Ten years into their careers as K-pop idols, Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa don’t have anything to prove with DEADLINE. The five-track EP may be the group’s first new project together since 2022’s BORN PINK, but BLACKPINK have continued ascending the pop-music ladder in the meantime. Individually and collectively, the members are some of the biggest superstars on the planet. Perhaps because of this accepted dominance, DEADLINE is more textured in its expression of BLACKPINK’s signature “girl crush” confidence compared to previous albums. The group’s club-ready swagger is never far, especially in the “hardstyle” frenzy of “JUMP” and the playful rap of “Me and My”, but it’s accompanied by a celebratory throughline that allows for moments of relative minimalism as the music builds to something bigger. Lead single “GO” begins with Jennie and Rosé’s restrained vocals before punching up the percussion, bassline and lyrical tempo as it beckons us into BLACKPINK’s orbit. “Champion” spells it out for listeners in a stadium-stomper chorus, but we don’t need a Queen-esque mantra to understand what’s happening—the jubilation is right there in the music.