For the first time in years, I didn’t cover last month’s MAMA Awards on this blog. Honestly, they were just too boring to write about. But, I did enjoy the Wanna One reunion — even if it was just a medley of their familiar hits. If anything, the members’ post-Wanna One careers have only exemplified what a powerhouse this group was. It’s especially surprising just how many great vocalists made it into this reality-spawned project.

Now, Wanna One have released their special Beautiful (Part 3) as a digital single. I’m not sure I’d call this a full-fledged “reunion,” but it’s nice to hear from them either way. The song is a riff on the group’s second single — 2017’s Beautiful. I didn’t love that track on release, but came to appreciate it after some time. It’s become a sort of fan song for the group, and this is its third iteration. With that said, Beautiful (Part 3) doesn’t share a ton of connective tissue with its inspiration. The mood is similar and the pre-chorus hinges on an interpolation of the original chorus, but the rest of the track feels pretty new.

Beautiful (Part 3) is exactly what I’d expect from this sort of sentimental comeback. It has a yearning quality, nostalgic in the way you might feel when opening an old photo album. The melodies are pretty and the production evokes plenty of emotion. I appreciate the punchier chorus and love the way the song builds to a robust, chant-along climax. In other words, Beautiful accomplishes its goal — no more, no less. That’s going to result in a pretty ho-hum rating from me, but I still think it’s very cool that Wanna One are releasing new music in any capacity.