Yay, my girls are back! My 2014 of K-pop can officially begin. Not that I ever stopped listening to K-pop, but 2014 began with a glut of girl groups all vying for attention using some sexy concept or the other. All their songs were mediocre at best and as much as I like watching sexy women, I don’t like it when ‘sexy’ is not done right.

Good thing I don’t have to worry about silly concepts from SM Entertainment (nowadays). SNSD are back with a badass look and what the teasers promised to be an edgy title track for their 4th mini-album titled ‘Mr. Mr’.

Here’s a track-by-track review:

1. “Mr. Mr.”

First reaction? Underwhelmed. Produced by The Underdogs, an American duo most famous for their R&B productions, “Mr. Mr.” has a great build up — but the chorus was a bit of an ‘expectation killer’. Maybe that’s because my expectations were sky high. After all, a year of waiting, and that too after the experimental “I Got A Boy,” I guess SONEs were hoping to listen to a killer comeback track that would go down as one of SNSD’s greatest hits.

After a few repeated listens, the song did gradually grow on me… but my enthusiasm failed to rise much. It’s a good song with simple choreography, but it still does not scream: “WOW! This song is awesome!” I love the ’90s vibe and the pitch changes at the end, but I’m a tiny bit disappointed to be honest.

While I appreciate the fact SM didn’t film another ‘inside a box’ video, you have to question some of the close-ups, excessive use of filters and the stretching. Maybe SM weren’t kidding when they actually lost some of the filmed data, thus delaying the MV’s release.

After “The Boys,” “IGAB” and now “Mr. Mr.,” that’s three lead singles year after a year that has largely left fans divided and me, unexcited. – 3/5

2. “Goodbye” – Written and produced by a team comprised of Lindy Robbins, Brent Paschke and Jenna Andrews, who have written music for One Direction and Selena Gomez, this is a funky au naturel song. Why do I like this song? Well, besides the laid back style, I actually heard Hyoyeon sing! I like the chorus too. – 3/5

3. “유로파 (Europa)” – Produced by SM’s very own Kenzie, this mid-tempo song is has, you know, the K-pop sound. SM has been putting out singles all produced Western producers these past few years that when I hear a song that reminds of the kind of K-pop that drew me in to the genre, I just adore it all the more. – 3/5

4. “Wait a Minute” – Hyoyeon sings! Just kidding, I had to highlight the poor girl’s only chance to get heard. The vibe is a follow-up from “Goodbye” and is a good song for a easy-listening session. – 3/5

5. “백허그 (Back Hug)” – The only ballad on the album, I loved Tiffany’s vocals on this track. “Back Hug” is a sweet ballad reminiscent of SNSD’s innocent early years and it’s nice to see it on the album. I miss this SNSD. – 3.5/5

6. “Soul” – The Korean version of a Chinese track SNSD recorded for a video game, this version sounds… the same, but in Mandarin. It’s an uptempo track, and despite being used as a promotional vehicle, the song has got a decent melody and I really like Sooyoung’s lines, mostly because of the way she sings it. – 3/5

As for the headline – “Is this a sign the end is near?”.

2014 will be SNSD’s seventh year anniversary. Girls Generation are the number one girl group in K-pop, hands down. The queens of Korean pop, if you may call them that. A juggernaut when it comes to commercial success, variety talent, and endorsement deals. But judging by the quality of their Korean singles off late, you start to wonder if SM Entertainment is slowly winding down on SNSD and making way for their next, obviously much younger, girl group.

It’s not just SNSD. Even TVXQ’s last release “Something” failed to make much of an impact on the charts. Neither did the duo sweep the music show awards with that song. And this is TVXQ we’re talking about here — they are still massive in Japan! It’s as if SM isn’t even trying with their senior groups, instead devoting all their money on the fresher faces like EXO, whose songs (okay, I still hate “Wolf”) and albums are choc full of amazing music. I only wonder what Super Junior’s comeback is going to be like.

Back to SNSD. It’s been the case for the last two years, that SNSD’s Japanese releases have been far superior to their Korean comebacks. Obviously the girls (and SM) make way more money in Japan from album sales than in South Korea — but come on, every K-pop fan around the world wants to hear their K-pop star sing awesome Korean songs!

Another hint I factor in to say that SNSD may see a decline or departure of a few members has been the news of Sooyoung and Yoona declaring they are in a relationship. Of course, celebrity relationships are never to be taken seriously, as given the pressures of work, many relationships don’t last long. But as someone who knows so much about the members (because that’s how devoted some of us SONEs are), I know Sooyoung wants marriage and children. As do other members like Hyoyeon, who is also rumoured to be in a relationship. Plus, the members are all within their mid-20s. I mean, look at their peers. Sun from Wonder Girls is a mother now and that group’s future is pretty much up in the air. KARA is now down to three members and if DSP Media screws up their comeback (which knowing how messed up DSP is) will pretty much put the nail in the coffin for KARA’s career. It’s as though SNSD’s peers are also fading away.

Maybe I’m over-reacting, but it just feels kinda sad seeing the wave of artists that first got me into K-pop now appearing to slowly ride into the sunset. Groups like SNSD can’t get any bigger. It will be interesting to see what the public’s reaction is to SNSD’s successors. If it’s going to be anything like the kind of reception EXO got, then I guess… arrrgh, I don’t want to think about it!

I hope SM Entertainment has better music lined up for Girls Generation in the form of a repackage album, because their Korean lead singles have gotten quite stale. The reason why I want SNSD around goes beyond just the music. I’m not saying the following because I’m such a devoted fan, but — you can’t manufacture or train rookies with what the members of SNSD have. The fact that you rarely hear about trouble within the group shows just how much the girls actually get along. SM doesn’t have to deal with the headaches and negative publicity girl groups like T-ara or KARA have experienced in the past. SNSD are a gem of a group. Any entertainment company would be glad to have them, purely because the girls can rarely do any wrong. There’s little in-fighting. They are dorky, hilarious, great on variety shows, multi-talented and do their job as performers with absolute professionalism. I just hope SM takes that into consideration and pushes on with Girls Generation. Because my generation of K-pop fans owes it to those girls.

My final rating for SNSD’s ‘Mr. Mr’ –  3 out of 5 (Good)