Blackpink "The Album" Review

Blackpink finally released their first album “The Album” on October 2nd. When I tell you I was close to tears from the overwhelming excitement I had when The Album dropped...I was just over thrilled for Blackpink to finally have an Album. After 4 years we finally have The Album, where there are a total of 8 tracks. Not gonna lie I was a bit mad that we only got 8 tracks, but I can’t do anything about it so we will just be happy with what we got. Now I want to gather my thoughts and go through the album, track by track, and at the end rank the songs. So let’s dive into The Album.

Track 1: How You Like That

When “How You Like That” came out, at first I wasn’t that impressed but I wasn’t disappointed either. It’s a classic Blackpink song that’s girl crush and have overwhelming confidence. It’s a good song, but it just didn’t floor me. Plus the song starts out with a call to war kind of vibe and then brings a calming first verse then switches into drastic bass chorus. It took me a minute to adjust to the structure of the song. Then it also felt rushed. In a blink of an eye, the song already was over but I wanted more. It just seemed there could’ve been more done. I do like the song however. It’s really fun to listen to and like I said classic Blackpink, bringing their powerful bad bitch vibes and being charismatic. Then I also think it’s a great opener for The Album, it really defines how Blackpink is a strong and confident woman, which is the overall theme in The Album. So overall, How You Like That is a good song, but I feel more could’ve been done with it.

7/10

Track 2: Ice Cream

Ice Cream was a sweet surprise from Blackpink. The last time Blackpink were embracing their more cute and colorful side was As If It’s Your Last, so it was a treat to see this side of Blackpink again. With the song itself, unpopular opinion but Selena wasn’t needed on the track. Yeah, it’s great to see Blackpink be able to collab with big-name artists like Selena, but for their first album, I much rather have it all Blackpink. Plus I felt like Ice Cream just left out Jisoo and Rose, especially Jisoo. It’s obvious the song is meant for 4 people, not 5, and Jisoo was just put in the sideline and only got one verse. Then with Rose, she was also pushed to the side, and I just felt like it wasn’t inclusive to all 4 members of Blackpink. Now if we actually talk about the song, it’s cute. It’s a sweet sugary song that is nice to listen to, and I love that Blackpink showcased a different side of themselves. The beat is also catchy, and I might get yelled at for saying this, but it reminds me of Yummy by Justin Bieber, but way more fun and much better to listen to. Ice Cream is a song full of saccharine and is a cute little song that is quite catchy but could’ve done a better job with including all the girls.

7/10

Track 3: Pretty Savage

After the sugar rush of Ice Cream, we go right back to bad bitch vibes with Pretty Savage. Another classic Blackpink song, but this time it goes way harder than anything else they ever released. Before Pretty Savage, Blackpink’s hardest song was DDU-DU DDU-DU, but Pretty Savage leveled up. First of all, Jisoo got to say Blackpink In Ya Area, and I was living for it! Then we have Lisa, Jennie, and Jisoo spitting fire on this track. Their rap portions killed me, and I could feel their confidence in this song. Especially Lisa who just went full throttle with this track. Then Rose attitude in the bridge is so cool. Her vocals in the bridge just gave me chills and I just love how her presence on the track. The only thing that felt off is the ending of the song. I was expecting it to go back to the chorus, but it had a much more calming and seductive ending to it. It’s cool, but I think I would prefer it to go back to the chorus and pop off again. Overall I like Pretty Savage. All the girls got to shine in this song and Pretty Savage is such a strong track. It’s cocky, it’s cool, and it goes hard.

8/10

Track 4: Bet You Wanna

Next up is Bet You Wanna featuring Cardi B. Again with Ice Cream, this collab was not needed. This track is obviously meant for 4 people, not 5, and so Lisa this time get’s pushed to the side. With the song itself, it’s ok. Like I love the vocals, Rose and Jennie just shines in this song, and the chorus is great, but overall I’m not the biggest fan of the song. Cardi didn’t fit in this track for me and I wasn’t a big fan of her verse. Honestly, I only was a fan of the chorus haha. The verses were a bit weak for me, and the prechorus was meh. The vocals did bring a lot of flavor to the song in the chorus, but as a whole it’s ok.

