The Singles Jukebox

Hyolyn and Gray disrupt our theme, but on the plus side, they fare considerably better…

[Video]
[6.33]

Leonel Manzanares de la Rosa: Since her early days in Sistar, Hyolyn showcased her talents as both a singer and a dancer, which is why it feels so right to have her return with a track and a concept that focuses entirely on her as a dance queen. Yes, there’s a verse by Gray, whose low-toned voice fits the dark, trendy hip-hop instrumental like a Bad Bunny feature, but don’t get it twisted, this is her show. Her airy tone and her strong sense of melodicism are the sellers in “Dally”.
[6]

Alex Clifton: Is this new? No, not really. Does it work? Absolutely. The backing sounds like “Sorry Not Sorry” but where Demi goes brassy, Hyolyn keeps it restrained. The end result is really quite sexy.
[6]

Ryo Miyauchi: Hyolyn’s voice has always been a powerful vehicle to deliver the last goodbye with her former group Sistar, and it plays no different in this break-up number. Except, she gets to ride a much slicker, more contemporary R&B beat here that hits a midpoint of GroovyRoom and Demi Lovato’s “Sorry Not Sorry.”
[6]

Alfred Soto: It’s got “Are You That Somebody” in the brain: the staccato keys, the interpolations of a hip-hop producer/collaborator. Hyolyn lacks Aaliyah’s coolness — in every definition of the word — and it’s a plus on “Dally.”
[6]

Will Rivitz: It’s basically a spot-on imitation of Ariana Grande’s “Be My Baby” if it were produced by Lido instead of Cashmere Cat, but good God is that a sound I needed back in my life.
[8]

Jonathan Bogart: The observation that U.S. R&B doesn’t really sound like this anymore doesn’t say much about “Dally” itself, since it’s aiming at national (or even just fanbase), not international, success. But Hyolyn’s exhausting vocal acrobatics feel so much at odds with the low-key production, which merely bumps along rather than matching her energy, that the end effect is that of an uneven relationship in which, as usual, the woman’s doing all the work.
[6]