BOYNEXTDOOR’s prolonged roll-out continues with their second pre-release One And Solely. I preferred their first track simply tremendous, even when it felt a bit unassuming given the highly effective backing of Zico + HYBE. I’m heartened to see a big-name boy group debut with music that has a lighter, bouncier contact. However, One And Solely delivers lots of the parts I feared may come from a Zico-produced idol act. To place it bluntly, I discover the track obnoxious.
The issue with a monitor like One And Solely is that it performs like a bunch of TikTok challenges strung collectively. It’s so determined to supply meme-able clips and catchphrases that it finally ends up feeling overly workshopped and extremely company. Zico and Poptime lay down a stable groove and the group appears fairly proficient. Their fresh-faced vitality can be addictive given a much less cloying monitor, and I’ve religion there are higher issues to come back.
I’ll totally admit to extra bias than ordinary this time round. Longtime readers will know considered one of my pet peeves includes pop music being too happy with its personal cleverness. As a substitute of a enjoyable time, One And Solely seems like a “have a look at how a lot enjoyable we’re having!” commercial. The signposting is just too apparent and the chant-heavy hooks don’t carry sufficient weight to offset this method. Hopefully, the upcoming Serenade would be the better of their three debut tracks.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Manufacturing | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 6 |
| RATING | 7.25 |
Grade: C
