Review

Song Review: TXT – Sugar Rush Ride

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TXT - Sugar Rush RideDespite climbing to some of the highest highs in recent years, TXT’s title tracks tend to be hit or miss with me. They’ll release something utterly brilliant like Crown or Run Away or 0X1=LOVESONG, only to follow it with a single that hits many of my musical pet peeves (I’m side-eying you, Can’t You See Me and Puma). With new track Sugar Rush Ride, they’ve somehow managed to meld both extremes into one song. If we’re playing with the analogy of its title, this is the carnival ride where you’re floating on blissful glee until the bottom drops out and you fall fifteen stories, vomiting before the attendant can dislodge the safety harness.

That’s probably a bit dramatic for this specific song, but it gives an idea of the musical whiplash you’ll experience on first listen. Many of Sugar Rush Ride’s teasers promised a cotton candy, funk-driven pop track – basically a sonic sequel to 2020’s excellent Blue Hour. The song is at its best when delivering this energy. Buoyant rhythm guitar makes a great backdrop for the group’s ethereal vocals and there are some genuinely unexpected melodies in the pre-chorus. Backing vocals enhance the punchier moments with satisfying texture. And then… the song comes to a screeching halt. It just collapses.

These anti-drops… I think there’s a world where they can work well, subverting expectations and adding multiple layers to a simple pop song. But, they’ve become so commonplace that producers must work hard to make them stand out. In this case, the complete non-event at Sugar Rush Ride’s core turns the track into a draft needing completion. Everything around its chorus is so lively and compelling. Clearly, the songwriters want to play with the idea of duality in a pop song, but you still need to make your dark centerpiece interesting. Otherwise, you negate all the great ideas leading up to the drop. The repeated “sugar-rush-ush” is simply uninspired. It’s difficult to get into the track when you know frustration is lurking just around the corner.

To be honest, I’ve got no idea how to rate this one. Three-fourths of the song is solid-bordering-on-excellent, yet the bad stuff is so bad that it kind of tanks the experience. I’m going to be extremely generous in the “bias” department but brutal when it comes to the central hook. This is very subject to change, but I think it represents the Jekyll and Hyde nature of the song. No matter which side wins out in the end, this is a totally unnecessary — and easily remedied — disappointment.

Hooks 5
 Production 8
 Longevity 8
 Bias 9
 RATING 7.5

Grade: C

101 thoughts on “Song Review: TXT – Sugar Rush Ride”

    • okay, sike, i’m back, but yeah i legit slammed my hands on my desk and yelled “why???” when the first chorus arrived

      everything else leading up to it was making me think this was about to my one of my new favourite txt songs and all the energy got dumped down the drain in one go….oh if only that last chorus was the chorus for the whole song, why txt why 😔

      i’ll need to recover from this before listening to the b-sides

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  2. My disappointment is immeasurable. I checked out all 3 teasers and they all sounded different so I was wondering how they were going to pull it off. The song doesn’t sound cohesive and sounds like segments made by different producers just put together.

    ‘Sugar Rush Ride’ had so so much potential to be an incredible song. Such a shame. It’s the same disappointment I felt with NMIXX’s title tracks which I came to really like so maybe this will be the same. Maybe It’ll grow on me

    Other than that, ‘Farewell, Neverland’ is the song I would choose for the buried treasure. It’s a song that I knew I would love. I had the teaser on repeat for a whole day. ‘Farewell, Neverland’ is incredible.

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  3. The b-sides are all pretty nice (in my opinion), but they are SO SHORT. I’m sad about that!

    Also, the last chorus should be the main chorus. The sugar-rush-ush could’ve been left at the end or saved for live performances. I saw so many parts of this song that could be rearranged and brought to a higher level, but they were just so stuck on this “look at us combining different genres together!” to just MAKE A GOOD SONG.

