After kicking off a series of digital singles with last November’s Here We Are, Super Junior’s Donghae and Eunhyuk are on the cusp of dropping their first Japanese album in three years. For whatever reason, SM Entertainment never seemed that intent on establishing Super Junior in the Japanese market, but these two have found success with catchy, uptempo fare. Lately, their music has veered more tropical, so it’s no surprise that Sunrise keeps with the trend.

Donghae and Eunhyuk are engaging performers whatever they do, but I can’t help think that their music has become more faceless of late. Sunrise was written by Donghae, so it’s not a case of outside producers simply handing the duo songs designed with multiple acts in mind. The track highlights his gift for melody, grooving with deceptively simple hooks that grow more addictive over time, but its adherence to the never-ending tropical aesthetic hinders its chances of standing out.

The overbearing autotune on Sunrise‘s verses feels unnecessary, making it hard for the guys’ personalities to break through. The arrangement of the chorus is much stronger, echoing the relaxed melody with a percolating tropical synth that feels refreshing even if we’ve heard its ilk a thousand times before. Eunhyuk’s second-verse rap is reliably assured, injecting the dose of charisma that’s missing from much of the track. Overall, Sunrise is a fine addition to 2018’s growing summer playlist, even if the guys have delivered more interesting material in the past.

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