Song Review: NMIXX – Birthday Wish

Around this time last year, NMIXX scored the biggest hit of their career. The mammoth Blue Valentine and its accompanying album seemed to point toward a period of chart dominance for the group. This spring’s Heavy Serenade has stuck around the charts as well, but never felt nearly as buzzy as its predecessor. Now, the group has returned with another mini album and a title track that ties a few current trends to NMIXX’s own unique appeal. Birthday Wish (긴 소원) is their latest venture into “mixxpop,” melding various genres into one song. At one point, it’s a bit of a rock track. The next, we’re on the dancefloor. Then, we have moombahton influences tying it all together. K-pop has always been adept at blending genres in this way, but usually requires great focus in the songwriting to pull it all together. Despite its big chorus acting as an anchor, Birthday Wish feels like a few disparate elements tied loosely together. My favorite of these moments is the song’s intro, which returns later in the song. I like the stabbing guitar that frames this segment and the girls’ voices sound great. In contrast, the anthemic chorus often veers too close to shouting for my taste and quickly develop...