It is a new week. And it all starts with the debut of a new group. NewJeans is the group’s name, and they are a five member female group from ADOR, a subsidiary of HYBE. The lineup consist of Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, Hyein. NewJeans previously released music videos for Attention, Hype Boy (multiple videos in this case) and Hurt. A review for each of these songs/videos (and a hybrid review for Hype Boy) will be posted in the coming weeks, so keep your eyes peeled for that. But for now, here is my review for the group’s debut track, Cookie.

First impression of Cookie is that the song is rather flat. I appreciate that the group is doing something different, avoiding the cliches of cutesy sounds or girl crush concepts. The new group went with a minimalistic approach with Cookie. While minimalistic approaches have been praised on my blog before, I felt the same praise could not be applied to Cookie. The feeling I should have got from Cookie was new and/or refreshing. I also expected a track that had more oomph or changed momentum once in a while. Instead, we are provided with a box with limited amounts of fat synths, trap elements and a paced beat. It didn’t go anything further, which is the source of my frustration. There was a bit of a change at the bridge of Cookie, which inserted some dynamic energy. But that was pretty relative and short-lived. Vocal wise, I didn’t get anything impressive out of Cookie. However, I do find the mature vibes and the cutesy lyrics to be an interesting and abstract combination, and the vocal work is charming. To avoid an overwhelming song, I liked that the hooks weren’t too bold or stood out too much. This complimented the minimalistic style in which Cookie was aiming for and paired well with the vocals. I wished there was more to the song, just to give NewJeans that launch they need to show KPOP their potential.

While the minimalistic vibes of the song didn’t work, I enjoyed the minimalistic aspects of Cookie‘s music video. There wasn’t too much to the video. The most we got were some CGI during the bridge, and a large cookie/CD rolling in the background. Other than that, we got a very big room and a bench, which was utilized in the performance. Interestingly, the video was shot in a way where the sets did not feel empty or spacious, despite it clearly being empty and spacious. Clever. I also liked the retro tinge we got from the visuals in the video, which helped add a bit more substance to the video than had it been without it.

Performance-wise, the choreography looked great. It wasn’t too energetic, but it wasn’t a drag, as well. I did enjoy the dance break that we got, which help provide a bit more energy to the entire comeback package that is Cookie. I also like the hip and cool vibe the member brought to the performance, which helped make it engaging for me to watch from start to end each time.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10