4Minute Comes Back With A Fresh Sound In “Cold Rain”

Officially Kmusic

January 26, 2015

While “Cold Rain” is a typical-sounding ballad, a ballad from 4 minute is completely new and different.. Straying away from the brightly colored eccentric outfits and settings, the group goes for a bleak gutted apartment setting and winter clothing that you actually might find on the streets of Seoul, or anywhere else in the world for that matter.

We’ll just say she’s preparing for real-life winter in Jeju.

I had no worries about most of the ladies holding their own vocally, especially the ladies of 2Yoon, but I admit, when I listened to “Cold Rain” and heard the ballad rhythm come in, I was worried about how Hyuna would sound. Her brash nasally rapping has a place in party music and pop tracks but there is no place for it in a ballad. She counters the nasally sound of her rap by coming in probably as deep of a voice she could get, giving it a teary quality, almost like she was bawling right before recording. In the middle of her section she sings a simple flat set of notes to offset the deepness, and all my worries were gone completely. There’s not much more to say about the way the song is constructed besides how similar it sounds to BAP‘s “Rain Sound“, but I chalk that up to the songs progression, the acoustic guitar and the use of some sort of distorted tone to mimic a drop hitting the surface of water, but more metallic. I have no idea what makes that sound, but I would love to find out.

As for the styling, even though I don’t think that bare midriffs belong in winter outfits, the whole cast wears items that belong in a swank NYC indoor New Year’s Eve party. The color pallet used exclusively “winter colors”, relying heavily on black, grey, red and navy blue. But more than the clothes, the accessories and makeup was on point. I want to shop where ever they obtained their earrings, especially Hyuna, and I had to remind myself that I actually hate how rings feel, so picking up a bunch of them would be a bad idea. I also shouldn’t wear hats or half veils to teach in, even though 4minute made them look super professional in this video. Also, their lipstick was flawless. It is very difficult to wear red lipstick and look classy, especially because so much depends on your skin tone and the undertones on your face. What looks fantastic on someone else could make you look like a 5-year-old that got into their mom’s lipstick box for the first time. The ladies of 4minute presented themselves with the sophistication and grace to wear the lipstick well.

While I don’t hope that this is 4minute’s new permanent sound, I hope the group starts attempting songs that require a higher level of vocal control, because this song demonstrates that they have the ability to do so. It was a perfect break from what they had been doing previously and I’ll be waiting for their next release. What did you think of the song? Should they sing more ballads or were they better off tackling their old style of music? Watch the video below and let me know what you think!

Source: 4Minute

Edited by: LeighDarling

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