The Singles Jukebox

No wait, come back, it’s not a ballad!

[Video][Website]
[6.14]

Anjy Ou: Somehow this song manages to do Yasutaka Nakata in 2018 better than Nakata himself. The chaotic bubble of the chorus instrumental that harkens back to the Japanese producer’s earlier work is paired with Got7’s most appealing vocal arrangement and performance to date. It’s disappointing then that the producers decided to go for the typical k-pop genre mash as opposed to full-on electro-pop. While the hip-hop production in the verses is good, it pulls me down from the chorus high and leaves the rappers’ lacklustre performances exposed. In a world of IKONs, Monsta Xs, and BTSs, their styles don’t stand out or add anything substantial to the song. I wish the song leaned more heavily on the dance and vocal sections.
[7]

Alfred Soto: After three years, Got7 returns for our consideration. Flowers, magic, and lullabies — they still proffer worn tropes with such spritz that they become momentarily new again.
[6]

Iain Mew: The verses are straight out of the space limo school of flashy electronic pop, albeit one stuck in a middle gear. But then the chorus tries to inject some funk and does so with a bit of slap bass and nothing else save some strings coming from the other side of a partition. It’s like someone has ripped a chunk of “Lullaby” out and just left a bare chassis, and it’s too disconnected for the weirdness of that to work in its favour.
[5]

Anna Suiter: Got7’s foothold in the k-pop scene has always been a little strange when compared to their peers’, especially from the “Big 3” of JYP, SM, and YG. It’s not like anyone finds their footing immediately, but for Got7 it seemed to take a little longer. But they’ve finally found their niche, with this track that’s really nothing like a lullaby beyond the title and the tone of the lyrics. It’s pretty, and just different enough from what they’ve been doing that it’s neither a retread or a derail. That’s all they needed, and it makes for a good listen, so who can complain?
[7]

Alex Clifton: The title “Lullaby” is a neat way to subvert listeners’ expectations. I was dreading a full maudlin ballad (not that those are inherently bad, but something akin to 1D’s “Little Things”) and instead was greeted by a song at turns fizzy and dreamy. The verses didn’t grab me as much as they could have, but that prechorus and chorus feel like a throwback SHINee track–these boys let loose and just have fun with it.
[6]

Edward Okulicz: The squelchy throbs of the verse are pleasing but the raps are nothing special, so they drag. The acceleration into electro-dance pop is a lot more fun, however it feels like it takes a long time for those highlights to come around. It doesn’t send me to sleep exactly, but it roars up to half speed and then gives up. I think my attention would have held better if it was one or the other the whole way through.
[5]

Ryo Miyauchi: The soft request for sweet nothings in the chorus is deceiving in how inviting GOT7 makes it seem. The speedy beat intensifies the chase, letting it zigzag through sharp corners, but they insist through their sincere confessions that they’re within reach. It would be frustrating had “Lullaby” bore any suggestion they knew they were playing hard to get. Yet they naively cry “I want it, I want it,” fully believing that whom they desire keeps escaping their grasp, not the other way around.
[7]