Music meteorology: predicting the next wave of megahits and earworms with the tracks they’re teasing and releasing now.
As the lead single from Rosé’s upcoming debut solo album ‘Rosie’, ‘APT.’ marks a significant departure from her previous solo offerings.
Words: Dan Harrison.
Bottoms up, Dear Reader. BLACKPINK’s Rosé and Bruno Mars have decided to outdo everyone by becoming everyone’s favourite drinking buddies. With their new single ‘APT.’, they’ve taken a beloved Korean drinking game and turned it into a 00s garage-indie-pop-punk anthem that would make Toni Basil raise her pom-poms in approval.
‘APT.’ is something very different to most of your idol-goes-solo efforts, a throwback played out across three minutes of infectious chanting and guitar riffs that could make even the most jaded listener tap their foot. Rosé, born in New Zealand and raised in Australia before becoming a K-pop sensation, has joined forces with Hawaiian-born, genre-hopping funk goblin Bruno Mars to create a track that’s equal parts Seoul noraebang and American frat party, with a dash of rebellion for good measure.
The song’s inspiration comes from a Korean drinking game called ‘Apartment’, where players stack their hands and remove them one by one, chanting numbers until someone loses and has to drink. It’s the kind of game that starts off simple but ends with you questioning whether you’ve always had this many fingers. In other words, the perfect fodder for a pop song.
Rosé, in a moment of candour, admitted to Vogue that she initially had reservations about the song’s concept. “I remember going home [from the studio] kind of freaked out,” she confessed. “Is this OK, that I’ve written a song about a drinking game?” It’s the kind of existential crisis that only a pop star could have, and one that perfectly encapsulates the tightrope walk between cultural authenticity and global appeal that K-pop artists navigate daily.
But any doubts were quickly drowned in a sea of catchy ‘apateu, apateu’ chants and Mars’ signature funk-infused influence. Yes, it’s very Ting Tings – but in the best possible way. As some have pointed out, it sounds a bit like The Vamps’ ‘Can We Dance’ (which Mars was also involved with), or 1D’s ‘Night Changes’. In fact, it sort of sounds like a lot of things – some progressions are like that – but that’s not the point at all. ‘APT.’ is chaos, and a tipsy tornado doesn’t stop to check the notes.
As the lead single from Rosé’s upcoming debut solo album ‘Rosie’, ‘APT.’ marks a significant departure from her previous solo offerings. Gone are the alt-electro-pop flourishes of ‘On The Ground’ and ‘Gone’. In their place is a sound that’s messier and more engaging, proving that Rosé is as comfortable leading a cheerleading squad as she is as part of a K-pop juggernaut. She’s not just stepping out of BLACKPINK’s shadow; she’s cartwheeling out of it with a megaphone.
As we wait for the full ‘Rosie’ release to drop on 6th December, ‘APT.’ serves as both an appetiser and a shot of something stronger. Sometimes the best ideas come not from boardroom meetings or focus groups, but from a night out with friends and a willingness to turn life’s simple pleasures into hits. In the end, whether ‘APT.’ becomes a global smash or a curious footnote in both artists’ careers, one thing is certain – it’s going to be stuck in your head longer than the hangover from the drinking game that inspired it. Just remember: always drink responsibly, but feel free to loop this track as irresponsibly as you like.
LINKS IN BIO
THE NEW BOPS AND BANGERS THEY’RE TEASING FOR IMMINENT RELEASE
LADY GAGA – ‘DISEASE’
Release date: Friday 25th October 2024
Mother Monster is back, and she’s got a nasty case of pop fever. After her regular detours into other musical waters, Lady Gaga’s ‘Disease’ promises to be a return to her vampy, totemic best. Gaga’s not just flirting with medical metaphors; she’s taking them out for open brain surgery. With teasing more cryptic than the Da Vinci Code, all hints suggest a single that’s equal parts banger and performance art – just the way it should. ‘Disease’ needs to remind a post-Joker 2 world why Gaga remains pop’s resident chameleon, able to switch colours at will. There’s no real doubt she’ll land it, is there?
DAMIANO DAVID – ‘BORN WITH A BROKEN HEART’
Release date: Friday 25th October 2024
Måneskin’s leather-clad Lothario Damiano David is back, yet again flying solo with ‘Born With A Broken Heart’. Building on the vulnerability of his debut ‘Silverlines’, David seems determined to prove he’s more than just a pretty face-slash-chest-slash-now-calm-down-everyone-please. Think Mr. Darcy, but with better hair and a killer falsetto, as Damiano proves he can stand on his own two snakeskin boots outside of Måneskin’s shadow.
HOTWAX – ‘SHE’S GOT A PROBLEM’
Release date: Friday 25th October 2024
Hastings’ garage-rock revival trio HotWax are back, and they’re bringing more fuzz than a lint roller factory. ‘She’s Got A Problem’ promises to be another slice of gloriously gritty alt-rock as the band charge headfirst towards a much-anticipated debut album. If indie sleaze ever fancies getting a little bit scruffy, HotWax are here to show it the time of its life.
BIIG PIIG – ‘YOURS’
Release date: Friday 25th October 2024
Jess Smyth, aka Biig Piig, is back to confuse automatic spell-check and delight eardrums with her new single ‘Yours’. Following the nocturnal vibes of ‘4AM’ and earwormtastic ‘Decimal’, expect the very best from Ireland’s genre-defying genius. With her debut full-length on the way, we’re all waiting for the moment that catapults her from cult favourite to mainstream success faster than you can say “Wait, how do you pronounce her name again?”
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