Listening Party! BLACKPINK’s The Album

It’s been a while since we’ve gotten new music from BLACKPINK. The group has been in a quieter spell for the last little bit as each of the members explore their own creative avenues. They re-signed as a group to YG, so we know there’s something coming. That plus the fact that there’s upcoming fan meetings planned for their debut anniversary means they aren’t going away, but can you blame us for being excited for the possibility of new music?

 

Well, since that’s probably not coming soon, we can be happy with the solo projects and looking back at the awesome music they’ve given us so far. So, let’s all listen together to the awesome release that was BLACKPINK’s first full album: The Album. It was released October 2, 2022, and featured a lot of new steps for the group, including features from popular Western artists as well as production from the likes of Teddy, Tommy Brown, and Ryan Tedder. Let’s dive in!

 

1. “How You Like That” - Easily one of the best tracks BLACKPINK has ever released. The song is so incredibly catchy and absolutely deserved all the success it found.

1. “Ice Cream” - This is a very interesting collaboration between the girl group and Selena Gomez. It’s not this author’s personal favorite song from either collaborator, but it is exciting to see the girls trying something new!

1. “Pretty Savage” - A classic BLACKPINK ‘bad girls’ track. It really is a throwback to the girls’ original style on tracks like “Whistle.”

1. “Bet You Wanna” - Another very interesting collaboration. The song was actually mostly written by Cardi B, and she apparently struggled to keep it to the level of appropriate-ness that BLACKPINK wanted. She later posted an explicit version, which many blinks were not too happy about.

 

5. “Lovesick Girls” - This song has it all: It’s wistful and nostalgic; sad without being depressing; and even a bit of fun and recklessness. Plus the mid-2010s-style rab break is just perfect.

5. “Crazy Over You” - This is one of the better non-single tracks. There’s a lot of unique instrumentation here, and the Southeast Asian influences are a cool new take on BLACKPINK’s sound.

5. “Love to Hate Me” - Another classic example of BLACKPINK’s knack for catchy hooks. Listen to this once and it will be stuck in your head for days.

5. “You Never Know” - A great, emotional closer for the album. Definitely helped the group find their footing before trying something like “Happiest Girl” on Born Pink.