BOYNEXTDOOR’s prolonged roll-out continues with their second pre-release One And Solely. I favored their first tune simply high-quality, 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 components I feared may come from a Zico-produced idol act. To place it bluntly, I discover the tune obnoxious.
The issue with a observe 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 strong groove and the group appears fairly proficient. Their fresh-faced power could be addictive given a much less cloying observe, and I’ve religion there are higher issues to come back.
I’ll absolutely admit to extra bias than normal this time round. Longtime readers will know certainly one of my pet peeves includes pop music being too happy with its personal cleverness. As an alternative of a enjoyable time, One And Solely looks like a “take a look at how a lot enjoyable we’re having!” commercial. The signposting is simply too apparent and the chant-heavy hooks don’t carry sufficient weight to offset this strategy. 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
