Also on the reviewing block today is Park Ji Hoon’s latest comeback, GOTCHA. How odd of me to be writing a review on the day of the song’s release. GOTCHA is the title track of Park Ji Hoon’s first studio album, Message, which also dropped today. This comeback comes after Park Ji Hoon’s earlier music release in the year, Wing, and another web drama for the actor side of Park Ji Hoon.

GOTCHA is a slight mashup of genres that end up coming together quite nicely. It is described as a ‘refreshing Latin rhythm as well as an 808 bass and trap rhythm’ (taken from SOOMPI). Some of the song might be overwhelming, namely the post-chorus hook that follows the first and final chorus, as it does appear out of nowhere and is more abrasive on the ears that any other part of the song. However, I heard it as an exciting change up that kept me on my toes. The Latin influence keeps the song very upbeat, bright and adds a very nice colour to the song. It did make me wonder whether GOTCHA would have more successful as a Summer track, as the Latin flair does seem to give off that impression. And I think it might of. However, I think KPOP has been blurring the lines between seasons as a number of releases I felt have been better suited for the Summer season have been released during what was supposed to be the ‘Autumn’ season in Korea, so Park Ji Hoon’s release isn’t really an outlier by any means. His vocals have gotten a lot stronger and they impressed me throughout the song. The melodies that his vocals had carried were quite strong and alluring. He also throws in a bit of a high note (though it was rudely interrupted by that rewind effect). His rapping was also quite interesting, adding some additional energy into the already quite upbeat song. I particularly liked the switch up between rapping and rap-speak he does in the first verse. Overall, GOTCHA was a really enjoyable track and highlights improvements in Park Ji Hoon’s skills.

Park Ji Hoon embraces his inner bad side for this comeback. Fans will definitely enjoy this darker side of Park Ji Hoon. This evil side of him is actually quite captivating and he was very alluring with his facial expressions throughout the video. His blonde hair was definitely ‘icing on the cake’ for this music video and concept. The producer and director did a pretty good job of pulling this video together and making sure Park Ji Hoon looks good. I also feel that the music video also gives us a taster to what the artist could do as an actor. If he is playing a character with evil intentions and the storyline is good, sign me up as part of the audience!

A big part of the performance that I don’t tend to mention as much are the outfits. And for his showcase stage, I felt Park Ji Hoon felt quite overdressed in comparison to his dancers. I hope that this doesn’t happen on the actual comeback stages. Apart from that, the choreography looks quite cool. I like the slight popping (at least, that is what I think it is) he does for that more abrasive post-chorus hook sequence and how he (as a solo artist) basically carries the entire second verse on stage.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.8/10