Back in June, Omega X shifted their sound toward brighter pop for the summer season. Play Dumb didn’t quite get there for me, but I appreciated the move away from the shouty style of their earlier work. It turns out we needed a trip to Japan to see this potential realized in a more satisfying way. Stand Up is unlikely to ever be promoted in Korea, but I think it’s the group’s strongest single yet.

Stand Up isn’t much more than your boilerplate summer K-pop track, but we just don’t hear many of these songs anymore. It’s got the roller-rink-ready vibes of UP10TION’s immortal bop Tonight and never upends its bright energy with needless shifts or breakdowns. I’m particularly fond of the verses, which harness a sticky melody to forge a sense of movement that keeps the head nodding. Smartly, the second verse repeats the structure of the first but with a bit more drive. Again, this shouldn’t be rocket science. But, we rarely hear it from idol groups anymore!

Stand Up’s chorus is less exciting, but gets the job done. Rhythm guitar delivers plenty of beachy vibes and the guys offer an enthusiastic vocal that feels fresh and effortless. There’s a fine line between “effortless” and “boring,” and the difference comes down to songwriting and production. In Stand Up’s case, the song holds just enough potent hooks to make it a summer highlight. Weirdly, it’s performed mostly in English. I wonder if the guys are aware of what they’re alluding to when they say “Show me what you got in the back”? How scandalous!