K-pop has not-so-quietly become a worldwide cultural force, and the runaway success of BLACKPINK has plenty to do with it. Despite not releasing new material since 2022 — almost unheard of in the genre’s lightning-fast world— they’ve only gotten bigger with solo ventures and group world tours. ‘Deadline’ is a mini-album or, in old money, a five-track EP, that underscores their position as trailblazers without ever doing anything particularly groundbreaking.
They project was unveiled with lead single and opening track Jump, a high-octane club thumper featuring their “BLACKPINK in your area” catchphrase. As energetic as it is, it makes sure to get out of the way to not outstay its welcome, with second track Go offering a twist on the recipe as playful rap and throbbing synths make it another natural dancefloor filler.
My and My pivots again with gang vocals and a bouncy trap beat but, as with every other song here, it doesn’t manage to develop more than a couple of ideas before wrapping things up neatly in under three minutes.
Champion is the sort of pump-up music that’d you’d find blaring before sports games, but despite the unambiguous message of its refrain — “I know I’m a champion” — it feels like BLACKPINK don’t quite believe their own words
Fxxxboy is a drab ballad that serves to end the EP on a low. Were there not three years between ‘Born Pink’ and ‘Deadline’, its very brief 15 minute runtime might have been more reasonable, but there’s an element of feeling short-changed here. Though its more experimental nature is welcome, these uptempo tracks oddly lack energy.
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