At long last…

To be blunt, I am one of the few Co-Ed stans left on Earth. K-pop so desperately needs a mixed gender group and Co-Ed were the perfect solution! Sure “Too Late” and “Bbiribom Bberibom” had their problems (mostly for being auto-tuned Lady Gaga rip-offs) but that didn’t mean they weren’t catchy as heck and brilliant all the same. So was I overjoyed when their label Core Contents Media announced the group would be split into gender specific sub-units? Of course not. But now, years later, am I happy to at long last be hearing music from the male members SPEED? Absolutely.

Making their long awaited debut, SPEED is storming onto the 2013 K-pop scene with “That’s My Fault” featuring Minkyung from successful group/label mate Davichi. The song is perfect for today’s market, which seems to be veering away from the typical club banger in favor of a more pop-ballad direction. Verses are comprised solely of rap, with Taewoon’s burly lumper jack voice being the standout, while the chorus is left to Minkyung. She sounds expectedly gorgeous, but she’s given too much to do in a song that’s meant to re-introduce the public to these boys.

As for the video, clearly CCM does not understand what a “Dance Version” means. Instead there are numerous cut-aways to sequences from the drama version and parts with just Minkyung lip synching her heart out. When there is actual dancing it’s just your standard fare in a flashing box.

From the previous teasers I believe the boys have much more up their sleeves in terms of a potential main title track when their first mini album gets released later this month. “That’s My Fault” has kept my lofty expectations high and I’m excited to see more from this group, especially cutie-pie Sungmin.

Grade: B

In case your wondering about the drama version, here it is below: