Feb 28, 2026 4:36pm IST
BLACKPINK’s ‘DEADLINE’ Proves South Korean Girl Group Has Its Swag Intact but Needs to Up Its Creativity NOW! Album Review
BLACKPINK, the top South Korean girl group, released “DEADLINE” on Feb. 27, 2026. The third mini album has five songs: “JUMP,” “GO,” “Champion,” “Me and My” and “Fxxxboy.” The music teaser of “GO” was released two days ago.
“GO” is a hardcore EDM techno with pop vocals. The moment you hear it, you are reminded of “Valorant’s” theme song. While neutrals might not want to overlook this lack of originality, there is no denying that it has the Chris Martin stamp in terms of the build-up of the song. The bridge of “GO” is one of its highlights. Jennie and Rose’s vocals stand out in “GO.” Most listeners will agree that “GO” scores with its music and production, but the lyrics could have been a lot better. The composers are Chris Martin, Cirkut, Rose and Henry Walter. JISOO, Jennie and Lisa are a part of the songwriters' team.
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Coming to “Champion,” the song is close to the European euro-dance pop genre. It is a good addition to the group’s repertoire of songs to be performed at concerts. The lyrics are standard BLACKPINK, but the music does make them sound better. “Champion” is produced by Dr. Luke and co-written by Lukasz Gottwald, Theron Thomas and EJAE of "K-Pop Demon-Hunters" fame.
Lisa’s rap is the mainstay of “Fxxxboy”, which is composed and written by Zikai, KUSH, Courtlin Jabrae Edwards, VINCE, Tommy “TB Hits” Brown, Ido with arrangement by Teddy Park. It is kind of similar to “Typa Girls”. Sonically and lyrically, it is different from the other numbers but does not register immediately. “Fxxxboy” is hands down one of the more versatile attempts in this mini album.
The B-side of “Deadline” is “Me and my,” which is Lisa's show all over again. While fans will find the trademark BLACKPINK swag in the song, you do not hear anything other than “Just Me and My Girls.” This is perhaps the weakest song in the album in terms of lyrics. It is even more shocking thinking that this is all Lukasz Gottwald, Theron Thomas, Vaughn Oliver, Tobias Wincorn, Rocco Valdes, Jelli Dorman could write together as a team.
“JUMP” was performed by BLACKPINK at their concerts and it is a perfect song to get you all pumped up at the gym. It has the same EDM-techno music that has defined the girl group’s songs in recent years.
Fans of Jisoo need to wait for her solo album as she barely has lines to sing in “DEADLINE.” As a group, BLACKPINK enjoys immense popularity and the hype around them is insane. However, the songs make you wonder who is taking the final creative calls on them, as the group seems to be distancing itself from versatility and some solid songwriting. The lack of originality in sound is something old fans of K-Pop have been complaining about, even as the quality of their music videos goes higher and higher.
Loyal fans might feel a sense of belonging hearing 'BLACKPINK in your area,' but one thing is clear: The team needs to set a deadline to reinvent itself asap.
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