Sometimes I forget ex-Snuper member Sebin is part of Omega X. Revisiting 2016’s K-pop releases yesterday, I realized yet again how desperate I am for some Snuper-esque Sweetune pop in 2022. Quick! Get Sebin on the phone with his old collaborators and work out a deal. After all, Omega X’s agency has opted to switch concepts for the release of their first full album. But while its sonic palette has brightened, Play Dumb could do with a hearty injection of melodic hooks.
Like most of their work so far, Play Dumb is polished but lacks a unique musical perspective. It gallops through many established “bright” boy group tropes, including Seventeen-esque funk stabs and plonky hip-hop beats. You can even find an outdated “skrrt” if you listen hard enough. While the overall effect is jovial enough, Play Dumb never lands a killer punch. That’s the thing about these bright K-pop tracks. They’re not successful solely because they’re energetic and fun. The best examples are highlighted by a robust series of hooks and melodies.
Play Dumb conforms to expectations, and its chorus is more melodic than pre-release teasers suggested. But in the end, the song doesn’t offer many memorable turns. The pre-chorus is probably its strongest moment, building on the group’s vocal skills to craft a buoyant hook. I’m less enthused by the chanted “dumb dumb” post-chorus. It’s meant to be playful and rowdy but comes across as obnoxious. Thankfully, Play Dumb’s brisk energy carries the day and the track floats by on its good vibes. It won’t ever be top of my playlist, but it’s a fine enough effort as we head into summer.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Compared to Vamos, their self-titled b-side and What’s Going On, this one feels like a breath of fresh air for me. I’m done with all these noisy shitpieces we’ve been hearing from boy groups throughout the most of this year, and it’s a good thing that Omega X shifted to a brighter sound. Yeah, the song is not bad. It’s fun and refreshing, but extremely forgettable. Still, I’ll be returning to this quite often as this is my type of song, though I expect myself to remember it after up to 10-15 listens.
Here comes my rating:
Hooks: 8
Production: 9
Longevity: 7
Bias: 9
Total: 8.25/10
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I dream about a “Sliding Doors” universe where Play Dumb is performed by Drippin and Zero by Omega X to see how different the rating would be.
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This was dumb diggy dumb dumb and I kind of love it. The video was also kind of idiotic and I also kind of loved it. I’m still waiting for Son of Younger, but this is slight, entertaining, soothes my brain, and makes me forget some of their more painful songs.
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Also, their Take ‘Em All is a pretty good 2nd gen feeling party banger. Even a call and response part that you could see at a concert.
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I actually loved this one! Not what I expected from Omega X but it was so easy and fun and I couldn’t help smile as I watched it! I honestly like MV’s that are a bit silly!
I guess there is this ONF sized hole in kpop this year and while absolutely nobody can fill that the way they do I think a few upbeat songs like these can atleast cover a part of the “O” 🤣
I also liked that there was a lot more singing here! Their rapline is good, but I really like their vocals! I think this is a song that would get better with a performance too, so I’m looking forward to that!
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I would be a lot more excited about this if we didn’t hear several bright theme bangers from 2016 posting yesterday. This one is okayish, but not quite the same.
Also, the phrase “Play Dumb” doesn’t have many positive connotations these days and is hardly used in my circle, unless one has just played dumb at customer service to return something well outside of their policy but the person there takes pity on you and lets you anyway. As an example, my unnie and I played dumb a few Kcon’s ago and scored some free Stray Kids swag from the premium seats staff who just wanted us to go away.
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im just waiting for the day everyone in snuper completes their military service so they can have another comeback 🥲
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This is one of the better uses of a tennis court in a Kpop MV that I’ve seen. Maybe I have Somi’s Dumb Dumb on my mind, but I feel like this could have also worked well as a girl group song. It’s cute!
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