Blackpink, the world’s biggest K-pop girl group, released their first album “The Album”, after a long one year and eight months of waiting that followed the released EP “Kill This Love“. The girls, Jennie, Jisoo, Rosé and Lisa, have worked alongside Teddy Park for their release on Oct. 2. The group has collaborated with artists such as Lady Gaga in “Sour Candy” and Selena Gomez in “Ice Cream”, singles released on Chromatica and “The Album.” Although the strict COVID-19 guidelines set them back from their 2020 summer world tour, the girls powered through to complete their album. “I think it’s made us more focused into completing the album and making it the best thing we can give to our fans, and perfecting it and everything,” Rosé said in a recent interview with Apple Music.

The album incorporates cheerful and upbeat tunes to lighten up someone’s day. 

“I feel like this album could get a lot of light and energy to everybody being stuck at home not knowing what to do hopefully this can cheer them up.” Rosé said. 

“How You Like That” 

This song features Blackpink’s known use of confident bass and girl crush concept to have you feeling a boost of confidence after every listen. The girls explain in an interview with Time that “We believe that this song contains the message that even in the darkest times, we should persevere and fight through. We want everyone to find strength through our music.” After over a year since the release of Kill this Love, this pre-debut song was a good transition into their new tracks. 

“Ice Cream” 

“Ice Cream,” featuring Selena Gomez, includes an extremely catchy chorus that will stay “chillin” in your head for hours. The cheery tunes to the song make you even more hooked. The bright colors of the music video really contrast with the overall message the song is portraying. This song is a perfect representation of the “pink” concept of Blackpink.  

“Pretty Savage” 

A song about highlighting their dominance and stature, “Pretty Savage” grasps on the idea that the girls are “pretty savages,” an oxymoron describing themselves. The simple piano intro quickly transitioning to a strong catchy bass is the part I really enjoyed the most. This song is definitely one of my favorites from the tracklist. 

“Bet You Wanna (ft. Cardi B)” 

With lyrics featuring love and lust, “Bet You Wanna” features a strong catchy beat prone to making you “wanna” dance. I did not like the addition of Cardi B, as her feature weakened the song in my opinion, but overall the beat and bass really put you in a good mood. This is one of the two songs on the album featuring mainly English lyrics for international fans. 

“Lovesick Girls”

“Lovesick Girls,” the title song of the album, looks at a sad concept in an independent way. The girls do a really good job executing the overall message of girl power and not depending on someone, while also wishing for someone at the same time. The song’s upbeat tune to a somewhat somber topic makes you feel more empowered. 

“Crazy Over You”

Personally, I believe “Crazy Over You” features the most unique tune on the album. They use a Bollywood sounding track while also keeping it relevant to modern music. The lyrics feature the girls being crazy over one person only. The chicken-squeaker sound effect personally made me laugh really hard, but still blended with the other beats. This too is one of my favorite tracks on the album.

“Love To Hate Me”

“Love to Hate Me,” my personal favorite on the album, takes the listener through a self-reflection of loving to get hated. The girls suggest that haters love to hate on them, but still power through it all. This chorus is filled with many layers that add to the simplistic, yet complex-sounding tune of the song. I would describe this as one of those songs you blast in your room getting ready in the morning. It is empowering. It reminds me of a somewhat tweaked version of “7 Rings” by Ariana Grande.

“You Never Know”

The final track of the album wraps up things in a less empowering way, and more so peaceful. This song features beautiful vocals from each one of the girls, while also keeping a somber but happy mood throughout. It shifts halfway through from a light piano to a more defined beat with layers. The message spread by this song, that you never know how it feels to be in their shoes, is my favorite compared to the others.