Back when she was rattling off power notes with GFriend, I considered Yuju to be one of my favorite vocalists in K-pop. However, vocals don’t matter much without great material to showcase them and her solo career thus far has been mired in a lack of musical ambition that’s quite frustrating.
Like so many idols-turned-soloists, Yuju seems more at home in the coffee shop than the brightly lit stage. Her music has been quite subdued so far, and in that context I suppose Reply marks a small shift. The song still boasts all the hallmarks of a ballad, but it’s backed by electric guitar that gives the track a bit more heft. In this way, Reply is kind of a fake out because apart from the rock influences the song isn’t particularly ambitious. There are a few nice vocal turns (the pre-chorus especially), but if you would have told me this was recorded as an OST I’d believe you without hesitation.
The thing is, there’s a huge OST market in Korea. Yuju is well-suited to this template and I don’t begrudge her for pursuing it, but it feels like a waste of her incredible voice. I’d love to hear her music surprise me in some way rather than conform to our existing idea of a main vocal’s solo material.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 7 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.25 |
