Don’t worry, we’re not going to try to make you pay attention every time one of the BlackPink girls releases a solo track. But if one of them happens to make a banger, you might want to know about that. Rosé, the New Zealand-born BlackPink member, has made at least one banger outside the context of the huge K-pop group. Her 2024 Bruno Mars collab “APT” was a global smash, and it’s still by far the biggest solo track to come from the BlackPink mothership. The same thing could conceivably happen with hew new single “new trick.”
I can’t really detect any coherent solo persona from Rosé, but “APT” stood out because of its giddy new-wave energy, and “new trick” has some of that, too. It’s clearly Rosé trying to ride Olivia Rodrigo’s wave, but I’m not the slightest bit mad about that. More people should ride that wave. Rosé co-wrote the track with behind-the-scenes hit maker Amy Allen, a prominent Rodrigo collaborator, and journeyman songwriter Andrew Wells. Wells produced it. The song is an explosively catchy piece of bubblegum synth-punk — just hook after hook after hook. It kind of reminds me of Republica’s one-off 1996 hit “Ready To Go,” and I mean that as a huge compliment.
Dave Meyers, one of the form’s foremost veterans, directed the “new trick” video, and it comes with a whole lot of branding to let you know that he shot it on an iPhone. The video attempts to make Rosé into a suburban rocker, which is pretty funny. There’s one scene where she lies on the edge of an empty pool and dudes jump skateboards over her, which must’ve been nervewracking for everyone involved. There’s another where someone sets off sparkly pyro in what appears to be a high-school gym, which seems like a terribly unsafe idea. Check it out below.
