As with so many under-the-radar K-pop debuts, 3YE failed to make much of an impression when they dropped their first single this May. In fact, I had to search back to see if I had reviewed the song at all — that’s how little I remember it. On the plus side, the group seems to have a particular style in mind. It’s not a unique or revolutionary style, but they deserve some praise for their commitment. New single OOMM (Out Of My Mind) picks up more-or-less where DMT (Do Ma Thing) left off, down to its stylized title. I guess the girls also enjoy a good acronym.
OOMM is not greater than the sum of its parts, but some of those parts are quite good. Most of the track is your standard, post-BLACKPINK stab at musical toughness. At its worst, OOMM rests on style over substance. Like their debut, 3YE resort to a lazy, unmemorable beat drop hook with the song’s title thrown over the top as a catchphrase. The verses aren’t much better, coming across as the kind of bad girl hip-hop that has been tackled by many more notable K-pop groups.
Yet, buried within all of these derivative choices, OOMM presents a hypnotic, instantly engaging pre-chorus that points toward the direction the song should have taken. Perched at a compelling whisper, the girls offer a charismatic, layered bit of rhythmic melody over a thumping electro beat. During this segment, all of the track’s noise falls away and we get a sense of brilliant focus. It’s by far OOMM’s most interesting turn, and helps to make 3YE stand out — if only for a moment. If they can extend this style to an entire track, they may just find their niche within this cutthroat industry.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 7 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.25 |
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The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
When I listened to this song I was like… oh god not another blackpink wannabe. I realized that blankpink follows a really rigid structure of their songs recently (2 rappers in the beginning then bringing in the vocals, then some drop later on that comes off as anti-climatic sometimes), and other groups trying to bring out the same concept somehow think that taking the same structure of the song is going to help them ._. is there really no other way of pulling off a bad girl concept?
On another note, like you said, the prechorus was the only bit that I found interesting and it really reminded me of billie ellish! I would actually look forward to a kpop group pulling off that style.
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Not a kpop group but Ketchup by soloist DALSooobin has a similar vibe with the minimalist, hushed songwriting that you might enjoy
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I love Sooooobin. Katchup is fantastic. Last year (or year before) there was “Circle Dream” released as “Subin” is also quite good, very mellow mid-tempo, bit of jazzy vibe on the b-sides. The lead vocals are recorded with minimal effects so you are right there in the studio, then she loops in her own harmonies so the timbre just blends perfectly. And as a plus she writes her own songs.
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Subin is literally the only one goddess from the Kpop realm that I don’t have anything to complain about. If only she would release a full fledged album…
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I’ve railed against trap beat drops for all of 2019, but I almost don’t mind this one. Sure, it’s yet another hip-hop bad girl track, but there’s some nice modal stuff going on in the pre-pre-chorus (or whatever it’s called), and, as Esme has mentioned above, the Billie Eilish “Bad Guy” vibe in the pre-chorus is just plain great.
This song won’t do anything to make 3YE stand out, but I’ve actually enjoyed DMT despite it not being the stuff I go for, and OOMM will probably prove to be no exception. But despite the fact that 3YE’s tracks have all a nugget or two of musical gold, the songs in general are definitely not peak kpop production value. I share your sentiments about them finding a niche.
I kind of like the prison setting for the music video, though. Gives it an edge of edginess over the music videos that require intense stares at the camera in order to convey edginess.
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“Ima Do Ma Thing” had a strange staying power in some of the lists – iirc on Kville it was ranked in the 50’s or 60’s for the full 10 weeks. It wasn’t my thing – I thought it was posing – but there was clearly some group of people somewhere in the world who kept clicking.
I actually like this one. Like, not love. Its that Billie Eilish moment in the middle. The rest of it structurally and aurally sounds like contemporary tough girl kpop viz BP or even perhaps some of the CLC / G-idle oeuvre.
So let’s see what happens next for 3ye.
(BTW Apparantly it is pronounced “third eye”.)
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The pre-horus gives off the same vibe as Billie Ellish’s Bad guy
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