I hate to be cynical, but collaborations between K-pop stars and Western artists rarely work. Western pop tropes almost always take precedence, smoothing out K-pop edges until we’re left with very middle-of-the-road material. For her first solo album, BLACKPINK’s Jisoo went down a dance pop route, but all of that promise is shaved away on her duet with former One Direction member Zayn.
Zayn hasn’t been active as a recording artist for years, making this team-up a real coup for Jisoo. Eyes Closed could have been a real moment for both of them, but it never reaches far enough in any direction to do much of anything. This is mid-tempo radio fodder at its most basic, anchored by a lifeless stomp that brings to mind the style of vaguely religious platitudes currently clogging the top of the U.S. charts. The vocal performance is just as inert, dutifully following the dull melody. Everyone involved sounds bored. I’m bored just writing about it!
Presumably, the hope is that content creators will be able to snip some small segment from Eyes Closed and make it go viral online, but I don’t even know which part that would be. The entire song trudges without any highlights. Jisoo and Zayn’s vocals make a nice mix, but they’re given nothing notable to do. It’s a complete waste of three minutes, honestly.
| Hooks | 6 |
| Production | 6 |
| Longevity | 6 |
| Bias | 6 |
| RATING | 6 |
