With the release of their new special album, ONF have rewritten the rules for how boy groups handle military enlistment. I’m no expert, but I thought idol groups weren’t able to release music during enlistment because of laws related to wages and income. However, WM Entertainment had the foresight to record and prepare this material prior to ONF’s hiatus, making it feel like long-buried archival footage dug up just when we need it most.
As its title implies, Your Song is essentially a fan song. But, it retains the talents of ONF-music-mastermind Hwang Hyun and paints its sentimentality with a rousing, upbeat brush. This ebullient energy comes in fits and starts. Your Song’s opening verse stretches nearly a minute long, opting for a slow burn that echoes typical fan song tropes. The melody is pretty but not particularly galvanizing. Fortunately, the track soon bursts into its chorus with a resounding influx of percussion and backing vocals. I’d have preferred the whole thing to carry this sunny spirit. There’s a bit too much noodling around during the verses.
If we’re judging by “fan song” standards, Your Song definitely comes out on top. It’s buoyant, beautifully performed and melodically sharp. As a full comeback (which it technically isn’t), the track fades in the shadow of other titans within ONF’s discography. For now, I think it’s safe to say this release does exactly what it’s supposed to. Your Song is the bridge between last year’s Goosebumps and whatever epic music the guys have up their sleeves post-enlistment. It’s a much-appreciated gift, and hopefully an impetus for agencies to be more creative about the ways they handle their boy group hiatuses.
| Hooks | 9 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
this is a pretty decent fan song with an equally cool music video. rating’s about right
anyway i’d like to say a few words to mbk; WHERE THE FUCK IS THE DIA COMEBACK??? YOU PROMISED IT WOULD BE RELEASED THIS MONTH ALL THE WAY BACK IN MAY AND BY NOW YOU SHOULD’VE RELEASED TEASERS FOR IT!!! IT GOT ME EXCITED BUT WHERE IS IT??? ARE YOU DOING A REPEAT OF JULY 2018, NOVEMBER 2018, AND JANUARY 2021???
fuck mbk
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Wow. Did not know about the promised DIA comeback as I haven’t been following them, but it’s been way too long since their last one. Ineptitude, for sure.
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IZ*ONE’s former members in a group: striving, successful
I.O.I’s former members in a group: unfortunate. Congrats, Yeonjung because WJSN is still doing great.
I’m worried for Chungha’s future. The hype for her has died drastically.
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This is somewhat better than Sukhumvit Swimming which is all I really ask of an ONF song. 😛
In all seriousness, I like this quite a bit. It’s not a patch on their absolute best work, but it’s a no-nonsense melodic song with just enough of a pulse and for that I like it. High 8s for me initially, with room to grow.
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I missed ONF! My favorite boy group of this current generation of K-pop. They’re honestly the only group I replay constantly, ever since last year, not one of their mini albums has been out of rotation. Beautiful Beautiful, Complete, We Must Love, My Genesis, Goosebumps, Ugly Dance etc. etc. are all such killer tracks.
Your Song is really, really good and lives up to the reputation of ONF’s fantastic single run. Hwang Hyun is such a genius producer my god, his choices of synths and melodies are so indelible. ONF are also really great performers! Their vocals here sound super good!
*Also hoping Buried Treasure for Runaway*
I am just really glad that my three favorite groups are back in like a span of a month with awesome songs.
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The chorus of Runaway is great but the verses drag it down for me. Given its title, it spends way too much time sputtering around…
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That’s understandable, even I felt the verses were kind of weak. But, the bridge and finale was so, so good.
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I am SOOOO happy they did this. There are a lot of slower songs which is to be expected. I can’t be mad because I’ll accept anything at this point from them. However, the one song that I was JAMMING to from this album was Runaway. It was the up tempo song I needed from them.
I’m very excited to receive the album. They are one of the few groups that I consistently want to buy the album for. They just make good music™️.
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For a surprise fan service song, it actually is among the better examples of the subgenre.
It might have been a solid 8, but gets an extra fraction of a point for the key change slid in there just for me. (It’s right at 3:13.)
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They picked the right title track. It’s a perfectly nice, serviceable album with the exception of the Gucci song which definitely does not exist. It’s a bit low key overall, but I don’t mind low key. I think they do the slower songs well. And it would be weird to hit us with a full-fledged hit-you-over-the-head single when they are not present to promote it. As I was not expecting anything from them for another year or so, this is a nice little treat that will be getting some play time from me (except for the Gucci song which, I repeat, does not at all exist).
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I was dreading the Gucci song! BUT… as cringey as the chorus lyrics are, I actually think having this song on the album showcases the members’ versatility! How many members are rapping on this track? It’s amazing! I would think it’s at least Wyatt, Yuto, and MK. I think the vocal performances on this track are super impressive, especially when contrasted with the crooner “Traveler.” These guys are really impressive vocalists.
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I have the same feeling about Gucci. Within the fandom lot of us were ready to just ignore the song existence when the highlight medley came out. The final product is actually an interesting experiment.
I see it as a “hey! We can do noise too” and while we are here let’s try some stuff with the members’ underused capacities: Etion and MK rapping plus having most of the vocal parts, J-us “sexy-aggressive” way to sing, Hyojin rap-talk (guilty pleasure of mine I wouldn’t say it’s his incredible hidden talent). The vocal line in the chorus is insane and makes things work just before the annoying rap-talk…gets too annoying.
If the english lyrics weren’t so dumb (dumb but catchy, I give that to them) I’m pretty sure the song would get more attention. I’m not loving it, but I don’t dislike it as much as I thought.
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one of their best releases as an album tbh i loved the b sides and the title
onf saving music once again 🙏🙏
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Not bad. Kinda missed them so I really like this
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A very welcome gift. I can’t wait to hear the rest of the album (except Gucci, I’m dreading that). it is sometimes nice to see the different configurations a group comes out with as a result of military service. However, I much prefer the route WM took with ONF, it feels a lot less messy. With ONF in particular, I think the members mesh so well that it would be weird to break them up.
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oh I was waiting for this review! I’m curious if any bsides would get the buried treasures treatment (runaway would be my guess)
but otherwise, yeah i agree with the sentiments here. this is a perfectly serviceable song for the fans during their enlistment hiatus.
your song is not one of their best work, but that’s a high bar. more importantly, it’s good to hear their voices again!
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I would maybe subtract from longevity but add to production. My bias is also a 10 haha
Will you be reviewing other tracks? I much prefer the bsides, and I think My Song in particular is incredible. Hope it gets some attention!
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