In a perfect world, Oh My Girl would have had a big, Remember Me-style comeback track waiting to be released just after their successful run on last year’s Queendom. Maybe their agency didn’t expect them to do as well as they did, but waiting nearly six months to capitalize on their boosted profile seems like a big mistake. Even more frustratingly, WM Entertainment has now saddled them with Nonstop (살짝 설렜어), a generic tropical track that does little to embrace their strengths.
We’ve come to the point where “tropical” almost feels nostalgic, so I’m not too frustrated with Nonstop’s opening synth riff. After all, the girls themselves successfully tackled this sound on last summer’s underrated b-side Tropical Love. And, Nonstop is a serviceable single improved by the group’s effortless charisma. However, it lacks any real identity or purpose beyond recycling elements that have worked for different acts in the past.
Of all of Oh My Girl’s title tracks, Nonstop feels the most rap-heavy. I’ve always thought that Mimi was underutilized in their music, so it’s nice to hear more of her. But, this hip-hop focus steers the track in some frustrating directions. Nonstop succumbs to K-pop’s second-verse curse, with an extended, trap-influenced segment that kills what little momentum has generated up to that point. I’m also not a fan of the “nonstop, nonstop” refrain that ends each chorus, especially when it’s underlined by trap beats. Melodically, the song is a case of style over substance, hinging on a simple, repeated hook that’s catchy but ultimately lazy. The pre-chorus hints more strongly at the Oh My Girl sound I love, with a richer arrangement that draws on the group’s solid vocals. Nonstop builds towards a decent climax, as the track’s various elements are layered together to create a satisfying tapestry that should have been built upon further. Sadly, the rest of the song is too uneven for this comeback to stand out in any meaningful way.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
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The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I felt and heard a lot of nostalgia in this song too, all the way back to February with that huge crush of sound-alike girl group releases. This release sounds like almost any one of those, two months late to the party. *sigh*
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I like the song but agree with most of what you’ve said. They’re topping several charts for the first time though, so it’s looking like this will be there biggest hit yet. It’s doing what it’s intended to do
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I’m not sure it has anything to do with the song, though. It’s all about their increased visibility thanks to Queendom. Any title track probably would’ve taken them to the top at this point.
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Actually you’re probably right! Although an easily digestible song like this probably doesn’t hurt either. Things just seem to be coming together for them just right
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What a letdown after their amazing 2019. It feels… minimalistic ? That’s Oh My Girl, a very chatismatic group at the top of their career. In the past they proved that they can tackle diferent roads, and we end up with one of their most uninspired songs. It’s not bad, I even think that the second verse is not as bad as I thought it would be because Mimi is a solid rapper. But it’s still a rap verse that adds nothing to the song, after a not so great chorus. Conclusion : not bad but disappointing and forgettable.
I am interested by your opinion about the mini album. I think it takes the same road as the title track. NEON is pretty good but the four other tracks didn’t do much to me. Dolphin seems to the most popular song, I’ll listen to it again tonight but it didn’t strike me as a standout song yet.
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Sorry for the second comment but I just realised I confused Mimi’s rap break after the second chorus and the second verse. Second verse = not really interesting, rap break = nice job from Mimi.
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Too bad they chose to use the attention they gained with Queendom to show this. Nonstop doesn’t sound like OMG at all.
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Oh My Girl is my favorite girl group and even I feel a tad bit disappointed with Nonstop. I like the pre-chorus with the soft vocals, and I don’t even mind the mostly instrumental chorus because it’s catchy, but there’s too much rap in the verses for me.
The group has been far too underappreciated for a while, the song is doing well, and the girls wanted to try something new, so I can’t even be too upset. I’m sure it will grow on me but it will probably be my least played song by them.
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I wish I liked this song more!! OMG are also one of my ult faves and they all look amazing for this comeback that I was really excited for… the title itself is just sort of generic. I like “Dolphin” though, I would have preferred that as a title track.. none of the other EP songs stand out to me. So this is a fine comeback, serviceable as you said, but I am hoping we’ll hear more of their old sound in the future.
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It it had been some years ago, the title track would have probably been Neon (which I personally find bombastic as an hidden treasure). But since “mala tempora currunt”, well – meh.
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Probably their worst title track yet. Too bad, it’s upbeat but the tropical drop chorus just lacks power to it.
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I’m surprised you gave them higher score than what I expected haha. I hated how it sounds first but I think I have developed stockholm syndrome because of it and now I love it. Happy that they got #1 in chart but I hope they will always get #1 after this with godly tier track
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Honestly, I don’t think the song is half bad as some people make it out to be! It’s so refreshing like a cup of lemonade in a hot summer! I’m glad Oh My Girl did a new direction and i’m happy for all the newly found success!
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Their most generic single ever and one of their weakest overall, which really disappointed me because they usually release excellent pop songs. I’m very happy for their success though! It’s their biggest hit yet.
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Either Neon and Dolphin would have better choice for title, and sound more OMG-like. But hey, what do we know, Nonstop is a hit, so good for OMG.
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As a hugeeeee fan of Oh My Girl from Cupid days, this is quite disappointing (catchy for me now but still not their best or even medium best) , given their numerous hits that truly deserve number 1s, but that aside ~ I do love Dolphin and Neon, Flower Tea feels like a sister to Underwater Love. But Neon is the track I wish they went with~ not surprise by your rating lol, I was expecting it. Also, been a silent reader for a long time. Love your content!
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I swear to god, every time I hear “nonstop,nonstop,nonstop,nonstop,nonstop”
I think
“I wanna hit the world with rocketpunch!”
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“I love me so love yourself!!”
They’re so needlessly aggressive during this part…
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I disagree with the score. The song is the “tried” tropical house but its very fresh and enjoyable. It has the pauses and beat changes in all the right places to keep it from becoming generic.
The chorus is super catchy and fun and I think it deserves the chart position it has. The entire album in fact is the perfect pop for the spring summer. The songs become better with each listen.
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This may be slightly specific, but Nonstop’s drop reminds me of a toned-down and tropical version of Miroh.
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Reviews are just opinions and it’s entertaining to look back at them with hindsight. The song performed amazingly well for them and was very very popular (it was the longest-running girl group song on MelOn Top 100 in history with 480 days, until unseated by Dolphin ofc).
I think a lot of the dislike comes from old OMG fans that just didn’t want to see them change. It wasn’t ‘generic’ as a song, that’s just a silly thing to say based on salty lack of charity, it was a strong pop romp that did well because it stood out so much against everything else on offer at the time of release. You even have rookie groups such as Hi-L being clearly influenced by it now.
If you are going to mark a song down for using existing styles, well… Mark them all down. Literally. Every k-pop track. Every road has been walked before. It’s an unfair criticism when only levelled at one.
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