Billboard: f(x)'s "Red Light" Should've Been Britney's
f(x) Solidifies Brand of Quirky, Hipster Pop With 'Red Light' Album
Last July, f(x) dropped new single "Rum Pum Pum Pum" – a mix of samba, funk and yuletide carols that (somehow brilliantly) blended to give the girl group its first No. 1 on the K-Pop Hot 100. A year later, the quintet returns with "Red Light" for a track that boasts more elements of a mainstream hit, but features a slew of surprise quirks baked inside – a theme held throughout their new album of the same name.
A zippy, phat bass line, ticking clock, snare drums and stadium-sized clapping open "Red Light" featuring members Krystal and Sulli's confident coos. By the 22-second mark a hip-hop bass drop is added, at 0:37 the track is growing into an epic EDM buildup until the chorus hits at 0:52, turning the song into a hyperactive, synth-pop banger. The track continues in a similar, jerky fashion, adding vocal layers, hair-raising harmonies and ad-libs to the addictive melodies at will. While it'd be tough to not label the bubble-gummy hooks as pop, the aural twists and turns give the track an exciting, exploratory element, forcing the listener to listen again to catch the different parts.
With their left-field mix of pop, hip-hop and EDM,"Red Light" feels like the type of track Britney Spears fans were hoping the pop star would come back with last year, instead of the monotonous "Work Bitch." "Red Light" isn't particularly difficult to sing, but does include a slew of silky melody lines (nailed by f(x)'s resident rapper Amber, in particular) that Brit could have easily handled.
BOW DOWN TO THE WIG-STEALING K-POP PRINCESSES. But did they lie? I couldn't even imagine a song like this flopping if Britney sang it. Would've fared way better for Brit's overall album too.
It's nice but she no longer carries the spunk for something like this anymore, so would've been mess. Spot-on though, Britney the example for genre-bending pop.
Britney could've done "I Got a Boy" also. It's those kind of songs that are bonafide hits if given to the right artist, and Britney would've torn up IGAB & "Red Light"!
i can definitely see britney doing this song. f(x) serves a bit of britney on stage as well
