Crush - 'NAPPA' Single Review

It has been a little over nine months since Crush released his single “Lay Your Head on Me.” The acoustically-driven, lyrically powerful track was full of rawness, refined vocals, and was interestingly written and performed entirely in English. It was a mark of the artist’s willingness to expand into new markets, and meant he had a sure-fire singalong for his US and European tours.

Perhaps more sentimentally though, it was to be his last release (apart from a feature on Dynamic Duo’s track “Blue”) under Amoeba Culture, the label Crush had been a part of for the last six years. At the time “Lay Your Head on Me” was released, nobody quite knew the end of an era was coming, but after an emotional Instagram post penned on June 4, nearly seven months after the single hit the airwaves, it was clear Shin Hyoseob was set to embark on a new chapter in his career.

And that new chapter has officially begun. After signing to Psy’s P Nation label, the 27-year-old has returned with the double single NAPPA. Containing two equally intriguing songs that are both quintessentially Crush in composition, they show glimpses of where the South-Korean R&B star may be heading.

Lead-single “NAPPA” starts proceedings with sleek, layered instrumentation that allows for Crush’s powerful, finesse-filled voice to shine through once added to the mix. It’s a mid-tempo, bossa nova meets Crush’s typical stylings type of offering that chooses a catchy, repetitive chorus—one that seamlessly weaves itself in between verses written about a woman who is clearly unhappy with how busy the artist is during their relationship—as its focal point. There’s a brilliant sense of honesty throughout the song which helps aid both the relatability and enjoyment of the track, and nothing fails to hold up on repeat listens.

In summary, “NAPPA” feels like a steady return to the R&B style that Crush became known for, and one that doesn’t feel like a forced comeback to an old genre, but rather a welcome return to the type of music that fits the artist like a glove.

And that is something that is especially telling on the B-side “Lookin 4,” a smooth R&B offering with catchy melodies and a relaxing, energising vibe. There are plenty of phenomenal vocal runs, room for the features (Joyce Wrice, Devin Morrison) to shine, and undeniably careful, smart production that helps get the best out of all three artists. Complete with the simple “I know what you’re lookin’ for” hook that is well-layered and feels like the exclamation mark on a song that already brims with quality, it’s a faultless effort, and a B-side that has a real rank of its own.

There was a tangible sense of anxiousness when 27-year-old Crush left Amoeba Culture, a label that had seen him grow as an artist, develop his music into something worthy of endless acclaim, and helped allow him to find his feet as a worldwide talent. Would another label strip him of his originality? Would a new label limit his creative freedom, or perhaps pigeon-hole him into micro-managed comebacks and in-house collaborations? They’re typical, fairly reactionary worries that come with any artist leaving their musical home. But, fortunately, on this double-single, any and all worries have been stripped away.

NAPPA is a tour-de-force of a release, and one that feels a lot more fleshed out than a double-single usually does. There’s a sense of uniformity in both the stylistic composition and delivery of both songs, yet the two feel individual enough to shine on their own. The double-single effortlessly blends the quintessential Crush stylings with other genres, and holds evidence that when the 27-year-old gets comfortable in trying new things, magic can happen. This is only a precursor of what’s to come for the South-Korean singer after signing to P Nation, but after these two singles have proven that Crush is still allowed to have and build upon his own signature sound, that’s a very, very exciting thing.