luster during a climactic switch-up where nursery-rhyme “la la la’s” steal some wind from the song’s sails. In fact, stronger melodies overall would transform BADVILLAIN from a fun curiosity to a potential classic.
Still, if BADVILLAIN must peddle one of these tropey, “I’m so bad” hype tracks, they could do much worse than this. I appreciate BADVILLAIN‘s sheer energy and sense of fullness. It reminds me of the go-for-broke drama that made ATEEZ’s debut year so compelling. I can only imagine how cool the group will sound when they’re able to find an equally fleshed-out song to compliment this ambition.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8 |
Grade: B-
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