Release Date: April 1, 2024
Track Listing
- MONSTERS (Intro)
- SHEESH
- LIKE THAT
- Stuck In The Middle (7 ver.)
- BATTER UP (7 ver.)
- DREAM
- Stuck In The Middle (Remix)
Review
BABYMONSTER is YG Entertainment’s newest girl group. Their arrival has been teased since 2021, and the number of members and debut date were constantly in flux. Their debut got pushed back so much that it became a joke that this group was the equivalent of vaporware and would never debut.
Then, in early 2023, the YG Entertainment YouTube channel released a trailer for BABYMONSTER’s debut. Throughout January and February, the members were slowly revealed through live performances.
Initially, BABYMONSTER was going to be a five-member group but became a seven-member one instead. The final roster of BABYMONSTER consists of two Japanese members, two Thai members and three Korean members:
- Ruka
- Pharita
- Asa
- Ahyeon
- Rami
- Rora
- Chiquita
BABYMONS7ER is BABYMONSTER’s debut EP, featuring the pre-debut singles Dream, BATTER UP and Stuck In The Middle. Its title track is SHEESH. This album is also the official debut of Ahyeon, who could not participate in the promotions of the pre-debut songs due to illness.
Looking at the tracklisting for this EP, there is only a little that could be considered new material other than SHEESH and Like That. The rest (excluding the intro) are songs that K-pop listeners are familiar with already in one way or another.
BATTER UP and SHEESH are songs highlighting many listeners’ issues with BABYMONSTER: they are crafted to look and sound like BLACKPINK. Given that the members of BLACKPINK are peacing out to pursue other creative ventures, it makes sense for YG to build a new version of them to keep that money train rolling.
Luckily, there are moments when BABYMONSTER get their time to shine without being compared to their seniors and label mates. For the uptempo songs, it comes in the form of Like That. Unlike the other tracks, it is atypical of the YG sound and is more of a straightforward type of R&B/Hip-Hop hybrid.
The ballads allow the listeners to hear these girls sing/rap clearly without the distraction of a noisy instrumental, and I prefer these two songs over everything else on the album. Depending on your tastes, your mileage may vary with the ballads.
Regarding BABYMONSTER, some will likely think they are equivalent to “We have BLACKPINK at home.”
But if you put that thought aside, you will find that BABYMONS7ER is a decent debut EP. There’s nothing on here that is so incredibly offensive that you have to hit the stop button in utter disgust. And if you’re that much of a hater, why would you consider listening to this album in the first place?
If you are more open-minded and enjoy the Hip-Pop sound (be it the YG brand or in general), there is something on this album for you to consume. The only catch is what I mentioned above. Much of it sounds like BLACKPINK.
