Song Review:: Jennie (BLACKPINK): RUBY- ZEN {Pre-Release}

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  • Release date: 2025 March 07

  • Album tracklist: Intro : JANE with FKJ, like JENNIE, start a war, Handlebars (feat. Dua Lipa), with the IE (way up), ExtraL (feat. Doechii), Mantra, Love Hangover (feat. Dominic Fike), ZEN, Damn Right, F.T.S, Filter, Seoul City, Starlight, twin

  • Album runtime: 40 minutes

 I really need to get my algorithm back to working like it was so I can get the new releases dropped in my lap so that when I'm not technically a fan (read as: part of the fandom; I really like a lot of groups but there are only a handful of which I'd call myself a proper fan rather than a browser), I'm still aware of the releases. I'm excited for Jennie. I believe she was the one who did Mantra, which I wasn't particularly enthused with when I wrote up the review, but one song is not enough to make me swear off an entire discography unless it is blazingly offensive (which Mantra was not).

And I'm glad I'm not that way because this song has some serious potential. Holy wow. The circling of the pressed, legato notes and the sharp staccato notes provides a really intriguing rhythm to keep the listener off guarding. There are a lot of interesting bass layers as well, with more than one with the potential in another song to be the sole grounding instrument, but this one has four, I think, which digs the song into the earth and holds it steady while Jennie does what she does.

There are some interesting vocal things she does in this song that remind me of I Need Somebody by DAY6, and I'm pretty part of that is due to the punch and the growl she's got going on. Intriguing? Yes. And also matching well to the instrumentals below it. I really like this song. 

This is a gorgeous music video, and deserves go.be filed under the ones I want to stick into the film analysis brain I've got. The colors. The costuming. The various cult elements. It's all really good. Also, as a reminder even though I'm sure there's a significant crossover in fans, the owl is a symbol of Athena, goddess of wisdom. But she's also goddess of strategy, which I think here is a deliberate use of that symbolism. 



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