Review Summary: Hark! How doth summer lie.
Remember when K-pop wasn’t so serious: a perfectly exuberant time waster for summer? Summer is a Liar does its best to remind us. It’s a shame then, that this quick, dirty release is more like shaking hands than embracing.
First notable thing: there’s more personality in the vocals than the music. That art is not just for show. Cebu in Vodka is a decent track because it cuts bullshit, and shows off the niceness of vocals. Percolating passion energizes tracks when tracks refuse to jump. Jinee has an edge to their voice, and with fountaining melodies leading the way, there’s little left desired. In short, Jinee has a great pop voice, and they sing well.
Unfortunately, the songs are not particularly special. Dance on the beach includes a tropical synth on the offbeat which is so overdone by pop artists; of course, let’s not forget the feature from an overly auto-tuned artist on the side. What of the other songs? Summertime has an oh la la la, which is average, and not used in any exceptional way. Then there’s DOLA! with its interesting, but overused tongue roll section. It’s safe to say there’s some corny tunes.
Too bad this isn’t the summer banger it could’ve been. Aside from the one tropical synth, it’s difficult to pinpoint another noteworthy, summery shimmer-synth. It’s also difficult to find catchy enough choruses to bop to. The release isn’t lifeless by any means, it’s just very derivatively enjoyable, and not much of a head turner. It knows what has worked for pop artists in the past, and is stuck in the past. This bite-size EP has nice moments, but they’re not creative enough to fill a whole album.
As an EP, Summer is a Liar is a quick little treat. It won’t change anyone’s opinion of K-pop, but for a starting off artist, its energy shows potential. Jinee’s flirtatious voice is enough, along with gorgeous singing, to make a memorable impact despite the average music. It’s no debut of the year, but there’s enough zing to be worth your time.
