It’s cool that SM Entertainment has kept its digital Station platform going. The idea launched around the same time The Bias List did, offering an avenue for the agency’s artists to expand their catalog by tackling new genres and collaborating with talent from around the industry. Love Theory pairs NCT’s Taeyong with K-hip-hop artist Wonstein. It’s a good match, and allows Taeyong to rap in a more relaxed, natural way than many NCT tracks.
Love Theory has a warm atmosphere that would be perfect for coffee shops or laid-back get-togethers. I appreciate the vibe, even if I’m not crazy about the plonky percussion. Too often in idol music, hip-hop becomes synonymous with badass posturing, and that really limits the appeal of the genre. Both Taeyong and Wonstein deliver an engaging flow, bringing the track to life with plenty of personality and a sense of spontaneity.
With that being said, Love Theory’s hook is not for me. It’s the kind of sing-song melody that always grates, and the English-language rhymes stick out in a distracting way. I imagine many listeners will enjoy the catchiness of this chorus, but for me it’s the kind of catchiness that quickly becomes cloying. Luckily, Love Theory boasts a few treats that make it worth a listen. Chief amongst these is Taeyong’s growly bridge – a performance that seems to pay tribute to the classic Yoo Young-Jin-isms that laid the foundation for SM’s signature vocal style.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 7 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.25 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
The back-and-forth between Taeyong and Wonstein is really fun to listen to…makes you wonder what they could’ve achieved in a song with more oomph to it
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Despite this song is not my type to listen to, I appreciate its vibe. Nevertheless, when it’s necessary for me (e.g. when I feel stressed), I would find it enjoyable. All in all, I’m giving it a 7.5/10
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It does have a nice vibe to it, light hearted hip hop. But maybe not really compelling.
It almost sounds like early solo Zico, back when he would pair with an indie vocalist. Like this old gem. This is a song of summer to me.
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It’s very cute. It’s no Long Flight, and i think Baekhyun gave better dating tips on Get You Alone, but it’s soft and sweet, and I like Taeyong’s weird little vocals.
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Taeyong isn’t a person who I get excited about usually and I’ve never heard of wonstein before. So, I was fully prepared to not like this. But this is the type of laid back summery(could totally be listened to all year, but summer is when I find myself listening to this sort of songs) track that I can get into it because it’s engaging all the way through. The English words in the chorus definitely draw attention but I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not, leaning more to good. I like this sing-song nature of the hook because the vocal tone don’t make it super obnoxious like a “love scenario”. Only thing I wished they did was keep those horns for the last chorus. It’s doesn’t need to be a bombastic fiesta of brass (cause it’s not that type of song) but I really enjoyed their texture.
For what it is, I quite liked this song
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I had very low expectations for this song but it’s a fun and breezy listening that goes down easy!
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One of the interesting things about Taeyong’s stations is his insistence on only co-writing and putting out songs with a very small and specific producer pool – Zayson Wong is the only arranger on this song, and Royal Dive did the arrangement on Long Flight and Lonely. They seem to be be coming out from a very different process from the usual SM song camp, and I do appreciate how these, and his Soundcloud work, are letting us see his growth as a songwriter.
The Yoo Young Jin homage in the bridge is going to be forever funny to me.
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