Marking their fourth anniversary, boy group SF9 have released one of those “for the fans” ballads, though this time it’s anchoring a special single album. The guys are right to take a victory lap, as years of hard work have really paid off for them. Their success in 2020 has been a little surprising, and is proof that sometimes the long game is more important than out-of-the-gate hype.
Shine Together (손잡아 줄게), like most songs of its nature, is hard to review. It’s less a song than it is a moment, designed to appeal to a loyal fan base. There’s nothing wrong with that approach. Every idol group releases this kind of sappy material, and there isn’t much room for experimentation within its tropes. With that said, Shine Together is firmly middle-of-the-road. It’s a pleasant hands-in-the-air swayer, and once K-pop is doing in-person concerts again I’m sure it will make for a fine show closer. This is especially true during the song’s climax, which lifts with the kind of softly anthemic ad-libs that beg for singalongs.
However, Shine Together misses the opportunity to become more than the sum of its parts. Its melody is rather forgettable and one-note, failing to take full advantage of the guys’ vocal power. Surprisingly, the track only delivers brief rap verses during its bridge and final chorus, though parts of its pre-chorus are more rhythmic in nature. I think the whole thing could do with more shifts in sound and texture. It’s sentimental to a fault, which limits its overall appeal. But again, Shine Together was designed for a very specific purpose, so it’s hard to judge it with any other lens.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 7 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7 |
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The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Congratulations, SF9, on your 4th anniversary today.
This reminds me of old Infinite ballads, which is not a bad thing to be compared to. Oh, I wish there were a live version to listen to, so we can all hear these guys pipes.
Apparently, I buy about two SF9 songs every year. “Summer Breeze” this summer was an excellent song. Will these be this year’s second? Possibly, if I get a hankering for this kind of soft sound, so it could happen, that is when it appears on itunes.
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Yeah it was okay and i understand its purpose but i still can’t get over ‘Summer Breeze’.It’s one of my top songs of the year!
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It’s a rather pleasant experience to the ears, honestly. I’m reminded of those pop ballads from the early 2010s or older than that. I think it’s pretty solid to stand on its own.
I don’t have anything to say about it rather than it’s nice. Though they can do better than that, this one’s pretty much enough.
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It’s fine. Nothing spectacular, nothing to really write about, but a song that a group needs(?) to have in their repertoire for the concerts. So, yeah, it exists, and that’s fine.
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I’m a die hard for these kinds of sentimental songs. Some may find this boring. Some may find it generic. Some may call it a basic song just to feed their fans. But I like it, I’m not even an sf9 fan lol. Like you said, every group has this moment and this kind of song. This kind of song is very expected for an anniversary song. I actually like this as much as Woollim fam’s song released earlier and tbh still don’t understand the difference in the scores at this site between these two songs.
Oh wait, this is The Bias List.
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Hey, I’ve never denied it 😉
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