T1419 have developed a knack for building songs from off-kilter references. First, we had the cosplay-friendly Dracula. Then, there was last year’s Red Light, Green Light (which sort of grew on me, btw). Now, they’re heading to Austria for Edelweiss (에델바이스). The title alone makes me think of The Sound of Music, which would be an odd (and potentially interesting) theme for a K-pop comeback. But, Edelweiss turns out to be a rather rote ballad, perfect for fan service.
Up to this point, T1419 title tracks have tended to be boisterous and rap-heavy. Edelweiss sees the guys sitting-and-singing over a strings-laden instrumental. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but the melody in the verses sounds incredibly familiar – maybe B1A4 or Infinite? It’s soft and sugary and nearly drowned out by orchestration. The performance feels a bit hit-and-miss, but this isn’t a group known for their ballads. However, the guys sound great during the chorus, which sees them performing in unison as the instrumental builds toward a crescendo.
Edelweiss is a pop track designed for a specific purpose, which will limit its overall appeal. It’s unabashedly cheesy, and that’s how I tend to like my ballads. But though its familiarity makes it instantly appealing, it also limits its effect. There are so many other songs of this style that pack more punch, and that’s where I’ll head if I’m in the mood for a ballad. Still, I can’t fault Edelweiss for its modest intentions. It feels very targeted to the group’s existing fan base.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 7 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Yes, right on cue, the soft fan song is delivered to whatever the T1419 fan club is called. This one is typical of the subgenre and sounds closer to early 2010’s than contemporary, but whatev. It meets expectations. It does the job.
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This was a pretty nice song! There’s actually a very Japanese song vibe to it and hearing the Japanese version of the song confirmed that vibe too lol.
I think Kevin (main vocalist) is really good! The way he fits both their hard hitting as well as these softer songs is pretty cool! I think that T1419 is a group that actually works really well in Japanese 🙂 They had a Japanese release Run Up which I thought was pretty nice!
Edelweiss is a good fansong and it’s kept light and quick the way it suits the boys 🙂
Also haha… nice to see Red Light Green Light grew on you, even if it was a little bit. Noah’s rap in that is probably one of my favourite raps of last year! I think as noisy as these kids are they are super talented and good at their style and I’ve always enjoyed their songs so far! 😂
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I would say its taking us to Austria rather than Germany but yeah i also thought of the sound of music immediately.
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Oh my gosh you’re right! Changing it (and my itinerary) 🙂
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chingoos it’s the 1st anniversary of the greatest kpoop song ever made, a song that’s way better than the chaser, go stream it or else 😍
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WOW. This is like outsider art idol music. I’m entertained and confused.
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I’m a reaallllllllllllllllllllllllll, yes, yes you are. Damn you EIJIDOESTHINGS
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I was gonna complain about the Germany instead of Austria, but I had to do something and Lina beat me to it. Oh well, I don’t really have anything to say about this track, stream the original Edelweiss and the rest of Sound of Music, I guess?
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Or listen to Bilderbuch or Ina Regen. They’re great Austrian musicians.
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Hard no from me. And I have a sweet spot for boyband ballads.
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I like a lot of ballads but I dislike whatever style of ballad usually gets tagged as “fan songs”, so it’s a pass from me. “RLGL” and “FLEX” are still in heavy car rotation though, so I look forward to them returning to the boisterous and rap-heavy sound. They’ve been one of the more musically consisted fourth gen groups and I appreciate that.
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