In a girl group landscape filled with bombastic beats and shouty sing-talk, Oh My Girl are a welcome outlier. Their career is filled with quirky highlights, harnessing memorable hooks to craft a sound that moves from ethereal to whimsical and back again. Increased popularity has stolen a bit of this unique identity, but with peers like GFriend and Lovelyz relegated to the history books, I can always turn to Oh My Girl for my shot of sunny pop serotonin.
With this in mind, I hoped for a home run. Real Love feels more like a bunt. The song is perfectly pleasant, but lacks the energy expected from an Oh My Girl title. The group opts for a more subdued, sophisticated sound and they pull it off. This is no surprise. They have one of the best vocal lines in K-pop, and those beautiful tones are given ample spotlight. Real Love’s chorus is very pretty. I enjoy the light wistfulness of the melody, but the production lets it down. The synths feel too busy and leaden, favoring generic tropical chirps that never deliver the sense of lift the melody begs for.
The verses are more successful, underlined by a simple bounce that injects welcome grooviness. Verse two is especially effective. The girls’ vampy vocals echo the rhythm, adding a touch of momentum. But, Real Love doesn’t grow past this modest ambition. Not every song needs a giant climax to thrive, but I would have loved a stronger through-line. Instead, the track builds toward an abrupt ending that leaves the listener unsatisfied. I think Real Love will have great longevity, but it doesn’t come close to Oh My Girl’s strongest singles.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
the song is just THIS short of perfection, had they fleshed out the chorus’ melody a bit more, and built to a grand climax (they got somewhere with that final key change), it would be SOTY material for me. for now, it feels like an extended verse, and its an 8 for me.
now all i want is a yooa solo comeback and my life will be complete
LikeLiked by 3 people
I love OMG, they’re probably my favorite gg at the moment. I generally enjoyed it, but I didn’t love it like I did with previous releases. But man, I can’t help but wonder what a city pop version of OMG’s Real Love would’ve been like (along the lines of Kim Areum, Yukika, ChoMyo). I feel like the MV already fits with a city pop-style of song, and the dreamy ethereal feel of city pop slots in well with OMG’s previous famed concepts with their more recent concepts: think SSFWL, Secret Garden and Closer with their more recent Dun Dun Dance and Shark.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oops, sorry I meant to post my previous comment as a stand alone and not as a reply to you.
LikeLike
Up front, always nice to get a new drop from OMG. Okay.. ..I served up the obligatory bromide.
The MV is hitting me a little weird. Paired with the song, the visuals almost feel like I’m watching either: A. A CF for H&M, or some other 20-something clothing seller. B. A behind-the-scenes video from a Korean Vogue photoshoot. C: The gown portion of the pageant. All of the girls look lovely, but they seem a little detached from the music.
The song, itself, is.. ..pleasant; tame? As with the MV, I’m getting weird vibes. I know there’s suppose to be some retro vibes woven into the mix, but those same elements are coming across like I’m listening to the music played during the intro on some 80s American TV shows; like Love Boat, or some show featuring a hip, swaggy detective.
It may seem like I’m trying to tear the song down, but I’m not. After a couple of listens, it’s already tamping down the grass and making a nest for itself in a synaptic bough. For whatever I listed above, it still it infused with enough charm to make this a keeper for me.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I would’ve chosen Blink (produced by Darkchild !!) from this album as the title https://youtu.be/RWyme_Mumro
LikeLike
you should definitely listen to drip. what should i say? it’s a new genre for oh my girl, but i like it better than their title track.
LikeLike
this is all ryan jhun’s fault btw
LikeLiked by 2 people
as a miracle of 6 years (since liar liar), i can say that hes arguably the main reason oh my girl’s discography became weaker over time. to his credit dun dun dance is actually CATCHY even though it doesnt build on the signature sound that makes them unique. but i cant say the same about this one. this feels like album filler at most and he needs to stop treating kpop groups as a quick cash grab
LikeLiked by 2 people
As a person who hasn’t connected with past Oh My Girl albums…I really love this one.
Man, why did he have to be such a cunt.
LikeLiked by 1 person
i want to like this so bad. i haven’t been into an omg title track in a long time and while this is pleasant, this is such a b-side.
LikeLike
Yes, I agree, its pleasant in a good way, but more like a bunt. And then when the song wears itself out just before the 3 minute mark, key change!
LikeLike
Agree but the first line of this piece is definitive of a good amount of misogyny that’s been plaguing this site for some time now and is not at all attentive of the different trends that girls are now trying in an attempt to separate themselves from becoming a “Blackpink Wannabe.” Let’s unlearn this a bit and recognize that it’s up to the producers and ceos ultimately and not the idols
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t see how it’s misogyny. He’s not saying that the idols themselves are chasing after the trend of girl-crush. He’s just stating the fact that girl group’s music trend has been tilted toward that side, regardless of whether who decide it to be that way. And his opinion of not liking bombastic, noisy type of music is entirely his personal opinion. Nowhere in the paragraph implied that it is a gender thing, Nick has always expressed his dislike toward this type of music – regardless of it being a boygroup or girlgroup. It’s just currently it’s the girls that’s doing that.