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  7. Since the chorus contains the lyrics “gimme gimme more” and “sugar rush”… shouldn’t the producers and writers give more instrumental and make the chorus, you know, be like a sugar rush?! I have no idea what the point of that drop was.

    Honestly, I’m at a point where I want to contact current K-pop producers/songwriters personally and tell them to stay away from this type of chorus.

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  8. I was so in love with the song!!…until the chorus 😅🥲 Hopefully the song can grow enough where I can survive the chorus, but for now it’s just so hard to listen to. Cest la vie.

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  9. The chorus made me sad:( I was so excited after having heard one of the teasers bc it sounded so good. I thought it was going to sound like a fun summer bop released in the wrong time frame, and it was going that way in the beginning. Then the chorus happened 😐 I’m not a fan of the rest of the album either. Just a bunch of meh midtempos imo. I was also waiting for Ava Max’s new album, so I remedied my disappointment through listening to it. I have to say that album is absolutely stellar.

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  10. This is my first time commenting on this blog, but I’ve been a long time reader of Nick’s posts. As soon as I heard the chorus of Sugar Rush Ride I instantly knew that it would be rated somewhere in the 7s, which is a little sad for TXT because most of their other songs have been rated 8+ (I do think the rating is fair).
    I really wish the chorus had the energy of Enhypen’s Drunk Dazed chorus and that they actually worked a melody into the chorus – they could’ve saved the “gimme gimme more” part for a bridge or something if they wanted contrast ://.
    The b-sides (especially Devil by the Window and Farewell Neverland) are pretty good though!

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  11. I think I’m going to avoid listening to this one entirely. I heard the anti-drop tease in one of the promo videos and immediately knew it’d end up like this, but I still had hope 😦 So much of what I heard sounded like it’d be so good! Occasionally, a song with everything I dislike will end up clicking with me (I recognize all of Can’t You See Me’s missteps and can’t listen to it without laughing, but it’s still one of my most-played TXT offerings), but I also know when I’m being set up to be let down by a song. So… thank you, everyone, for letting me know I should stay away!

    (Totally off-topic, but, speaking of bad songs, did you know Episode of Open My Door fame are kind of still kicking? They released a performance MV a few months ago and seem to be doing covers at small events and the like. Not sure what to make of it, but thought it was interesting.)

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  14. I was literally screaming NO NO when the first chorus hit. I’m definitely not as disappointed at it as most of the comments here because thankfully, the verses are good enough to save the song for me. The album is what I’m disappointed at, although I think the songs are decent, we waited 8 months for 3 minute songs or less without bridges… BigHit needs to pay.

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    • Honestly, does a single one have a bridge? You can make an argument for Devil by the Window, but even that’s just kind of an extended post-chorus and outro. I really like the B-sides, but none of them end in a satisfying way.

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  15. that final chorus/prechorus is hands down one of the most gorgeous bits of music to ever come out of txts discography.

    now imagine if they actually used that chorus in the rest of the song!

    (seriously this had the potential to be one of—-if not their very best—tt i have NO fucking idea why they decided to just. stop halfway through making the other 2 choruses and put them in the song anyway……but as is the song is pretty damn good for what it is id give it abt the same rating u did)

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  16. This song is generic. A typical 3rg gen BG release.
    Not sure about the anti-drop in the chorus. Personally don’t like it, I don’t see its purpose. I even think it made the song sounded generic, losing some of that TXT signature.
    Rating is accurate.

    (p.s. I mean if we are doing another fantasy concept just give us a replica of Blue Hour. Honestly that sounded richer and smoother.)

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  17. lol I came here before watching and was trying to understand why people were disapointed and when I went to watch and heard the chorus I understood.

    I am not sure what they wanted but I won’t be listening to it again cause I can’t understand is like 2 different songs glued together first part was ok, not much my taste but was pleasent but the chorus is really like the wrong piece of the puzzle for me.

    Not a TXT fan but I like some of their songs, this one definitly is not gonna make me a fan.

