I’d like to think NINE.i’s name is so literal that it means the members have nine eyes (five members + an eye patch?). But alas, there are ten members. That makes twenty eyes and a bit of confusion on my part. Upon further research, it looks like NINE.i (inexplicably) stands for “Everyday NEW.i.”
Um. What?
Kidding aside, the arrival of a new idol group is always exciting. Will they debut with a unique, thrilling sound or model themselves after existing trends? NINE.i’s Parallel Universe doesn’t do either. It’s not trendy enough to slot within K-pop’s current landscape, nor does it offer any specific perspective. The song plays it right down the middle. If K-pop had an “adult contemporary” category, this would be it. I think this is a dangerous approach for a debuting rookie in an already over-saturated market, but what do I know?
Parallel Universe is… (wait for it)… fine. The sentimental melodies are fine. The vocal performance is fine. Nothing stands out as particularly good or particularly bad. I do love the sci-fi synth that emerges during the song’s second half, injecting the otherwise plodding instrumental with a unique texture for the first time. Had the entire track harnessed this energy, we could be looking at a very exciting debut. Parallel Universe’s second verse adds more propulsion to the track, but never builds toward any highlight beyond its pleasant, familiar chorus. Hints of potential spring up here and there, but this song could have been performed by almost anybody. Hopefully, NINE.i will have more tricks up their sleeves in the future.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 7 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I am glad that I don’t have my own blog, because I have run out of ways to say “basic kpop” in a more eloquent fashion.
Thank you for letting us know how to pronounce this.
Speaking of Adult contemporary, in related news, Michael Bolton has advanced to the semifinals in the American Song Contest, representing the state of Connecticut.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This sounds like a bts b-side.
And also, I really like this a lot.
LikeLiked by 4 people
The name reminds me of the reggae producer Niney the Observer, a very weird thing to be thinking about listening to this. “Guess who’s coming to dinner, natty Kpop.”
It scratches a few more itches for me. If I were a song-rating woman, it would be a 7.75 or 8. It’s solid, and I like the harmonies.
LikeLike
Have you listened to CIX’s Japanese release? It’s actually pretty good in my eyes
LikeLike
I gave it a quick listen. The single is nice. Haven’t heard the album yet. I may review it later, but it’s not on the top of my list at the moment.
LikeLike
Sorry to be out of topic, but Nick, will you review the pre-release of Brand New Music new boy group Younite? I think it’s called Everybody.
LikeLike
It’s posted now 🙂
LikeLike
I listened to this song for the first time today and it caught my attention. Never heard of this debut so I checked out the group’s info and other songs. Obviously, as part of that research I had to read your thoughts about it. I actually liked this song, especially after watching the acoustic performance they posted on their YT channel. Their voices sounded really good there, and this song and their B-sides are very pleasant to my ears! They are not loud, dark, noisy, fresh, fun, happy or cute….what do you call this concept? I read one of the members is the producer and I think that’s actually impressive considering he is 22 (or something like that). I’ll keep an eye on their next comeback which is next week. ✌🏻
LikeLike
“everyday new.i” is just their intro. the name Nine.i goes along with their parallel universe concept. It’s said in their concept that everyone has a specific energy, and in their group there is nine energies (nine members) and one “connecter” (the tenth member) if you look at it more closely, nine.i can be read as nine+1.
LikeLike