Jung Kook, GOLDEN | Album Review 💿

While GOLDEN, the brief debut album by K-Pop standout Jung Kook lacks innovation, it is an enjoyable pop LP, all in all.   

The time has finally come. That handsome 😍, hunky 😍, and most of all, talented 💪 K-pop star, 🎙 Jung Kook, has released his debut album, 💿 GOLDEN.  With some fun advance singles in 🎵 “Seven” and “3D”, assisted by two, standout American artists, GOLDEN felt poised for success before it arrived.  The result is a brief, tight album that doesn’t break new ground – nothing highly innovative –  but is enjoyable, all told. With its November arrival, GOLDEN is an album sure to warm up the cool Fall 🍁 and colder, frigid winter ❄️.  

“3D” 

“I can’t touch you through the phone / Or kiss you through the universe / In another time zone.” Jung Kook kicks off GOLDEN with a bang – rather, a bop – with the fun  🤩 🎵 “3D”. Assisted by 🏆 Grammy-nominated rapper, 🎙 Jack Harlow, Jung Kook “just wanna see you like that…” How? “I wanna see it in motion, in 3D.” Produced by 🎛️ BloodPop® and David Stewart, “3D” features a sick, rhythmic groove. The sound of the record is reminiscent of 1990s and early 2000s pop/contemporary R&B.  Furthermore, the melody is rhythmic, also idiomatic of that era. In this minor key joint, Jung Kook delivers a cool, sexy brand of vocals giving off flirty vibes (“But when there’s two dimensions / There’s only one I’m missin’”). Notably, the second verse separates itself from the first, changing up the melody, keeping things FRESH.  I love the ad-libs he delivers during the second iteration of the chorus. Harlow arrives in the third verse, asserting, “I’m on my Jung Kook, take a chick off one look,” complimenting his handsome collaborator, continuing, “And when they get took, they don’t ever get un-took.” WOO! Of course, being the f🤬🤬kboy he is, one girl isn’t sufficient: “Three girls, damn, dude’s horny / Four girls, okay, now you whorin’.” Harlow also leaves his stamp in the outro: “I got you playin’ with yourself on camera.” TMI! All in all, Jung Kook kicks off GOLDEN superbly.  

“Feelin’ like I’m floatin’ / Something’s in the air tonight.” Ooh-la-la! Jung Kook maintains the momentum of GOLDEN on the enjoyable 🤩 🎵 “Closer to You” featuring 🎙 Major Lazer.  He sings in cooler fashion, while still packing a sizable punch. The chorus is simple but incredibly effective – a vibe. Another awesome moment arrives courtesy of the agile, sexy second verse (“Closer with the silk dress / Feelin’ your warm embrace”). He’s supported by danceable production work courtesy of 🎛️ Diplo, Maesic, and LeClair.  So far, so good where GOLDEN is concerned.  

“Seven”

“Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday (a week).” Jung Kook is NOT giving us a kindergarten lesson on the days of the week on 🤩 🎵 “Seven”! Sure, the chorus begins with him singing about seven days, but ultimately, it’s what he vows to do in those days: “Every hour every minute every second / You know night after night / I’ll be fuckin’ you right / Seven days a week.” Holy F🤬ck 😈!!! Further amplifying this naughty, no. 1 summery smash is female rapper 🎙 Latto, who fits right in on this fuckin’ standout from GOLDEN. The sexy single was penned by 🎼 ✍ Andrew Watt and Cirkut (who also produce), alongside Latto, Jon Bellion and Theron Makiel Thomas.  The lyrics aren’t filled with depth but are enjoyable and sexy. “Weight of the world on your shoulders,” he sings beautifully in the first verse, adding, “I kiss your waist and ease your mind.” That’s sweet and of course, S-E-X-Y. The second verse exhibits devotion too, while also being sensually charged. The naughtiness creeps in the pre-chorus, beginning with the suggestive line, “It’s the way that you can ride,” and concluding with “fuckin’ you right.” As for Latto, who appears in the third verse, she manages to be sexy without getting too dirty.  “Seven days a week, seven different sheets / Seven different angles, I can be your fantasy,” she raps, adding, “Come here, baby, let me swallow your pride.” Woo! All said and done, 🎵 “Seven” is a bop.   

