Over the course of the past year, AB6IX have been playing with the word “complete.” A new special album concludes this trilogy of completion, positioning the fans as an important part of the group’s existence. Throughout their career, AB6IX never settled on one defining sound or energy. The upbeat 1, 2, 3 continues this mix-and-match approach, but the song has its moments.
If anything, 1, 2, 3 takes the funk influences from last year’s Cherry and cools them down. It’s a bright fan song with great energy. The tempo never approaches maximum velocity, but the production is surprisingly boisterous for a slower-paced track. I especially like the pre-chorus, which harnesses a swinging, soulful approach that feels very old-school. As a whole, the track is a celebratory stopgap, and thus not meant to be taken too seriously. But, I appreciate how it avoids the temptation to become a stereotypical, sentimental ballad. As repetitive as its hooks get, they’re kind of irresistible.
The only moment that takes me out of the track is its silly breakdown. The English-language lyrics here are intentionally simple, but they come off as juvenile and stilted. It’s a pity, because the chant-along melody is quite fun. I’m more enthused by the chorus, which grows addictive with each repetition. It’s deceptively straightforward, but wrapped in brassy instrumental that makes it feel like a big hug. When the melody pops up for a final time during 1, 2, 3’s climax, the effect is pretty rousing.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I am always skeptical about songs that tell me to dance, unless they are Jamiroquai “Canned Heat”. This song does not change my opinion.
‘https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vE4VlA_9OrI
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I like it! It’s sitting somewhere between three and four stars – it might be a little too mid-tempo for me to love it, but it’s still enjoyable. That said, I REALLY like the MV (performance video?) – it’s like the universe heard my complaints about the “skinz” MV and put this together to show what an enjoyable, low-budget MV can look like. The title cards and different “act” styles is fun and makes the song’s narrative easy to follow, the different coloring elements jump out, and the parallel fancam-style images clearly evoke a phone screen but keep it from getting cheesy by omitting a UI. It’s so clearly perfect for highlighting members and choreo that I’m genuinely surprised no one (that I am aware of) has done it before. Five stars for the MV!
The EP has been playing in the background and is kind of fading together with the fromis9 EP I just finished listening to. I’m working through these in reverse post order but the comments on the last one made it sound like today’s releases are somewhat of a type, so I might need to spread out the EPs a bit.
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I don’t know if I’ll be able to get past the baffling ‘Let’s dance with me’.
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