At a point in time when Y2K nostalgia is at its peak, doing things differently is no easy feat, but NewJeans have somehow found a way. The K-pop quintet is the first group to ever debut from ADOR, an independent label under HYBE led by industry veteran Min Heejin. In just over six months, they have left their mark on the scene with their youthful concept and penchant for disregarding pre-established norms.
Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein's introduction foretold how atypical NewJeans' path would be. In July of 2022, the music video for "Attention" dropped, signaling their official debut. It was almost unannounced, save for various hints posted by Min herself. "Hype Boy" followed suit two days later with an intro and four member-specific music videos. A visual for B-side "Hurt," though much tamer in terms of production, was unveiled the following day. NewJeans' self-titled debut EP finally arrived on August 1, including "Cookie" for a total of four tracks, three of which were essentially lead singles. Except for "Hurt," which admittedly flew under the radar for the general public, the three other songs immediately became staples, racking up spots on multiple "best" end-of-year lists, K-pop centric and beyond. Topping that would be hard, but NewJeans play a different game.
The group's sophomore offering contains singles "Ditto" and "OMG" and continues to go against the grain. Upon first listen only, the new duo might not seem as strong as their predecessors to the untrained ear, but these tracks are not meant to be listened to only once and their mere rollout proves so.
"Ditto" arrived first, on December 19, 2022, with two music videos labeled side A and side B, like a cassette tape. Directed by Shin Wooseok, the videos, set in a high school setting, feature All of Us Are Dead's Park Jihoo and Twenty-Five Twenty-One's Choi Hyunwook, and hunker down on Y2K aesthetics, interpolating cinematic Sofia Coppola-esque hazy visuals with camcorder-style snippets.
"Ditto" is tinged with nostalgia, both visually and sonically. Producer 250 takes the reins once again on composition alongside Ylva Dimberg to create a beautifully layered lo-fi track with a danceable tempo. "Ditto" opens up with Hyein's honeyed hums laid over airy choir pads. The subdued intro goes directly into the chorus, sung by Hanni, with the help of a kick-less drum break and brisk claps. Those elements continue throughout the track and are built up over the synth choral base with clean 808s, some faint hi-hats, and not much else.
Like waves, the sparse elements come and go. They ebb and flow seamlessly, letting each other breathe. Sometimes, the mellow percussion takes center stage; sometimes, it's the pulsating low bass; and occasionally, it's the layering of them all. The spotlight, however, is on the members' vocals and harmonies, which are slightly compressed on this track, brought to the very front with the occasional reverb and delay. "Ditto" comes full circle with a harmonized hum echoing its beginning. ADOR describes “Ditto” as NewJeans' take on Baltimore club dance music, and, without a doubt, it's their strongest release to date. (The coy and cozy confession song also features Minji's first writing credit in the group's repertoire.)
Though slower in tempo, "OMG," released on January 2, is more upbeat than "Ditto." The track resuscitates the R&B sound that permeates through the girls' first EP, mixing trap rhythms, which were already present in "Cookie," with a muted garage-inspired groove borrowing elements from the UK scene. Composition and instrumentals are once again in the hands of Park Jinsu, one-half of rap duo XXX, and the track also becomes Hanni's second writing credit after "Hype Boy."
"OMG" opens with plucked, slightly delayed synthy chords in a staccato style over Hanni's vocals. Soft, sandy shakers kick in as Haerin and Danielle take on the first verse, with skittering cowbells joining the anchoring percussion as Hyein and Minji jump in for the pre-chorus. Using repetition to their advantage, the composition remains consistent throughout the catchy chorus and post-chorus, introducing more playful elements as fills — like futuristic-sounding waves and inventive vocal chopping — towards the end to make for a bubbly interlude and bridge before returning to the clean layered percussion and vocal harmonies for the piano closure.
Much like "Ditto," "OMG" goes back to the tried-and-true romantic tropes thematically. Visually, it stands apart from previous releases with a stylized music video, also directed by Shin Wooseok and featuring actor Kim Joohun. It references scenes from Park Chanwook's 2006 rom-com I'm A Cyborg, But That's OK — with Hanni clad in her best Steve Jobs attire having a Siri personality crisis — as well as various fairy tales like Sleeping Beauty, which are open to interpretation.
Though only months apart, NewJeans already achieve significant progress in their sophomore releases, showcasing more vocal depth and maturity. But these two new songs feel more like a continuation than a deviation. They put a new twist on what NewJeans have already been doing since 2022: creating tracks that feel maximalist in style while being minimalist in nature. Song after song, the group finds clever ways of juxtaposing minimal instruments that maximize the results, creating a sound that's uniquely theirs. Less is more might be a cliché, but it rings true for NewJeans.
Refined and smooth, they continue to be a breath of fresh air in terms of composition, choreography, and creative direction. And while the visuals are stunning, it's the music that leaves you wanting more. The more you listen to the songs, the more layers you notice, and the better it gets. Min seems to have cracked the formula to ensure that happens, too, in a world of decreasing attention spans – not only with the unorthodox approach of releasing multiple music videos at a time but also with the adjacent content. Take their website, for example. In order to see every single concept photo for this release, you need to click on them individually. Everything is curated. Nothing goes to waste. Everything deserves attention. There are no fillers. That's how NewJeans want us to digest their projects: nice and calm, just like in yesteryear, and perhaps that's the most refreshing of all in their concept.
