Hyolyn and Bora from girl group SISTAR released their first single under the name SISTAR19. Although this is their first official release, the two ladies already released the song Ma Boy back in 2011. For all those not in the know, Hyolyn, who is dubbed “Korea’s Beyonce” by the Korean media, is SISTAR’s lead vocal, while Bora is its rapper. The single Gone Not Around Any Longer was produced by Brave Brothers, and that bodes very well.
The single is very toned down and this calmness exudes from the intro track SISTAR19, which basically is comprised of Hyolyn’s ‘lalala’ and an electric guitar strumming.
The title song kicks in after the short intro. The moment Gone Not Around Any Longer starts, the listener becomes thoroughly engulfed in its mood. The magic of this simple song lies in its tiny details: the saxophone-like sound, the reappearing echo is the background, the gentle guitar play and the gorgeous vocals of the two members. Some maliciously say that the song should really be called "Hyolyn feat. Bora" as the former does most of the singing, but those are their roles in the duo: the former sings, and the latter raps. My favourite moments of the song include the rap with the singing overlapping it as well as the brief vocal showcase of Hyolyn towards the end. I highly recommend watching the music video to the song and its sensual choreography. For true music lovers, the instrumental version of the song is also included on the release.
The single’s b-side is A Girl in Love, which changes the mood of the release by 180 degrees. The song is joyful, light and danceable with the sound of a tambourine and minimal electronic input in the backing track. This song too is surprisingly simple and showcases the two ladies’ vocal skills.
Ma Boy is also included on the release. The song was released back in 2011 and is of a distinctively different type than the previous two. Still, the song is bouncy, not too fast, and its initial success was probably one of the decisive arguments for releasing this single.
The single Gone Not Around Any Longer is excellent. There are no crazy dancefloor songs on it, but instead we get three very well-made tracks which will stay with the listeners for hours and will make them want to return to the record the moment it stops playing.
