Golden Child was formed at the tail end of what’s considered the 3rd generation, in 2017, by Woollim Entertainment, a label that also founded Lovelyz, Infinite, Rocket Punch, and Epik High. It originally had eleven members: Y, Tag, Seungmin, Jibeom, Jaehyun, Donghyun, Bomin, Joochan, Dayeol, Jangjun, and Jaeseok (the last of which left the group due to health reasons soon after debut).

Here are my credentials: basically nothing, I’m afraid. I know one song from Golden Child, and, though I do really like it, I have no idea how representative of their discography it is. But, I have a friend who’s a huge fan (a Goldenness), and so I decided to give them a try!

EP #1: Gol-Cha

Dam-Di-Da, their 2018 debut, is one of those songs that establishes who it is right from the outset, with an almost offensively colorful music video and it’s “damdadi dum, damdadi dum” hook smacking you in the face. Its schoolboy concept and cutesy dance moves remind me of TXT’s earlier songs, while its feeling of nostalgia and hints of soft rock really bring to mind NCT Dream’s Broken Melodies. Once I recovered from my surprise at the intro, I honestly liked this one a lot more than I expected to; it’s a very strong debut.

From the 1st EP, GOL-CHA!, I enjoyed the video-game like intro, the golden-age jazziness of With Me (my hidden gem), the clippy synths of What Happened, and the very chipper distortion of Sea. It’s a very strong first effort, I have to say; it’s cohesive, while each song has its own personality and character.

EP #2: Miracle

It’s U continues the schoolboy concept, but in a synthier and somewhat more refined direction. It’s still quite cutesy, don’t get me wrong, but overall feels a little more mature with them in suits and ties. The chorus seems to take from tropical pop a bit, and though I do like its buzzy catchiness, I’m not sure about its place in this song. I feel like it needs more of a transition, as it has from the bridge to the final version, where it fits perfectly.

Lady is also a single from this mini-album, and begins differently from the in-your-face openers we’ve had so far, with a soft piano, but doesn’t take long to spiral into a powerful, Infinite-esque synth performance accompanied by strings. Though the chorus is good, I think Lady’s strongest part is actually the emotion-driven pre-chorus, which has an excellent build that I imagine is hard to live up to.

From the EP, Miracle, I of course liked Lady, but also enjoyed the fun-loving, summery rock of Crush (my hidden gem, especially with that great bridge), and of course, the near-perfect electric guitar riffs in Falling.

Single #1: Goldenness

Let Me is immediately a feel-good, summery track that had me harkening back to Seventeen’s earlier, retro funk driven years, and I was shaking my shoulders along to the chorus in no time. I loved the hints of surf-rock, hand-clapping percussion, and backing vocals, as they gave the track so many layers. Also, the music video is very funny, and got some well-deserved chuckles out of me.

EP #3: Wish

Genie is led by a minimalistic production with just some electronic percussion and makes the choice to have a rap in the first verse, which is unusual for a k-pop track. Its chorus doesn’t feel as youthful and free-spirited as the singles that have come before, but it’s still a good time. I liked the interesting warping effect in the underlying beat and their voices, of course, but I think that its reliance on raps limits my enjoyment of it a little.

From the EP, Wish, I enjoyed the gentle acoustic guitar (and of course, the harmonizing) of Listen, the great drive of YTMOB, and I added the incredible Eyes On You to my k-pop roller skating playlist immediately.

Single #2: Spring Again

Spring Again, as befits its name, feels as though it could be a Bol4 track or a Kdrama OST, led by acoustic guitar and a chipper whistle and having a music video covered in cherry blossoms. It’s a special single, so I won’t be too harsh on it, but in what’s so far shaping up to be a strong discography, this track is a bit forgettable. Sorry, guys.

Album #1: Without You

Wannabe surprised me right out of the gate, but not for the same reason as Dam-di-da, with a much darker concept, a restricted color palette, and a very toned-down chorus. I’m sorry, hold on, hold on. We were just doing puppy-dog eyes at the cameras and looking wistfully at cherry blossoms and now we’re dressed in black leather and hip thrusting? Why? I’m not against the song—it’s perfectly fine—but it feels like it could be made by an entirely different group, and I was a bit too distracted to fully enjoy it.

Without You continues this darker tone, with just a ticking clock and a percussive instrument (that I can’t identify) for company to its melancholy lyrics. It has these fascinating flashes of a backing choir and strings that end as quickly as they start in the pre-chorus, but unfortunately that’s thrown away in an anti-drop pay-off that feels very standard. I can appreciate the interesting ideas they tried here, but I don’t think it quite worked.

From the album, Without You, I enjoyed the classical intro (which reminded me a bit of the band Lucy), the chanty chorus of Love U Crazy, Joochan’s feature in the synthy No Matter What, the soothing piano in A Song For Me, and the anime-intro-esque-throw-everything-at-the-wall flair of She’s My Girl (my hidden gem). On the whole this was a more toned-down album than the last few, but it was still quite strong.

Next time, we’ll be back with Part Two. Tschüss!