Rookie groups are a dime a dozen these days, and the threshold for success seems to be even more immediate than it used to be. Mess up the first go around and you may not get a second chance. This is likely the reason we’re seeing such polished debuts even from low-to-mid tier agencies. New girl group Favorite come to us without the hype of a notable production company, but the quirky Party Time shows flashes of promise.

Rather than come pre-packaged with a specific concept, it seems as if the girls have been given leverage to try out a number of styles within the same song. While this gives Party Time a certain freshness, it also guarantees that not all of its elements are of equal strength. The opening synth riff, which fractures into a bombastic blast of fanfare, kicks things off on the right foot. The verses are fueled by this energy, giving the girls a beat-driven arrangement that leaves room for plenty of personality. There are some interesting vocal tones in this group — sweet but not in the same cutesy way we’re used to hearing from most k-pop girl groups.

The poppy chorus undercuts some of this appeal, opting for generic repetition over true invention. It’s not a wholly unsuccessful hook, but it lacks the adventurousness of the song’s more successful moments. The middle-eastern flourishes in the Party Time‘s bridge are a perfect example of the kind of excitement that can be mined from a momentary burst of experimentation. Hopefully from now on the group will continue to push their sound rather than fall into the same trendy trap as many of their contemporaries.