I never paid much attention to Secret Number until last year’s Got That Boom, which firmly planted itself on my playlist for over a month. That track was a great example of set-up and pay-off, with an explosive climax that made me want to hit ‘replay’ immediately after it had ended. For new single Fire Saturday (불토), the group sticks with an upbeat, club-ready atmosphere. But, the melodies feel blunted this time around.
In direct contrast to Got That Boom, Fire Saturday is the kind of song that kicks off well but falters as it goes on. I love the high-octane instrumental, particularly when driven by the trance synths that fuel the introduction. I’d be thrilled to hear more K-pop tracks pull from this energy rather than start and stop in fitful fashion.
Fire Saturday’s verses are a fun blend of vocals and rap, with the latter hitting harder. The group’s performance keeps excitement high, but I long for more specific and memorable melodies. That same criticism extends to the song’s chorus – a hodgepodge of hooks too generic to stick. At times, the melody and performance feel overly sharp, making a jarring match for the instrumental. It’s undercooked and oddly mixed, which isn’t unusual for small-agency comebacks. Secret Number are nailing the energy. They just need a stronger, more impactful song to drive it home. This has been a common struggle with recent K-pop attempts at retro electropop sounds. Their heart is in the right place, but the execution is lacking.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 7.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I think I like this enough for it to be considered a winner, even if it is not as good as Got That Boom.
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The synth lines remind me of something like BTS’s So What, which is easily one of my favorite B-sides from them, but………there’s just SO many “Welcome to my world”s in various droning patterns, and they’re all mixed so weirdly that I don’t want to return to the song again, even though I should have really liked it.
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I remember when they showed the chorus in the teaser. It was so disappointing to hear that there were actually good parts to the song. It was almost hard to tell when the chorus was even starting. Then, once I’m expecting a killer bridge the song end with the “welcome to my world”. I wish they could do it over lol. All that said, I really like how consistent they’ve been in their sound in comparison to their peers, it also happens to be a sound I’m quite fond of.
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I get a vibe like if T-ara were to make a song today, it might be styled like this.
The bones of the song are good, but the instrumental is lacking. The current productionas is runs out of steam somewhere around 2:45. Also, the main English line “Welcome to my world, worrrrrrld, worrrld, gets worn out too. Maybe a key change?
The girls are fine.
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I feel like there are some good ideas here, but I agree that the overall impact is lacking. It took way too long to get into the chorus imo, and the “welcome to my world” thing definitely wears thin after a few times. I think Secret Number has so much promise and talent (I REALLY loved Got That Boom), but I’m starting to worry about them tbh. A random, sudden lineup change and losing their main vocalist for this comeback to a mysterious “hiatus” (which people seem to interpret as her trying to leave for good) feel like red flags. Especially from a small company. I really hope they make it though!
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