I felt a little conflicted when OnlyOneOf’s series of solo singles ‘Underground Idol‘ was first announced. I mean, I’d rather have some full-group comebacks. But so far, the project is shaping up nicely. We have a narrative through-line, engaging music and the kind of sonic world-building the group has always excelled at. Just one month after member Yoojung kicked us off with Begin, KB takes the baton (and ups the tempo) for Be Free.
While I enjoyed Yoojung’s solo, the song leaned a little heavily on mood for my taste. Be Free is also quite moody, but deepens the funk with an exciting bassline and generous supply of rhythm guitar. This is as shamelessly dance-adjacent as we’ve heard from the group in some time, and I like it! The instrumental is groovy and full of life and – perhaps most importantly – grows as Be Free goes on. It doesn’t feel divided into pre-ordained K-pop segments. It just bops along with a natural flow, confident and fresh.
If I had my druthers (I always do!), I’d wish for a stronger melody. Be Free is one killer chorus away from absolute excellence. The energy of the production elevates the hooks, but it’s clear which element was given the most attention. However, I love KB’s performance. His voice is more malleable than expected, imbuing different moments with different tones and textures. This goes a long way toward making Be Free work. Add a standout instrumental break at the climax and this is easily one of the month’s strongest comebacks.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.75 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I loved Begin and then this comes and knocks me off my feet even more! So good.
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Yeah this was pretty amazing imo. It just kept. getting. better. By the end I was ready to proclaim it my SOTY. A bit premature but for now I’d give it a solid 9.25
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Damn, it’s just impossible to describe how much I love this song. As well as Yoojung’s Begin, for me, as a closeted gay, it makes a lot of sense, and the song’s lyrics give me hope. My rating would be:
Hooks: 8
Production: 10
Longevity: 9
Bias: 10
Total: 9.25/10
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I didn’t expect this to be so groovy? His voice really matches the song too. Really enjoyed it.
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I think I’ll be adding this song to my playlist. I need a groove with a great message in my life.
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I LIKE THIS.
Easily high 8s/low 9s for me. Woo wee!
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I think the song has a groove and style. Not quite marquis level charisma like, say, Taemin, but pretty gosh darn good. High 8’s for me.
I wonder if the video will ever be shown on Korean TV. Also any dance or performance – there were none yet when I checked this morning.
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This is it. My. SONG. OF..THE. YEAR.
100000/10.
I don’t see any flaws in it. Goddamn it, i fucking love this song. MIGHT GOING TO START BINGE-LISTENING TO ONLYONEOF DISCOGRAPHY. If you guys have any recs, I’LL BE DOWN.
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OnlyOneOf has managed to become my favorite K-pop group after these releases. This song just made it clear to me.
Their sound both as a group and as soloists is so unique. I think anyone could agree regardless of whether they like their music or not. This uniqueness is something to deeply appreciate in the current K-pop panorama.
I hope they keep on getting more recognition and stay together for a long time.
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Not as good as ‘Begin’ by Yoojung but still such a great song. I love the atmospheric sound both songs have.
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Ok, This song just gets better and better the more I listen to it.
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I love both Begin and this. They check off all the boxes for me. I also love the story they’re telling through the mvs. I wonder if the other members’ songs will be of the same calibre.
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Keep coming back to this.
One of the strongest solos we’ve seen in the last couple of years.
The “I like your tight blue jean” and the gituar make the hook pretty strong imo. Feels like a 9-10 across the board, compared to the light 8 on release.
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Coming back here years after release to say that this is definitely the strongest solo. Not just of this series, but of all K-pop solo’s we’ve gotten the past few years. It’s definitely a 10 for me (though there’s also a huge emotional aspect to that rating that I won’t delve into). The use of vocal distortion during the chorus, the guitar break (?) in the bridge, the overall groove and emotion this song gives??? Production and songwriting excellence. This is definitely up to the level of ‘libidO’, and perhaps even slightly better. It’s really unfortunate this song went so underappreciated by the general public.
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