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    • To me, a bit like being on a subway at speed, then all of a sudden it stops or slows and waits … … … until it starts going again. I hate that part, waiting in a dark tunnel, just waiting.

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  19. I’ve been following this blog for a bit over a year but never made an account until this song disappointed me so hard to create an account :’))) I was so excited to listen to this after the preview and the first part up to the pre-chorus was so good. But then the chorus… Sugar Rush Ride literally could’ve been so good if they just replaced the anti-drop and my day has officially been ruined
    On the bright side, Devil by the Window and Farewell Neverland are quite good, which I’m glad about (buried treasure maybe?)

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  20. When I heard the song for the first time, I could literally imagine your reaction, and yes, I was right…
    The drop is so uninspired and there is no outstanding b-side to fall back onto, I’m just sad at this point

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  21. I will say – this is VERY dramatic for someone who LOVED Zimzalabim and Next Level immediately Nick lol

    That said, I do think the chorus is the weakest part and needs to add something instrumentally to keep it going during its first two run throughs (maybe guitar? IDK) because I think it’s the abruptness of the change and the emptiness that causes issue moreso than anything else. It doesn’t tie all of the song together as it should and that feels like the very minimum of what a chorus should do.

    I would put it solidly middle of the road for them and have a feeling that the live vocal version is going to hit better and make it all work.

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    • From it’s Live silhouette spoiler pics it seems like TXT will (finally) go there, it’s interesting to see how the arrangement would be. I have good hope for that one!

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  22. People who think “sugar-rush-ush” is the chorus clearly don’t understand song structure. Why not get someone who can accurately critique a song with an anti drop in its structure to review this song instead of someone with a very clear bias against them. I think it would help to promote different types of genres not just synth pop flavour of the month style songs?

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  23. it’s disappointing. good, but disappointing.

    i seriously thought old-txt was back, and that this would be an explosive sugar rush-ush song, but instead we have a mid-tier b-side. i also can’t help but side-eye the mv, i feel like these shots where the boys i meant to look in “sugar rush” (for lack of a better term) very weird, and the mv didn’t even seem to tie together neatly. i know most people on the blog don’t really care for it, but i greatly appreciated txt’s cinematography even for comebacks i disliked.

    this is a quite unrelated point now, but i can’t help thinking about onlyoneof when listening to and watching it. boys on an island talking about the temptations of desire with a drop that’s meant to be crazy? onlyoneof did it first.

    now, the actual song. i was with it for the first verse, but they completely lost me on the chorus. it’s empty and repetitive, and it made me not even like the second verse.
    also, theres this part on the verses that really sounds like drunk-dazed, which had me confused before the chorus already, lol.

    i have yet to listen to the bsides, but i hope it’s more satisfying than this.

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  24. WHAT A FUCKING HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT THIS SONG APPEARED TO BE!!!!😭😭😭😭💔💔💔💔
    Dammit, the verses sounded so promising, and I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat, expecting the centerpiece to soar, and when I heard this anti-drop….OH GOSH, FUCK YOU, HYBE!🤬🤬🤬
    I don’t wanna hear this song ever again because of its so-called “chorus”. It’s just…nonexistent. Rating is too high, 6.5 for me (4,8,7,7).

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  25. I actually don’t hate the anti-drop immediately – I do think they could have done something way better (as evidenced by the last chorus), but if that was the only problem I’d probably throw this on my playlist and actually listen to the song sometimes. But the ‘sugar rush-ush’ chant is….so bad, and I hate it. Gives me the same viscerally negative reaction as ‘good boy gone bad good boy gone bad good boy gone bad good boy gone baaaaad’ did. And I am annoyed because I love TXT too much for them to keep doing this to me lol

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    • I super love this. I love how the pre-chorus became the chorus and the one before that, became the pre-chorus.

      I honestly love the unique melody of the original pre-chorus.

