Rookie group VERIVERY have spent nearly a year recreating the same title track with slightly different variations (or are they VERI-ations?). But once you accept that, their songs are a blast. In a sea of trendy musical mush, their brand of high-energy new jack swing is needed more than ever.

The group’s new single album is called VERI-CHILL, which instantly worried me. I’m allergic to the word “chill” in K-pop, and this month has been filled with songs that fit this unambitious, low-energy description. Thankfully, Tag Tag Tag is only a slightly more subdued riff on VERIVERY’s past work.

Opening with a fun burst of descending harmonies, Tag quickly launches into its sleek verse. The instrumental rides on the same new jack swing percussion as their previous work, but the arrangement has a more sophisticated vibe that helps make it feel like its own song. I like the funk-influenced melody here. It’s playful without coming across as too saccharine.

With a title like Tag Tag Tag, at least some portion of the track was bound to come across as repetitive. That occurs during the first half of the chorus, which feels a little too formulaic. Thankfully, this hook is followed by a more robust melody that sends the segment off on a high. A second-verse rap keeps the energy up with a convincingly loose appeal. In K-pop’s current climate, I’m sure it was tempting to upend the instrumental to incorporate some half-time, trap-influenced drop, but Tag smartly keeps its pace until it coasts into its effectively languid bridge. This culminates in one more dose of punchy hip-hop that brings us into the final chorus. VERIVERY may not be reinventing the wheel here, but they’re quickly developing a signature sound that should pay off in the long run.

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