f(x)’s Pink Tape and The Staying Power Of 2nd Generation Korean Pop

As the collective memory of the 2nd generation of Korean pop music becomes more distant by the day I’m reminded of a different time and place of this industry, back before the days of mainstream western ambitions being realized and fan wars taking place across country lines beyond merely inside the borders of South Korea. It was a time of 90s inspired bubblegum pop, the beginning of “girl” power turning into female power, the domination of “the big three” record companies, and most memorably of all: diversity. Conceptually, stylistically, and beyond.

The collective Korean pop music industry was arguably at its creative peak. Not only in terms of variety and instrumentation, but in the amount of individuality and idiosyncratic across its many groups. Girls’ Generation, SHINee, BIGBANG, 2NE1, and these are just a few of the names that have endured beyond the end of their respective generation of artists. That’s not to say it didn’t have it’s fair share of mutual intelligibility, homogenization, and formulaic elements like we have in seemingly abundance today, in any arts/entertainment industry that’s to be expected to an extent. Though there was certainly less of it than there have been in future generations of Korean pop music.

In my eyes, no work more exemplifies and is more representative of this era than SM Entertainment’s female powerhouse f(x)’s 2nd full album, Pink Tape. Not only is it routinely touted as one of the best records from its generation, but of its entire decade. Resoundingly unique, compositionally diverse but synergistic in a way that I would argue has yet to be replicated to this day with as much quality and staying power in the Kpop space with its commitment to difference.

An album I am endlessly proud to own physically

From track one it makes its differences known to the listener. This isn’t just another girl group album. Certainly the vocal harmonies mixing seamlessly is a staple you can take for granted in any Korean groups, but what isn’t quite as familiar is its funk laden guitar riffs, slurred across many measures, percussive slaps and echoed legato hand drums. Lyrically the strangeness from the instrumentation is backed up with odd metaphors, f(x) proclaiming themselves to be “pesky molars” in comparing the act of uncoupling with that of a wisdom tooth extraction. “Rum Pum Pum Pum” is a song I will never forget the sensation of listening to for the first time. Up to that point my exposure to Kpop had been more of the conventional variety. Not to say I didn’t enjoy it, but this was something different entirely, which could be described for f(x) as a whole.

The next song “Shadow” is an alternative pop hypnotizer that begins with unsettling xylophone hits, distant distorted echoing voices in the background, and clapping percussive beats. “Pretty Girl” begins and ends with cult-esque chanting and staccato synthetic modulators before resounding into, for my money, the most catchy chorus on the record. Some songs introduce fairly non-sequitur electronic breakdowns such as “Toy” which has a good 20 measures or so of sforzando and heavy hitting instrumentals consisting of distorting whirring static and intense string chords immediately after which Amber bellows a loud and purposeful “HEY! WHAT DO YOU WANNA GET THIS TIME MR. COLLECTOR?” Easily my favorite section of any song on the record. Others like Airplane fall into the category of “reversed EDM” with a distant traveling aura. It doesn't work all the time, when it does it's mesmerizing and even when it doesn't it is still a thing to behold, as auteur theory itself would suggest, even if it may not be as relevant here. This album is like no Kpop album you’ve ever listened to before, and to me, that makes it endlessly impressive and in its special way, timeless.

Distilling all of the aforementioned eccentricity and oddity, both compositionally and through its comparative lyricism, into cohesive messages, as I believe all works of art can convey whether there is intention or not, I think the album as a whole expresses the idea of individuality. You don’t have to think outside of the box if you don’t want to. The box exists for a reason, certainly, however it is more of a barometer rather than a blueprint, a starting point, if you will. Exploration and experimentation with oneself, their belief system, and personality traits, should always be encouraged, rather than a commitment to staying within the shackles that society often clings so firmly to over the ages, across it’s many generations.

It is records like these, from generations like these, that are able to stand out on their own. Rather than through a company’s promotional arm telling me to listen to this and having it sell more copies than the global population, it is art like this that is able to endure. As of writing this essay at the end of 2021 there has been far more blend-together in the Kpop industry. Standing out is definitely difficult and imitation is certainly the most sincere form of flattery, but at what cost? An era in which groups and artists were able to stand on their own two feet with their sounds and style is not all that far behind us, it would be refreshing to see the industry and artists collective return to the form that catapulted the Kpop industry to where it sits today.