With rookie girl groups ruling the charts this year (seriously, have you seen the MelOn top ten lately??), newer boy groups need to pick up the slack. But with so many of these emerging acts harnessing identical sounds, there seems to be a lack of creativity holding them back. BLANK2Y debuted earlier this year with the forgettable Thumbs Up, and from their sound to their name to their image there isn’t anything significantly different about them.
However, first comebacks can be a chance to course correct. Smaller acts like BLANK2Y have nothing to lose by taking musical risks, so it’s frustrating when they’re saddled with generic boy group slop like Fuego (Burn It Up). For the song’s first minute, I had some hope this could turn into a BTS “Fire” style hype track. That wouldn’t have been new or exciting, but at least it’s a proven formula. Instead, Fuego collapses into K-pop chorus hell.
I don’t think I can articulate just how tired I am of these beat drop/chanted hooks in boy group songs. As expected, Fuego’s central loop is loud and obnoxious. It lacks nuance, depth or any sense of innovation. And without a melodic hook over the top, it blusters by without leaving any mark. It’s a disgruntled passerby – not intimidating or colorful enough to grab attention. It just… exists. This is particularly disappointing because BLANK2Y clearly have talent. They deliver Fuego as well as anyone could and bring plenty of eager energy. But, the song unravels as it goes on, ending as a cacophony of poorly-designed noise.
| Hooks | 6 |
| Production | 6 |
| Longevity | 7 |
| Bias | 6 |
| RATING | 6.25 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I think it’s the fact that Girl Group just have better and sharper songwriters. Identity is no problem for this current generation of boy groups, E’last, Kingdom, GHOST9, P1Harmony all have a distinctive sound to them. It’s the fact that it isn’t channeled properly to create compelling, enjoyable pieces of music. Add to the fact that agencies keep on ignoring all the best parts about their groups, then the individuality fades away.
I could’ve seen GHOST9 becoming really popular in 2021 if only had their company capitalized on the strength of their vocal line. E last’s music has devolved into the kind of moody schtick which gets extremely tiring. P1Harmony’s music feels like it’s trying to be too hard to be clever. And Kingdom seems to pay more heed to concept than song.
Honestly, The only thing saving a group like Treasure from falling off to obscurity is the fact that they hail from a big company like YG.
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I thought E’Last and Kingdom have some of the best b-sides this year. But i would have preferred Shelter for the lead single for E’Last instead of Creature, and Illusion instead of Ascension for Kingdom. I will continue to sing the praises of Black Level and NINE-i, but they are nugu as hell, which kind of proves your point.
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I’d prefer if Kingdom refined their sound rather than choose b-sides. Their music needs a sense of dynamics, I think songs like Black Crown, Ascension and Excalibur would’ve been top-tier if it was tied to quieter segments and excellent melodies.
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I really wish that an old-school rock producer would work with them. I’ve often joked they are like the Alan Parsons Project of K-pop with all their concepts.
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Another day, another predictable noisy mess. I’m just here to see what swear words my friend Baejaehoon will repeat this time …
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Lol, I got so exhausted of swearing and raging because of this noise that at this time I just decided to calm myself down and speak out, in a super lethargic way😂
If agencies suffer from lack of musical innovation and keep reminiscing same old shit, then why don’t they see Nick’s Open Discussion post where we were suggesting ’em new sound palettes? Hope this will help 🙂
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The struggle is real.
On the plus side, I did click through the Melon click, and found a new ballad singer to sing along with – Im Young Woong. His single “If We Ever Meet Again” from May22 is pretty good for Korean ballads. I can totally see why his entire album is ranking on the Melon list as Koreans love this sort of thing.
“Love Letter” sounds like a Roy Kim ballad updating some old classic like “Around 30”.
‘https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2FcQvCbDWg
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After hearing the first seconds of this, I immediately turned it off. I HATE this one. HATE, HATE, HATE so much. I mean, if the agency debuted their own group and gives ’em this dated and ultra-generic noisy shit, does its existence make sense? In my opinion, no.
As usual, Nick’s ratings are too high, I’d give it a 5 at best.
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Damn, I honestly think it’s disrespectful how some companies keep giving these cheap, bad and uninspired songs to boys who spent YEARS of their lives training hard to improve their skills so that they could finally debut in a group. Feels like they’re not even trying to create successful artists, idk…
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The stuff that isn’t noisy and flail-y is well sung, and the rapper is super-solid. They are so much better than the material. It’s frustrating.
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im writing a bg version of the kpop gg song i wrote soon
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Yes! Vrrrooom Vrooom skrtt.
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I feel like only a few groups (BIGBANG, BTS, ATEEZ .etc) could pull the shouting/chant chorus off very well because how amazing their performance and character was in the song.
But yeah I’m already tired of this cookie cutter formula for rookie boy groups. Give us something new for once!
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Not so long ago I saw someone state on Twitter that they had to give double rookie awards for girl groups instead of each award for the best male and female rookie this year. From my messy memory, I’m so not sure when was the last time a boy group song rocked the public, it could be Love Scenario by Ikon. And I don’t get along with why Dynamite could go viral about 2 years ago. So can I come to the conclusion that the public prefers bright boys to bad boys?
Noisy melody, silly structures, and forgettable lyrics are all no big deal unless they come up with a haunting vibe that the majority of listeners absolutely lose their immune system after first listening. Therefore, boy groups should go ask for fortune tellers or feng shui masters to achieve the goal.
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as a filthy enjoyer of noise music i quite liked this…. thumbs up was bland but this? woah
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Honestly… I don’t hate it as much as I thought I would (although speaking as someone who’s mother language is spanish, they use Spanish sentences the way a caveman would and that’s kinda cringy)
Other than that, I will never dislike a 4th gen bg song more than Lock Down by EPEX. At least FUEGO doesn’t do a shouty beat drop that just kills the energy
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