Being out of one's element is a scary place to be, both for ourselves and also for our audiences. Having made a name of ourselves in a certain field or genre of study, changing the pace of our work would definitely come as a surprise not only to ourselves but also to those who have been loyally accustomed to our previous fields of expertise. This pretty much how I felt about Miss A's long-awaited, and completely unexpected comeback.
Oddballs are what I would say Miss A bring to mind first. They have dabbled in many different styles over the past few months and I honestly did not know what to expect for 'Hush'. From teaser photos, a recollection of Miss A circa 'Touch' era came to mind, exuding an aura of sultry yet haunting vibes. This really got me excited as 'Touch' was one of the most criminally underrated and tragically overlooked songs of 2012.
Onto the song.
I wasn't disappointed in the least, I'd say, as it was everything that I did not expect (which happens to be what I expect from Miss A every comeback ironically). The introduction is very sparse, with few notes and some eerie synths bouncing off the girls' hauntingly ethereal vocals. Min does a fine job holding her with some impassioned delivery, and the song is off to a great start. Suspense builds up with the inclusion of the guitar riffs and the climax of 'nareul wonhae' hits quite abruptly.
This is where everything sort of feels odd, yet right at the same time. As soon as the line is exclaimed, the pace drops way back down again, and a Wild-West-esque whistle emeanates in the background, forming parallels with the initial haunting atmosphere. I personally love the whistle as it is something creative yet somewhat sultry too. The chorus is a bit too quick for my liking with their mutterances sounding rather uncomfortable; still not too many complaints.
The first verse sung by Fei is decent, nothing much to say. Fei has a brilliant voice and I don't think I've ever seen her not succeed in showing that. It is Jia's part that really grabs me as her voice is a lot more firm and her pronunciation a lot crisper, resulting in a verse with slightly more impact.
This is also where it leads up to the chorus which had been feigned previously. The increasingly heavy guitar riffs and the relentless inclusions of different instruments and synths can really be heard around here, and the groove of the song really sets in, accompanied by a livelier chorus. It's almost anthem-like, and the fast-paced words do not pose such a big issue here due to their slight overshadowing by the instrumentals (which I do prefer).
The slow portion is rather abrupt, though the transition is not too jerky. Suzy's voice is rather underrated and out of all the members, I feel like she has the weakest voice but the one most suited for emotional sections like this. It is a well-sung part, which continues to stick to the ethereal and enigmatic theme without lulling off into one of Davichi's sob-story ballad genres.
The powerful chorus follows and the song comes to a resolute end, with a nice mirror effect, repeating the bleak, disperse, simplistic introduction and end with a resounding 'yeah' which had been a common theme throughout. Technically, why I feel this song felt complete was its structure which was very cyclic in nature; the symmetry of the introduction and the conclusion, the repetition of 'yeah', and the alternation of slow verse/bridge and quick chorus are present throughout the songs, which establish an identity even though it may appear that the song goes off tangent randomly.
Still, great song from Miss A. Clever use of song structure.
Long live the flawless kweens of unexpected music.
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