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    • So many possibilities. HYBE should seize the opportunity and make a full album of remixes. Not only would it be better, it would give them more to sell. Plus if it is labelled as a “re-package”, then the Gaon-Circle charts count it cumulatively on the original album sales, for those who care about those numbers as a point of pride.

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    • Ooh I liked how we got the final chorus instrumental and the pre-chorus melody for the chorus. This would’ve made a better centerpiece.

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  30. I don’t know how to rate this honestly. I have nothing against anti-choruses. I LOVED Blackpink “Pink Venom” – but at least there the concept is something I haven’t heard a trillion times before, and the vocal execution is… I don’t know, cooler? It’s got some credibility to it. This one is not a terrible chorus (trying to be objective here). The production is good and the hook is decent in terms of how catchy it is; but the vocal deliery is painful, and it’s so unimaginative in the concept; “gimme more”….really? I mean… TXT are supposed to be the heir of BTS.
    Maybe it’s us though…. maybe we are all biased by the fact that we are older than 15 and we heard the same stuff over and over again… maybe young people love it. It seems to be doing well on the charts.
    I’m so confused. Anyway personally I’m disappointed no matter how I look at it, also I like them as a band. Big Hit should have so much money to find better songs, I can’t believe this is the best they can do.

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      • I generally prefer an uplifting chorus with a clear catchy melody but I also like some anti-choruses. For example I LOVED “Maniac” by Stray Kids. I liked also “Pink Venom” – but in those songs the production is so vibrant and blends with the hook really well… like in “Maniac” they used Felix voice really well for example. But here there’s no signature sound, the riff in the instrumental is not memorable, the vocal delivery on this Sugar Rush hook is really naff. I feel like listening to Taylor Swift covering Cardi B “Bodak Yellow” – as much as Taylor Swift is a GODDESS in her style, it’s not gonna work. I don’t know why HYBE gave this song to TXT.

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  31. On the bright side, I like this better than Good Boy Gone Bad, even if, as someone else mentioned, the “sugar-rush-ush” part is very similar to a corresponding part in GBGB. I think TXT are excellent performers but I don’t feel a connection between them and their music, especially of late. They’re kind of what I expected Kpop to be like when I first got into the genre. Which is fine, but I just wish they had better material to work with.

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  32. I like a good mess of a song, but this isn’t it. It’s 3/4 of a good song. But that 3/4 isn’t so great that it’s going to get me to listen to it more than once or twice. And Farewell, Neverland or Devil by the Window are right there as quirky title tracks that have the potential to bring in non-kpop fans thanks to their skillful use of classic pop/rock.

    They’ve made some of my favorite songs, but for some reason, I’ve never warmed to them as a favorite band.

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  33. Well that was disappointing. It might have sounded better five years ago or so, but this kind of thing has been done to death. My hopes are riding on the b-sides now.

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  34. i dont dislike it as much by the second listen but

    pretty much agree w everything u said. exactly my 1st reaction. i thought it was gonna be another like txt Banger banger until the drop came lmao like. way to kill the vibe..

    also agree w the others that the last chorus shouldve been the … the chorus. could really go with less of the sugar rush-ush and could really go with a lot more of taehyun’s vocals

    anyway, say it with me: dbtw shouldve been the title track. and then say this with me: the bsides shouldve been longer. i actually like them all at least! gah dammit hybe and their 392939393 versions of the albums and yet the album itself is like 0.00001 secs long

    at least its better than gbgb (both the albums themselves and as title tracks). my standards are maybe very low. pains of being a txt fan slash having weirdass music taste

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  35. oh no. This is a disaster. How could you follow up such fluffy buoyant bright verses with that?? The chorus sounds like the opposite of a sugar rush. And then there’s the dramatic, dark ending, literally one of the best moments in recent TXT history, which could so easily have been the chorus.

    I don’t know what the producers were thinking on this one. Easy flop for me.

