Last time we heard from Treasure, they had re-invented their slow jam Darari into a rollicking pop rock banger. That version appears on their new album, which also sees the members taking greater creative control. Thankfully, this results in a dynamic blend of upbeat sounds that recall standout eras in YG Entertainment’s past.
Title track Hello is emblematic of this, mining tried-and-true agency sounds but painting a fresh, youthful sheen over the top. This being YG, the song can’t help but shift into needless tempo changes here and there, but overall this is the most straightforwardly pop Treasure have sounded in a while. Hello is anchored by a synth-and-chant throughline whose melody feels reminiscent to a-ha’s Take On Me (a well worn sonic reference if there ever was one!). Meanwhile, its first verse echoes the maximalist EDM of the early 2010’s, firing on all cylinders with super-charged energy. The song is at its best when it fully commits to this youthful (slightly uncool) style.
With members Bang Yedam and Mashiho still on hiatus, the group feels a bit depleted. Yedam’s vocals are particularly missed, as his unique tone always stands out in Treasure songs. Hello isn’t a rap-heavy track, and could benefit from a few vocal highlights. Instead, the insistent beat does the talking. But, you’ll find no complaints here. I’m a sucker for this high-energy sound. It may be derivative and cheesy, but I’m much more likely to crank up the volume on a song like this as opposed to the bait-and-switch beat drops of JIKJIN.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.75 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Finally! Finally it happened! This is the first Treasure title track which I genuinely love. I’m heavily biased towards this late 00’s-early 10’s EDM sound. But that second-verse trap breakdown….it ruins the song a little😔
Anyway, that ain’t much of a flaw, my rating would be the same.
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I’m someone who started listening to kpop during second gen, so I understand the people who are drawn to this kind of EDM, but it’s just a bit lacking to me overall. With the instrumentals feeling kind of average (bland percussion and overly generic sounding synths) and melody not having enough “unf,” it just kind of feels more dated than nostalgic to me. Sure, it stands out from the recent boy group releases (not an incredibly high bar to reach), but if it were released during the time it draws its sound on it wouldn’t stand out for me. Definitely not a terrible song though.
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Another one where the songcraft is phoned in. *sigh*, I mean, I just can’t. There is one and half lines of melody total. The one more time with feeling outro was definitely not earned.
Minus a point for missing Bang Yedam. Mid 7’s at best for me.
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I’ve only listened to the title once because I’ve been hitting repeat on VolKno for the past hour.
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Yedam would’ve made this song even better. A good track though, miles better than some of their previous ones.
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I actually like it. It really reminded me of early 2010s YG music.
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The instrumental is just so strange. Feels like AI-generated percussion. For sure my favorite offering of theirs, though!
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Oh i’m enjoying this! It reminds me of Histories by Genic which is another song i love with an EDM structure. Also the production in the rap unit song VolKno is insane!!!!! Now we need more Treasure with rock guitars please!!!
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I have listened to Seulgi’ song, Onewe’s song and this – Treasure’s song is definitely my favorite for the day!! ❤❤ The other two low-key made me feel sleepy, but this one was pretty fun!!
I don’t know Treasure as a group that well so I can’t say I miss out on certain members or anything – So my opinion is from the song alone – I really liked it! Cute and fun! And they all sounded really nice! ❤
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Some of us oldies have a soft spot for Bang Yedam as he appeared on the Korean version of American Idol back when he was very young (10 years old!), the same season that AkMu won it and he came in 2nd place. They all get signed to YG, back when YG was good. Then we all had to wait many years for Bang Yedam to grow up and finally debut in Treasure.
Here is an oldie of the trio all youngie.
‘https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW30CHMc9K0
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ooh! That’s interesting! I have heard bits and pieces about this before and a lot about Yedam’s long journey to debut! I never knew he was 10 though lol! That trio cover is certainly cute! I kinda understand how long following fans would feel his absence more than casual listeners like me lol 🙂
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This is so CUUUTEE! Last time Treasure leaned on their brighter side (that retro track that I forgot the name of earlier last year), I wasn’t a fan and just by looking at the thumbnail I knew that they shifted to that side. But it didn’t disappoint at all! Even the typical YG Party chorus at the end sounds great instead of an incoherent mess. Plus it’s 2010’s nostalgia so what’s not to love? Treasure definitely brightened my gloomy Tuesday today
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EDMMM YESSS !!! Maybe it’s just nostalgia kicking in but I love this EDM Rave style. This is Great. I will definitely have this song on repeat
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I like this quite a bit, and I’m always glad when Treasure is bright and snappy. I would like a little more sophistication in the arrangement, but overall, I’m not mad.
However, I am a little bitter I must buy the whole CD to get that glorious Dadari remake, though. But Clap! is kinda great, and I like about 2/3 of the whole thing. I’ll take one for the team.
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YAY! It’s been a while since I’ve heard some good EDM from K-Pop. The sound is a bit too dated for me but I’ll take what I get.
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Ah, yes, I was wondering what this reminded me of – it was my mid-80s youth calling to me.
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This sounds really dated. I can’t really relate to the people who are nostalgic for this sort of EDM, but maybe it’s cause I would constantly hear it as a kid of the late 2000’s/early 2010’s. I seriously hope that unless they have something new to say in this genre, that nobody ever revisits it.
Also, maybe this is unfair to the other members, but I believe Yedam could have saved the song. And, Hyunsuk, I know you’re my bias, but I’d rather you didn’t have any lines if you couldn’t do it without a trap breakdown.
A strong prechorus and a catchy chorus stop me from throwing this song away though.
I’ll have to give it a 7, and I don’t think it’s rating will improve.
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Late to this review, but this is the song that comes to mind:
This is a complement, btw. They absolutely pull it off. I wish they didn’t have that trap breakdown in the second verse but otherwise yeah, I love this, this is great. Between this and VolKno I may start paying attention to this group.
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I like it, it’s iKON and Big Bang but with 10 members singing it. Recently just followed Treasure and I see that they’re still training rappers to be B.I and that last chorus anthem is such a typical YG thing, which felt like icing at the top.
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