6/10

Track 5: Lovesick Girls

Here we go...Lovesick Girls...aka Blackpink best song to date. Across their entire discography, Lovesick Girls beats every song they ever had. From the very beginning, this song captivated me. First, listen I felt like crying for some reason? It makes me so happy but sad at the same time. It’s an emotional pop song that’s about the struggles of love in our youth. It’s a great song that’s so fun to listen to and is pop perfection. Plus each girl just shines. You can feel the emotions in each girl’s voice, especially during the bridge of Rose and Jisoo parts. I just feel their pain soaking in my skin. Then Jenlisa’s rap part is so catchy and fun, and really conveys how they are sick of love. Overall I love Lovesick Girls. It’s a fun yet nostalgic sounding song that perfectly embraces the youth of girls problems with love. And the chorus is just amazing. I love how it’s a two-part chorus and is vocal heavy compared to most of Blackpink other title tracks. This song just makes me feel so happy and bittersweet and emotional and just UGH! I’m so glad we got to see this side of Blackpink and is truly my favorite song by them, and one of my favorite pop songs ever.

10/10

Track 6: Crazy Over You

Next, we got Crazy Over You, and it’s so good. . The opening kind of gave me a western showdown vibe, and this song is just slick. It’s sultry and strong, addicting and sexy, and so cool. It really shows Blackpink mature side and sexy side, and Jennie voice just fits perfectly with the song. Then I love how they have a false drop in the chorus because it really builds it up to the end of their war cry and the loud instrumentals. It’s a badass song that is overflowing with charisma and sexiness. Crazy Over You also might be my favorite full English song by Blackpink. It’s so addicting. Crazy Over You really shows a different side of Blackpink, and I really enjoy it.

9/10

Track 7: Love To Hate Me

Another silky and slick song, Love To Hate Me is another sexy and confident song from Blackpink. It’s a chill diss track compared to Pretty Savage. While Pretty Savage was aggressive, Love To Hate Me is smooth and classy. It’s a rich song that also has a false drop that I’m kind of obsessed with. I am also obsessed with Lisa saying stupid. It’s another more mature track from Blackpink and is overflowing with confidence and attitude. Blackpink fits perfectly with this song and is fun; however, the more I listen to it, it loses it’s shine. I still love it, but it’s one of those songs I can’t listen to 24/7. Love To Hate Me is good, and I really enjoy it.

8/10

Track 8: You Never Know

Last track on The Album is You Never Know, and this song hit me in the heart. It’s an emotional song that talks about Blackpink struggles of always being judged. I love how raw the girls are on this song, and is a hopeful song. Although they have been criticized since they debuted and problems during their career, they are hopeful in this song and shine a positive light. This song is uplifting and is an emotional song that makes me feel good. It’s a beautiful ballad that is a perfect ending to The Album, talking about no matter what Blackpink will stay strong and still work hard, no matter what people say.

9/10

Overall I think The Album is great and shows so many different sides to Blackpink. Although not every track appealed to me, each song has its own charm and own color. It’s a pretty diverse album. The only thing I wish is that it had a few more tracks, but overall I think this is a solid first album for Blackpink.

8/10

Song Rankings:

1. Lovesick Girls

2. You Never Know

3. Crazy Over You

4. Love To Hate Me

5. Pretty Savage

6. How You Like That

7. Ice Cream

8. Bet You Wanna

Thank you for reading my article, I really appreciate it! If you enjoyed this one then consider checking out my other articles like my analysis of how Lisa became the biggest female kpop idol or my Everglow review. And any tips I receive is also greatly appreciated! I hope you have a good day, and if it’s not I hope it gets better.

Bye Bye!