The members of EXO are busy this month, as leader Suho follows D.O. with his own solo release. As has become common lately, he’s kicking off promotions with a pre-release track. Cheese keeps things in the SM family, enlisting Red Velvet’s Wendy for guest vocals.
This frothy pop-rock track feels as if it would be just as comfortable in the 70’s as it is today. There’s a classic appeal to its piano-led instrumental that sounds unlike anything else in EXO’s discography. Paired with a stronger set of melodies, this could have forged a very fun pastiche. After all, we don’t hear soft rock influences in K-pop very often. When Cheese‘s guitar solo comes in before the final chorus, we get a hint of how the song might sound if it fully surrendered to the eccentricities of its inspirations.
Cheese‘s best melodic moment happens during verse two, when Wendy first appears. Her vocals glide in here, perfectly matching the insistent beat and piano chords. Suho soon joins in, bringing a nice harmony that lasts through the second chorus. But too much of Cheese‘s songwriting doesn’t feel adventurous enough. It’s stuck at a “7” when the instrumental wants to push it to a “10.” It’s a fun, offbeat pre-release that simultaneously feels like a missed opportunity.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
Grade: C+
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
The parade of EXO solos continue. Suho and Wendy sound mighty fine. The song itself is all over the place. First one kind of coffee bar style, then a pop shift, then a rock guitar shift. I don’t think it works as well as it should or could, but it sounds nice if I don’t over think it.
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(Gah, its been 7 years since “Red Flavor”. That song just shot itself out of a cannon and became the song of that summer in like a day. I put it on loud, and both my kids cam running it to watch and listen, that is how good that song was. The dance was memorable too.)
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That was such a great summer for K-pop, with Red Flavor leading the wave.
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actually I hate red flaver
It feels like a children song to me
but about this song cheese by suho, no one talks about the iconic chord progression or sth
many pop songs sound the same. Only if There is the same structure people say oh it’s a good song but music is not just mv or things we have heard a 100 times.
Cheese sounds kind of new in kpop or pop in general
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anyone else notice the terrible AI generated cheese photos….. or was it just me….
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I saw it too. SM needs to hire real artists. I could have easily redone this video by showcasing a variety of cheeses in real life.
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