Even a year after debuting, everyone still cannot get enough of K-Pop super rookies NewJeans, especially with their digitally-addictive release, the Get Up! EP, housing the monster hit “Super Shy.” The six-track EP is the whimsy little sister to the group’s self-titled debut thanks to the popular usage of UK-garage production.
The mastermind behind NewJeans, Min Hee Jin (Girl’s Generation, Red Velvet, SHINee), routinely stated her decisive strategy to go against usual K-Pop music tropes, ditching everything from sound to promotion. While their surprise debut generated a re-watch surplus and dance challenges galore, the second main release followed a more traditional rollout with teaser videos and album concept photoshoots.
The Get Up! EP is NewJeans’ version of Katy Perry’s magnum-opus Teenage Dream: a cultural reset. Generated with the shiniest synths imaginable, the group proves they are the future of K-pop. Whether hitting the gym or cramming in a quick study session, Get Up! holds a duality that many pop records lack today: despite the dreaminess, five out of six tracks boost 130+ bpm.
Hidden under the clout of “New Jeans” and “Super Shy” is the record’s most energetic, IM-coded track, “ETA.” Riddled with trumpets, car chases and parties, NewJeans gets all the gossip on their friend’s cheating boyfriend.
Things cool down after the three initial tracks with “Cool With You.” The pop-R&B song has the equivalent shock value of stepping into an ice bath. It’s refreshing and goosebumps-inducingly good. NewJeans presents an ethereal choreography in the music video, which features Squid Game actress HoYeon Jung.
Two interludes bill the last tracks on the record. Where title-track “Get Up” is a delicate and comforting reprise for “Cool For You,” the initial buzzy teaser “ASAP” turned into a quick-witted and abstract closing, with the repetitive tic-ta ringing long afterward.
