BAE173 brings together X1/H&D’s Dohyun and Hangyul with seven other members for PocketDol Studio’s first boy group. It seems as if the agency has thrown a big budget and plenty of attention behind these guys, so it will be interesting to see how they fare within a stuffed K-pop market. At the very least, it’s satisfying to hear a boy group debut with a song as bright and energetic as Crush On U (반하겠어).
Crush On U reminds me of early Seventeen, though so far BAE173 lack the same level of distinctness. Still, the song has a similar freewheeling energy, fused to a funk pop backbone. This comes courtesy of production team Galactika, known for their work with ITZY. BAE173’s entire album is produced by this team, and that consistency is appreciated. Crush On U feels fresh and exciting, even if its hooks could be sharper.
The instrumental bounds with synth brass and clobbering percussion. I think the production could go harder and funkier, but there are plenty of nice touches to be found. I love the wisps of backing vocals during the first verse, and the dubstep-influenced bridge is fun. And though the melodies in the verses don’t amount to nearly enough, they climax in a punchy chorus that bodes well for BAE173’s music going forward. I also like how the track doesn’t try to do too much at once. There are some interesting musical diversions, but they’re brief and don’t interrupt the flow. This has become a rarity in modern K-pop, and I hope that BAE173 build upon this potential with subsequent releases.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Couldn’t agree more, I really appreciate this not being… dark, moody, angsty or whatever the term is.
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Angst-in-an-empty-warehouse-pop has had it’s turn. Time for the return of bright boys!
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I am not going to complain about a bright concept boy group song, especially for a debut. … maybe this particular song is a tad generic, but it serves its purpose to get them out there.
Is it me or does this group look especially young? I looked it up, and it seems they are all teens (maybe one is now 20), with a few 16 year olds in there. I think that is a plus for the main Korean market, but for someone like me (international, older), I just can’t stan a group of 16 year olds for many reasons.
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I agree, they definitely do, even though two of them are apparently 21 and one 20. They just look really, really young (and they are, especially the youngest ones). Maybe the concept influenced the feeling too, at least for me.
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Haha every group debuting nowadays is 17-16 years old average, i dont know why
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$$
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Kpop is making me feel like i age so fast
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I’m not a decade older than these guys yet, but I still always worry when I see such young idols debuting. It can’t be easy (or very healthy, mentally and physically). I remember Pristins youngest member (who was 15 I believe?) being harrassed for her weight. Awful stuff.
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if i’m not mistaken, galactika has an entire ~6 years worth of history alongside brave brothers. don’t get itzy being brought up when they have one work with galactika and their sound is not at all similar
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You’re right, but at least in the past few years I think they’ve been most closely associated with ITZY — especially since Dalla Dalla was such a big hit.
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Feels like a Golden Child b-side
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Even though I clearly like Crush On U, a Golden Child b-side would be better. At the very least, it would have more individual character.
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The song is good but doesnt stand out from others.
Also kinda shocked a post produce boygroup isnt debuting with a edgy concept, WEi “Twilight” isnt dark/edgy at all but they used the concept for that song, and doesnt really match for me
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Also, feel like we are getting used to this kind of group names
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Not sure if you realized – Pocketdol Studio is a sublabel of MBK Entertainment where they house their groups that stem from survival shows. So in reality, BAE173 isn’t their first boy group if you count 1THE9, UNB, and SPEED from Co-Ed School.
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Oh, I realized. I suppose it’s more accurate to call them Pocketdol’s first permanent boy group.
I was actually going to include something about MBK in the review, but that was just getting me off on a tangent. I have feelings about MBK…
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Those feelings are 100% deserved…
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Song is decent, but I can’t shake off the Adore You flavours in this.
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I really want these group names that are more like codes to stop- I cannot remember them! I definitely hear the Seventeen flow in this, pretty catchy. Boy groups going for bright is always appreciated, too. I like it, hope they keep it up!
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