Korean trio Triple H — HyunA plus Pentagon’s Hui and E’Dawn — returned Wednesday (July 18) with their second retro-inspired single “Retro Future” and their Retro Futurism EP. The new music comes over a year after last May’s “365 Fresh,” which landed their first EP 199X on the World Albums chart at No. 10.
In accordance with its title, “Retro Future” feels like a blast from the past with its funky guitar, scattered synths and slapping beats. With smooth, laid-back verses, crooning harmonies and sing-song raps leading into the funky chant of the title in the chorus, the single succeeds at feeling a little bit old school while also feeling extremely modern.
Not only does “Retro Future” feel like a throwback to bygone decades but it even appears to sample the iconic beat of Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five’s “The Message,” and also features an intro taken directly from DJ Casper’s mainstay of many weddings and bar/bat mitzvahs, “Cha Cha Slide Part 2.”
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The song was co-written by HyunA, E’Dawn with Korean songwriters Big Sancho and Im Kwang Wook.
Returning to the polyamorous, law-breaking identities they picked up in the music video for “365 Fresh,” the music video for “Retro Future” features the trio arriving as unwanted house guests at a couple’s home. They promptly take over and turn into the venue for a wild, orgy of a party, and end up dancing the night away atop of the couple’s bed.
Triple H’s Retro Futurism EP features two other songs aside from the single and an instrumental version of the track: the funky pop-rock “Feel” and the R&B-new jack swing influenced “Show Me.”
Watch the music video for “Retro Future” here: