ONEUS seem to be waffling between aggressive, shout-along title tracks (ie: this spring’s Bring It On) and softer sounds. New single Same Scent catches them in a more reserved state, harnessing a groovy beat and tropical synths that revisit the sound of their 2020 track A Song Written Easily. Given my own bias, the whole production reminds me strongly of Golden Child’s excellent Burn It From last year. It’s a comparison that both benefits and blunts Same Scent’s allure.
Same Scent is a testament to the importance of a producer’s game plan. You can either create a song from the ground up, crafting melody and hooks before constructing the instrumental to support them. Or, you can flesh out your instrumental before finding vocal melodies to place over the top. I suspect Same Scent took the latter approach, and this is an important distinction. The song is all about its groove, and might feel more like a series of ad-libs without the instrumental leading the way. This is where Same Scent differs from a song like Burn It. The style and mood are there, but it lacks the commanding chorus and sense of structural momentum that would free it from the confines of its production.
Still, a sterling instrumental (and in K-pop’s case, a dynamic performance) can go a long way toward selling a song. The wall of synth that opens the track is ultra-familiar, but no less potent. It forges Same Scent’s beat-drop hook and acts as a satisfying centerpiece. And while there aren’t many contrasting melodies sewn within these resounding beats, Same Scent succeeds in painting a mood. ONEUS wring everything they can from the material, bringing the sultry energy the song demands. It has a hypnotic quality that will likely benefit from repeated listens.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
i really like the song but i don’t get how this mv goes with the song. it felt better when i wasn’t watching it (much more… summer-y?)
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I thought of Burn It too. This is one of those songs that burrowed in before I had time to react. It’s sensual and sad but not slow. I’m sure the visuals didn’t hurt, with all the different textures of velvet, water, silk, gemstones, and the graceful, lovely choreography. I’m sure it has shortcomings but I can’t feel them.This and 458 have my soul right now.
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Comparing to May’s Bring it on, a song which I despise as a shouty boy group piece of garbage, this one is a huge step up for the group. I like it, but without that beat drop centerpiece the song could do so much better, and instantly sounds more generic because of this. Agree with the rating.
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The song is good and I know eventually will grow to love it like every other Oneus song. The album? I think is on of the best albums I heard this year. If I don’t get a buried treasure I will stop reading the blog Nick (joking)
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I immediately got the Song Written Easily vibes from this too! I feel that for the MV and ambience they were going for something more closer to Valkyrie but the song itself was ASWE.
If anything, the song is quite a pleasant listen. The ad-lib chorus is super catchy and I’m humming it already. And the instrumental is really nice. And that’s a very interesting observation you made, and thinking about it, it makes perfect sense – The instrumental really seems to be the centre piece with the vocals layered on top of it. I don’t particularly mind, because for me a good instrumental can sometimes boost the value of a whole song 😅
The vocals were pretty pleasing here as well and I really enjoyed Ravn’s rap! A lot of groups switch like this between concepts but personally I find I really enjoy the way Oneus does it! Somehow I feel they fit and adapt to each of their switched up concepts really well! 😀
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This is too much like ASWE for my taste but it’s still very nice! Glad they leaned into pop rock for Stupid Love, definitely my vote for Buried Treasure. The rest of the album is solid as usual. ONEUS is becoming one of the more dependable groups for me where I know I’ll like most of the b-sides even if the title track is somewhat lacking.
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On 1st listen I’m not sure I like it. I think it isn’t that memorable, nor is it anywhere near what ONEUS can do best.
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I can always rely on ONEUS for great music to listen to. I’ve liked every single song ONEUS has released and this is no different. Solid album yet again from ONEUS.
‘Stupid Love’ is such a great song but so is ‘FULL MOON’ so I’m having trouble which one to pick for buried treasure
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I know, who are Oneus really. About half. Half of everything they release hits home, the rest meh.
Darling daughter listened to “Luna” from Nov21 so much, I reset the playcount. Then there is the cray cray “Shut up I go crazy hot” – not the real title but that is how I sing it. Also, A Song Written Easily, yet again different.
This one here is somewhere in the middle of the muddle.
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This reminds me of if Burn It and Blood, Sweat, and Tears were put in a blender, then a ton of water was added… idk it’s a little boring, which is kind of a let down. I prefer Bring It On actually, that had more personality.
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I guess I’m in the minority here, I really dislike this song. It’s just so repetitive, it’s boring and doesn’t go anywhere. The individual teasers are much more appealing to me than the actual video as well. I loved “Luna” and also recently I’ve been listening a lot to “to be or not to be”… “black mirror” too. To me all of those songs represent much more exciting and dynamic sounds, which is what I’ve come to expect from this group. Oh well, hopefully their next comeback will be for me.
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Everybody’s talking about how this sounds like ASWE and Burn It, but I could only hear a sadder Valkyrie throughout the song. Repetitive guitar riff that leads to the chorus, EDM drop chorus with a melody that’s made to support the production instead of the other way around, fake out right before the chorus, etc. Provided, it isn’t even close to how good Valkyrie is, but all the elements are there, and I’m surprised no one else noticed it.
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I liked the song on the first listen, but as I listened more to it the last 3 days, I feel like it could have been so much more? I’m stuck on the melody hmm something feels lacking? Like it doesn’t have that same impactful melody from their other songs 🤔 Other than that, it kinda feels weird for me to feel meh on a ONEUS song since they’re one of my ults… Hopefully the next comeback is better since it seems like their better songs are released in the later months of the year 🙏
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I knew this song sounded, so familiar!! Idk if it’s just me, but this song sounds very similar to Game by Drippin, it’s a repetitive song that we’ve heard before
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I knew this song sounded, so familiar!! Idk if it’s just me, but this song sounds very similar to Game by Drippin, it’s a repetitive song that we’ve heard before
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