LikeLiked by 3 people
It only takes a look at reviews of T1419 or Cravity or WEi or even a group like Stray Kids. Hell even the Dream review from today to see Nick expresses those thoughts with both boy & girl groups. It’s more of an “old man yelling at the sky” moment than misogyny.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Maybe I’m a misandrist AND a misogynist? 🤔
Or yes… just this:
LikeLiked by 2 people
Or maybe you just hate everyone equally.
LikeLike
Maybe I’m just tired lol
LikeLiked by 1 person
Maybe you eat frogs.
LikeLike
MAYBE I do. Is there something wrong with that??
LikeLiked by 1 person
Snails are better though.
LikeLiked by 3 people
MAYBE you just have bad taste.
The future is now old man.
LikeLiked by 2 people
or maybe yall just wanna squish this replies section
LikeLike
Agreed. It’s so weird to me how K-pop stans in the chart-sales side say some of the most disgusting and vile shit about a person’s weight, talent, status, family over an opinion and their behavior is reduced to as “normal”, “expected” or “this is just the internet” but when Nick just goes ahead and makes a comparison of what he prefers in music then somehow he has committed heinous war crimes.
LikeLike
Like I remember seeing a tweet calling Nick anti-black and racist because he rated “What a Life” a 3.75.
It’s stuff like these which make trivialize serious matters.
LikeLike
It is widely known that Nick is also Anti-Sheep. And he never even reviewed MONT’s Anti-hero, which is a true crime.
Anyway, its time to scroll on by, everyone! Click like on the snail comment, and Scroll on by!
LikeLiked by 1 person
This man has violated the entire justice system.
LikeLike
scuse me while i go find the tweet
LikeLike
That felt particularly unsatisfying for some reason…pleasant all the way through, but it didn’t go anywhere and it always felt like it had the potential to grow but it just didn’t. Like Eiji said above, the whole song just plays out like an extended verse.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It feels like a bside rather than a title track
LikeLiked by 1 person
ok seriously wtf was drip, it sounds like nmixx’s o.o if it was actually a good song, with its sudden tempo change in the chorus compared to the verses
its so much better than the title track
LikeLiked by 2 people
I really liked hearing Mimi sing in this song. I hate it when songs put a rap just because the rapper needs something to do
LikeLiked by 3 people
I feel like this is something I would hear on a commercial for a cruise ship or even on said cruise ship. That sounds like shade but it’s not because cruises are all about that easy breezy good times music and it’s clearly what they wanted to achieve. I don’t feel like this ranks high among their titles but it’s something that will be steady and endure for them and be a fun al ages favorite for them.
LikeLike
Definitely not their best title track ever but not their worst either. I definitely feel like they’re trying to target more of a general public audience lately. Kpop fans seem to overall not be a fan of chill/calmer songs but what kpop fans like vs the public is very very different. Their last album had some unique sounds on it and it felt more indie than kpop, but that’s not a bad thing. I’m glad that they continue to experiment with their sound even if they don’t hit it out of the park every time. Contrary to what people say, their fairy ethereal sound has never been their signature sound to me even though that’s what they’re mostly known for. They’ve always flip-flopped between that and a more bubbly pop sound.
LikeLike
I feel like OMG got their “big break” on the charts/ became an undeniable A-tier GG in the Queendom/Nonstop era, but it seems like ever since then the music has been getting less compelling, more often you have to dig into the album to find the gems, etc. Oh, to have those Secret Garden/5th Season times back where the single AND the b-sides were equally worth listening to. Glad to see them successful the way they’ve always deserved though, there’s some good stuff in the b-sides on this one but the single does not live up to their standard imo.
LikeLike
i… like it, but god the ending… so much wasted potential 😦
LikeLike
Nonstop and Dun Dun Dance I didn’t care for because they felt like an unwelcome departure from what OMG does best. This, on the other hand… I don’t care for because it’s bland as hell. At least their last couple titles had the smallest hint of life to them.
LikeLike
The title isn’t doing it for me and I’m allergic to tempo changes, but is anyone else digging “Eden”? Strummy and quirky and fun! I wasn’t sold on “Replay” at first but it just kept doing its thing until it won me over.
LikeLike
Eden is one of my least favorite songs on the album. Replay on the other hand, I loved on first listen. Oh my girl can really infuse attitude into a track whenever they want
LikeLike
I understand how this song could be better but I just love how chill this song is
LikeLiked by 2 people
to me this song is perfect
LikeLiked by 2 people
It’s a nice song that was handicapped by being built for streaming. It starts with the chorus, feels too short, and ends abruptly, all strategies of the streaming era.
I wish they’d started with verse one, and let the song build. And saved that cool acapella moment in the chorus for the climax. And not robbed us of a proper ending!
As it stands, it’s a nice song, but a repetitive one that plays all its tricks right away.
LikeLike
I’m always prefer omg with style like closer, secret garden and fifth season but now i’m more enjoy listening their up beat song like this so this song is good for me
LikeLiked by 1 person
As was said by someone in an earlier post, upon first listen I thought this sounded like a B-side also. Since then, this song has really grown on me, but I still feel it sounds a little “empty” at times. I just wish it had a fatter or augmented bass line like “Remember Me.” It can’t be too bad, however, when Mimi gets most of the lines! And for some strange reason, the song reminds me of SNSD’s “Holiday.”
LikeLike