After a two year hiatus, two members having solo debuts, and fans wondering if their favorite group was disbanding, the new Blackpink album finally dropped on September 16th. Born Pink is the group’s second full album containing 8 songs including the title track, “Shut Down” and the pre-released single “Pink Venom.” 

I’ve been a fan of the group since 2020 which ironically was the last time they dropped music and was quite excited for the comeback. I waited with bated breath for their prerelease, and on August 19 when it finally came out, I hated it. Then the full Born Pink album dropped and I loved it? I was confused, but not mad at all since this album is turning out to be one of my favorite Blackpink projects. Here is my ranking of the tracklist and my thoughts on the songs. 

8. “Pink Venom”

 “Pink Venom” is just boring and generic. So boring that I don’t even have the energy to talk about it, that’s how much it bores me. It has a much more modern vibe compared to the rest of the tracklist which has a very 2016 sound. “Pink venom” is just a poor choice as a prerelease single since it doesn’t represent the album as a whole. 

7 and 6. “Ready for Love” & “Yeah Yeah Yeah”

These two are together because I literally cannot tell them apart. They both sound like the royalty free songs that Youtubers would use for their intros in 2016. These two songs show some of the major flaws of Born Pink, which is the fact that it brings back the old Blackpink sound that can sometimes be very cringy. 

5. “Hard to Love”

This song confuses me because it is a solo song on a group album?? It’s still a good song so it’s number 5. Róse just has the perfect voice for lovesick ballads and heartbreak songs. You can really feel the raw emotion in her voice and she sings so effortlessly. I would totally put this song on a breakup playlist. 

4. “Tally”

“Tally” calls back to songs like “Stay” that have a beat but are sad and melancholy. The members sound like they can really relate to the lyrics and sing them with a lot of heart. I think Jisoo particularly shines on this track with her voice contrasting the bright tones of the other girls. I also appreciate the message of the song giving a middle finger to the industry that makes idols have to be perfect and have no flaws.  

3. “Happiest Girl”

This song is just cute, like it makes me smile. The members are really allowed to flex their vocals and the lyrics are also beautiful, yet refreshing since Blackpink isn’t really known for their super deep lyrics. This is a true ballad and it honestly makes me tear up a little bit. 

2. “Shut Down”

I’m not really the type to like songs, especially title tracks when I first listen to them. I loved “Shut Down” from the first note. The orchestral sample combined with the heavy, hard hitting beats make the song so enjoyable to listen to. The song ebbs and flows between killer rap verses and fun little moments that shows that the song doesn’t take itself too seriously. The music video is a great tribute to all of their past music videos, and I especially love the styling of all the members. 

• “Typa Girl” 

This is my favorite Blackpink song. From the moment the beat dropped on my first listen I knew I would love this song. The song bounces from member to member and they each give some of their best raps ever. The non-rapping members even spit some bars on this song and it makes it even better. It’s fun and flirty and the epitome of the girl crush concept. 

Born Pink is the Blackpink that was left behind in 2016 and is now coming back in full swing. Some decisions on this album lead to forgettable and boring songs, but it’s worth it for the other half of their songs that feature Blackpink at their peak. Overall I give the album a 7 out of 10 and I hope you give it a listen.