The K-pop industry is in dire need of some eccentricity. Sure, there’s a subdued quirkiness to many of its recent visuals, but this approach has become so cut-and-paste and rubber stamped by corporations that it feels more mainstream than it seeks to be. There is no act reliably delivering the colorful madness of previous groups like Orange Caramel and Crayon Pop.
In this world, soloist Yena has stepped up to the plate. She’s no stranger to brash idiosyncrasy. Just listen to her 2024 single NEMONEMO. New track Catch Catch (캐치 캐치) picks up that song’s baton in a way that nods back to K-pop’s past. Its throbbing electro beat has touchstones all over the industry, from Brown Eyed Girls’ Abracadabra to PSY’s Gentleman. Its immediately recognizable point move is so second-gen coded it hurts. Yena performs the entire thing in a chirpy style, her voice stretched and clipped into a character all its own.
I’m not sure Catch Catch is a pastiche that comfortably sits among its many inspirations, but it is so damn refreshing to hear in 2026. It’s refreshing to hear something this fun, upbeat, silly and sung. It’s nice to hear a song that feels so specific to K-pop with a series of hooks that immediately lodge themselves in your brain. Of course, I’d rather hear something legitimately new and forward-looking than a strong reinterpretation of past glories, but given the sorry state of the industry’s output this year, I’ll gladly take a nostalgia play right now.
Hooks
9
Production
9
Longevity
8
Bias
9
RATING
8.75
Grade: B+
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