The Album.
| Blackpink
The Album.
South Korean girl group released their first Korean studio album—The Album—on October 2, 2020, through YG Entertainment, distributed by Interscope Records and YG Plus. The group debuted in 2016, with The Album being their first full-length work since. Blackpink worked with multiple producers and recorded more than ten songs for the album, with eight making the final track.
Guest appearances include Selena Gomez—featured in “Ice Cream”—and Cardi B—featured in “Bet You Wanna”. The album focuses on the complexities surrounding the process of growing up, along with themes of love. The main elements are R&B, pop, hip-hop, trap, and EDM. Read more about Blackpink’s album reviews here!
Critic Reviews
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Rolling Stone
The eight-song LP is a slick, confident and wildly entertaining release from the biggest girl group in the world.
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University News
“THE ALBUM” is a great compilation which mixes traditional K-pop sounds with Western influences like EDM and trap.
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Consequence of Sound
The Album Delivers Everything Fans Love About Them.
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Slant Magazine
The Album is undeniably a product of a well-oiled, state-of-the-art pop machine, but it feels stuck looking back to tried and true trends in both K-pop and Western pop music.
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The Guardian
brilliance from the world's biggest girl band.
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mxdwn
The Album is a very strong second outing for Blackpink, cementing their identity in the scene and firmly establishing their sound and style. They also have a lot of room to grow, and the hints of a truly legendary album that are present on The Album can’t help but make one anticipate their future projects to see if they can draw that potential out.
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The Detroit News
“The Album” — which the group says it recorded in part during COVID-19 isolation — still plays like a transmission from a previous era
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Stereogum
Blackpink Are Doing It Big Without The Exhausting Bloat.
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Our Culture Magazine
By all accounts, a pleasant way to start a meal – though it does make you wonder what could possibly be next on the menu.
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Uproxx
Blackpink’s Campy, Club-Ready Debut Is Stuffed With Hip-Hop Beats, K-Pop Hooks, And Plenty Of Swagger.
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Insider
BLACKPINK's 'The Album' is a glossy 8-track party playlist you'll want to play in every area.
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Daily Trojan
“The Album” is an explosive compilation of energizing and addicting music that will empower listeners, a much-needed inspiration to get through 2020.
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Los Angeles Times
Blackpink’s debut album gleams and preens. So why isn’t it very much fun?
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Medium Magazine
The Album is a pretty cohesive piece of work, both sonically and stylistically. It keeps the usual sound and musical colors that set BLACKPINK apart from other artists, while still being refreshing and n
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MTSU Sidelines
“The Album” still gives us our Blackpink fix with their trademark bold beats and musical diversity.
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South China Morning Post
K-pop stars bring the fire on first full-length release.
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The Rice Thresher
Blackpink’s ‘The Album’ is glossy, glamorous and grandiose.
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The Forty-Five
As debut albums go, ‘THE ALBUM’ is perfectly fine, with range, fire and fun packed within its eight tracks. It’s a good foundation to build on and, hopefully, BLACKPINK will do just that on album two, harnessing the dynamism that would make them great and secure their place as one of the biggest girl groups in the world.
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Daily Herald
BLACKPINK's 'The Album' shows they're here to stay.
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A Geek Girl's Guide
The Album definitely brought some great songs despite the weaker teasers and singles. I do think they are trying to appeal to a more international audience since there is a lot of English lyrics throughout all of the songs. This album also feels really short, which is disappointing with how long it took to even get an album. I will say that I enjoyed the majority of it and have definitely added some songs to my K-Pop favorites.
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Daily Bruin
“THE ALBUM” has managed to conserve BLACKPINK’s original sound, even those parts that are sonically dated. The group expertly plucks structure, ballads and brass from the early past, but at times fails to innovate these trends enough to modernize its sound. Consequently, “THE ALBUM’s” frequent callbacks to the recent musical past has created a time capsule for the pop music of the previous decade.
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The Musical Hype
Rising K-Pop girl group BLACPINK deliver a short, sweet, and utterly infectious eight-track album with The Album that never disappoints.
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Hello Asia
This is a journey of sonic similarity. It’s a payoff that is long overdue to fans that have stuck with the girls; those familiar with the heavy, synthesised sandbox the band plays in.
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The Highlander
The songs that reek of disappointment really reek, and cherry picking one or two songs does not do wonders for such a hyped-up album. If BLACKPINK wants to get back on track, it needs to reconcile with its continuously exposed weaknesses and work to create more modern, relevant and tasteful works.
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Turntable Thoughts
BLACKPINK still manages to somewhat stick the landing, giving us a short but sweet collection of throwback pop songs that mostly nails the influences they tried to emulate.
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Vocal
I think The Album is great and shows so many different sides to Blackpink. Although not every track appealed to me, each song has its own charm and own color. It’s a pretty diverse album. The only thing I wish is that it had a few more tracks, but overall I think this is a solid first album for Blackpink.
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UnitedKPop
Once again, BLACKPINK, have proved themselves as the stars of Kpop. They have received worldwide fame and success, and I can’t wait to see them reach greater heights!
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Commedia
Overall, “THE ALBUM” has widened the expectations for what BLACKPINK can create in the future. They’re no longer restricted to peppy songs only, and it’ll be interesting to see how they can build off this in the future.
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Picky Bastards
There’s lots of enjoy on The Album and I would definitely say I do enjoy some of the tracks here. Outside of closer ‘You Never Know’, which can’t work out if it’s a 90s girl-band ballad or not and failed entirely because it can’t make up its mind, there’s nothing really bad on here. That said it’s not exactly a ground-breaking pop record either, I can’t imagine going back to this in a few months. It’s just good fun for now, which for a 20 minute ‘album’ is fine by me.
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Daily Titan
Blackpink's "The Album" showcases vocal versatility and style diversity.
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Financial Times
Blackpink’s The Album is well-manufactured, armour-plated pop.
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Sputnik Music
enjoy what you want before you forget this even exists.
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The Times
like being trapped on a merry-go-round while being force-fed candy floss.
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The Pop Blog
this album makes an overall fusion of K-Pop, EDM, Hip-hop, and even rock, making it a record to behold.
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The Needle Drop
BLACKPINK's debut studio album is a bit too spotty for its size.
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Digital Life Asia
“THE ALBUM” is BLACKPINK finally unleashed. And what a wonderful thing that is.
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Lilithia Reviews
While ‘THE ALBUM’ may be good for a little while to keep fans fed, it is more likely that the majority that know better and understand K-Pop (including myself) are unsatisfied.
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Fresh Air Radio
THE ALBUM offers some new and interesting takes on the Blackpink concept we know and love, but the feeling of laziness and disrespect from the production and management puts to shame the hard work and talent of these girls who can do so much better.
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All Music
While it would be nice if The Album had a few more songs, there's enough variety to keep fans sated, excited, and empowered until the next big release.
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Chingu to the World
‘The Album’ showcased their group and individual aptitude that made it more exciting and interesting. Aside from their great vocals, rap and choreography, Blackpink also proved that they can snatch our hearts with their acting skills.
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Black Boy Bulletin
BLACKPINK’s Long-Awaited ‘The Album’ Is Endlessly Fun.
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