Daily Non-K-pop Spotlight: “ABC” by 박혜진 Park Hye Jin

When 박혜진 Park Hye Jin appeared out of nowhere with her slick house-inspired hip-hop jams, the electronic and Korean indie scenes seemed to explode. Her first EP, IF U WANT IT, was filled with banger after banger of minimalist, low-key, repetitive (in a great way) goodness, and everyone immediately labeled her as an artist to keep an eye on. After a few years to let the hype simmer a bit, and two albums with mixed reviews, the conversation around her has cooled down a bit, but that first EP still stands as sonic gold. (Let the record show, this reviewer quite enjoys a lot of parts from those other albums too, but that’s not the point here.)

 

“ABC,” the second most popular track from IF U WANT IT (behind the fantastic “I DON’T CARE”) is a pure, and honest expression of desire to be with someone. The only lyrics are the repeated spoken refrain of “A, I love you / B, I want you / C, I miss you.” It’s a simple message, but I think it rings true for most of us. You don’t need to make things more complicated than I love you, I want you, I miss you. The track also makes excellent use of a piano sample to really drive home that hopeful and wistful feeling. Mixed with some gentle harmonies, a simple but grooving beat, and the final refrain only repeating the line “C, I miss you,” and there’s just so much to like here.

 

If you like what you hear, give a follow to Park Hye Jin on Instagram!