Appears in 🔻:   

• Awesome Songs: July 2023 

“Standing Next to You” 

Arguably, 🎵 “Seven” is the song to beat on GOLDEN – it’s so damn good. That said, 🤩 🎵 “Standing Next to You” is damn good too! 🎛 Watt and Cirkut give Jung Kook a badass backdrop to sing over.  The sound is refreshing, blending both old and new ideas seamlessly. You want to put your disco finger given the danceable, electrifying groove.  Furthermore, you’re in awe of the picturesque backdrop with it prominent bass and brilliant horns.  Vocally, Jung Kook brings the heat, as he does consistently throughout GOLDEN.  The songwriting also bodes in his favor.  The melodies are rhythmic and incredibly tuneful, with the chorus being the crème de la crème:   

“Standing next to you 

Standing in the fire next to you, oh 

You know it’s deeper than the rain  

It’s deeper than the pain 

When it’s deep like DNA 

Somethin’ they can’t take away, ay 

Take-take-take-take-take-take off.”  

Woo! 🎵 “Yes or No” keeps the good vibes flowing, PERIOD.  “Yes or No” is brief, running just under two-and-a-half minutes in duration, but sweet. All in all, Jung Kook continues to bring it. Wins include quick melodic lines, a catchy chorus, and idiomatic pop production (Cirkut and 🎛 Blake Slatkin).  This isn’t a game changing moment mind you, but, it’s another rock solid one. 🎵 “Please Don’t Change” featuring 🎙 DJ Snake follows, with similar length to the song that precedes. This song compares to the second track, 🎵 “Closer to You,” with its dance-pop feel and more chill sensibilities.  It should be noted that “Please Don’t Change” uses a different set of producers: DJ Snake, of course, and 🎛 Banx & Ranx.  Even if Jung Kook doesn’t get too high, and never seems to perspire, a punchy beat and driving synths keep the record energetic.  Furthermore, another catchy chorus provides the cherry on top.  

“Hate You” 

🎵 “Hate You,” the seventh track, gives GOLDEN its first ballad. Like many of the tracks on the album, Jung Kook doesn’t belabor things – this song is well under three minutes, too. Sure, he excels at the up-tempo cuts, but “Hate You” proves the pop star is equally adept with few less BPMs. His tone is sweet, and his falsetto – ripe, ripe, ripe. “Hate You” is a win because it is sophisticated… and emotional (“So I’m gonna hate you / I’m gonna hate you / Paint you like a villain that you never were”). 🎵 “Somebody” inches closer to three minutes and picks up the pace. It isn’t until the chorus that the groove kicks in, but once it does, it’s fire 🔥. “Somebody” was produced by 🎛 Jon Bellion (previously serves as a writer on 🎵 “Seven”), Allen Ritter, and Roza. What fuels ⛽️ the fire 🔥 on “Somebody?” Why, those pesky matters of the heart ❤️, of course! “Winter’s cold and summer’s strange / Don’t turn around and act like you don’t feel the same,” he asserts in the first verse.  Of course, the centerpiece is the chorus, which proves as tuneful as the rest on GOLDEN (“Oh, I hoped you’d find somebody, I hope you know that somebody ain’t me”).   

Heartbreak 💔 has Jung Kook feeling sad 😢 on 🎵 “Too Sad to Dance.” Despite going to the club and drinking (verse one), he’s ultimately “too sad to dance.” In the second verse, the sadness continues, as he sings, “And this Christmas 🎄, I got no gifts / Do I really deserve all this? / So, I head straight down to the liquor 🥃 store.” While Jung Kook never overcomes loneliness in this pleasant number, his Pops does give him sound advice in the final verse, prior to the instrumental outro: “Walk that walk alone / And talk that talk, you know / ‘Cause you don’t need no one to dance.” 🎵 “Shot Glass of Tears” arrives as the final ‘brand-new’ song from GOLDEN. It marks the second ballad from the album following 🎵 “Hate You.” Furthermore, the song sounds like a continuation of Jung Kook’s feelings from “Too Sad to Dance.” He reflects on heartbreak and the future, exemplified by the high-flying chorus:   

“Tell me, am I ever gonna feel again?  

Tell me, am I ever gonna heal again?  

Got a shot glass full of tears 

Drink, drink, drink, say, ‘Cheers’.” 

All in all, it’s another consistent, pleasant moment from GOLDEN.  There is one more song, however. GOLDEN concludes with the familiar 🎵 “Seven” only it’s the clean version 😏.  In other words, the f-bomb 💣 can’t be found on this one!  

Final Thoughts 💭 

So, how does the debut solo album by Jung Kook stack up? All in all, 💿 GOLDEN is a successful first outing by the K-pop standout. His voice is strong throughout the LP.  He’s backed by top-notch production, which is the expectation when it comes to a modern pop album.  The songwriting is respectable too, even if depth isn’t always the modus operandi. GOLDEN isn’t the second coming, but ultimately, it is a winner in my book.

🤩 Gems 💎: “3D,” “Closer to You,” “Seven” & “Standing Next to You”  

🎙 Jung Kook • 💿 GOLDEN • 🏷 BIGHIT MUSIC • 🗓 11.3.23

[📷: BIGHIT MUSIC]