Astro were one of my first musical obsessions after creating this blog. Their debut year delivered pop classic after pop classic, only to culminate in the brilliantly bright, brilliantly melodic Dream Part One album in 2017. Can you believe there was a time when both they and GFriend were reliably releasing Iggy/Youngbae-produced bangers? I miss artist/composer partnerships with specific vision and musical perspective.
New single Candy Sugar Pop is the group’s most buoyant single since those halcyon days. I mean, how can a song called “Candy Sugar Pop” be anything but fizzy and ebullient? This just so happens to be the formula I covet when it comes to Astro, making this my favorite comeback they’ve released in years. The song’s retro influences feel like a natural progression from Rocky and JinJin’s solo project this January, bolstered by SHINee-esque funk for good measure.
A great pop song is only as strong as its chorus, and Candy Sugar Pop boasts a whopper. The melody is big and splashy, underlined by exciting synth and bounding percussion. It’s the kind of hook that will instantly lodge itself in your head – sweet and sugary without crossing into cloying territory. I love when those massive synths are joined by rap during the song’s final moments. It’s such a satisfying energy. In contrast, the verses (and especially the pre-chorus) don’t quite match up to the catchiness of the hook. Candy Sugar Pop spins its wheels a bit more than it should, making the chorus even more indispensable. With so many of their peers shouting and posturing over clanging beats, Astro wisely play to their strengths, delivering one of the strongest boy group tracks this year.
| Hooks | 9 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 9 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Thanks for this great review, Nick! I really feel like ASTRO have hit a summer king stride with the last two OT6 releases.
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The whole album is custom made to match my taste!
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Funny you should say that because apart from one or two tracks I found the album quite dull. But then again, I generally don’t like slower songs. At least the title track’s fantastic.
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As much as I love energetic songs, the slow ones like MJ and Rocky’s solo are the perfect company for sleepless nights. I’m heavily biased tho, anything ASTRO releases is bound to grow on me even of I don’t like it at the first listen lol
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My expectations got very low after I saw the title name, and I thought that it would have a cute concept, tbh (something I often dislike). But as a result, we were given a banger like this. I feel I’m never gonna get over this kind of songs😩
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SO fun. Great album too. Finally some good food from boy groups.
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This is what’s gonna happen when you order Dynamite on Wish and the item is delivered 2 years late.
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It’s a hell of a lot more fun than Dynamite, so that’s a surprise I wouldn’t mind.
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i mean… if youre going to take a song titled ‘candy sugar pop’ seriously that’s on you! chillax brother
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Yanno how sometimes bands follow up their hit song with a song just like it. Momoland Boom Boom followed by Baam Baam comes to mind. Or how many boys-girls-cars-surfing songs the Beach Boys did – Surfing Safari, Surfin USA, Catch a Wave, and others. This is like that, except Candy Sugar Pop is separated from Crazy Sexy Cool by several years.
That said, yeah it’s a good song. Maybe mid-8’s for me.
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As long as it’s a song that has enough melodic diversity (not Boom Boom or Baam, though those are fun) I am all for more of the same style! I feel like CSC was more subdued and grounded, less fizzy than this one.
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Let’s go! Another title track “9” rating!
I wonder if 2022 will end up like 2020, where a lot of the stronger singles come from the second half of the year because it seems like the average song quality is increasing so far.
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We can only hope!
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This sounds great. It doesn’t feel brickwalled to the extent that many recent kpop releases have been. The instrumental is easy on the ears and matches the rest of the song.
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An absolute banger! It kinda reminds me of “crazy sexy cool” in terms of concept. Sweet without being too sugary, cool without being too serious. The song is very Astro and is the perfect vibe for summer. I imagine ill be playing this on repeat a lot.
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Sounds like every up-beat BG song ever.
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It’s a lot of fun for sure! But I have no idea how it’ll fare for me longevity-wise. After Midnight was fun right off the bat too, but I ended up stopping playing it just weeks after its release. I’ll have to see.
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When you said this was one of the best boy groups tracks of the year I was confused, but then I thought about how weak boy group songs have been this year. I don’t think the song is bad, it’s a lot of fun, but I haven’t been itching to listen to it a bunch
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Haha yeah definitely grading on a curve!
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Wait a minute! How on earth did I miss the return of ~ buoyent ~ Astro?
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