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  37. I only liked the first 50 seconds. I’m reading the comments about how the last chorus is awesome, sadly, I did’t make it that far. Imagine listening to a full mediocre song just to hear the last 10 seconds…I guess I’ll get to it eventually. The B-sides hurt because I usually like at least one B side from every album, again, sadly, I did not like any of these. I’m sure their fans will support everything they put out, but I honestly think they deserved better.

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  38. I was getting into the song until the first chorus happened. I see what they’re going for with shifting the tempo to half-time and anti-drops but it doesn’t work here. Even worse, there’s barely any memorable hook and it’s been replaced with repetitive chants. I think that part would’ve worked better if it was used as a dance break before the final chorus. I do agree with everyone that said that the final chorus should’ve been the actual chorus.

    Aside from that chorus, everything else was very solid, which just makes me more disappointed.

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  39. Ok this may definitely come off as weird but honestly… I didn’t find this song that bad once I knew what was going to come in the chorus 😂 The first time I heard it I definitely fell apart at that sugar rush mumble. For me TXT shines best when they sing and really sing – so this part did feel super disappointing. Also the part that sounds like Drunk Dazed is way too obvious that I just can’t help letting out a giggle when I hear it in such a shiney vibe.

    I then listened to their show performance next and this time I really enjoyed the song. The good parts are REALLY GOOD! That pre-chorus from Taehyung and Soobin is gorgeous! Yes, this song will grow on me… if anything I think I like it more than GBGB.

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    • Genuinely asking, where is the part that sounds like Drunk-Dazed? Some people also said that but I could’t find that part… thank you in advance!

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      • I’ll refer wrt the YT MV timestamps :

        In the TXT MV the parts at 0:29 to 0:32 and 0:37 to 0:40 of the pre-chorus which repeat in the next pre-chorus as well.

        This beat sounds exactly like 0:47 to 0:53 of Drunk Dazed MV – the tempos may be a bit different but the way it sounds is oddly similar. Hope this helps! 😀

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        • Aah I see! I get the first two parts you mentioned, it does sounds like Ni-ki’s “Turning up the party” in Drunk-Dazed. I’m still processing the 0:47 part because I hardly can’t tell what makes it sounds like D-D. Thank you very much!

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          • The 0:47 is in DD MV and is to reference the “Turning up the party” part – I didn’t really remember the lyrics then and so just gave the 0:47 time stamp 😀 In Sugar Rush 0:37 also has the same beat – TXT repeat the “Turning up the party” style note twice here with that little other part in between.

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            • OMG my bad! RIP my readingcomprehension. I thought you mentioned the 0:47 in Sugar Rush Ride… I’m sorry, now I clearly understand what you meant! Sorry and thank you again!!

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  40. well this is a.. mess. Its like hybe wanted to create another “fearless” but failed. From their previous cb gbgb (which was overloaded with forced repetitive shouts), I did not expect anything here.
    Anyways, I am looking forward to February cbs and “the sound” stray kids’ Japan comeback.

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  41. Anti drops ain’t new and honestly I don’t think it was that offensive in this context. What actually puts me off is the forced “sex appeal” of the chorus instead. I don’t want to hear a bunch of teens/barely out of teens breathe heavy in my ear when I literally just heard them sing about a sugar rush. I love a good sex appeal concept (literally was talking about how much I loved OnlyOneOf’s song the other day) but this is just jarring.

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    • For me it was the suddenness of the anti drop. I went in blind, no teasers except the highlight medley which I forgot, so I really was shocked by the chorus. But I think both the suddenness and sex appeal both bring the chorus’ quality down.

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  44. Actually never listen to music again you fucking coward I can’t believe anyone with functioning ears would even conceive an opinion this terrible stuff like this is why we NEED the death penalty

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  46. I felt like I needed to comment coz y’all have no taste. Sugar rush rush chant was the best for me and they managed to pull it off well. Don’t like it? Then don’t listen. I have txt songs I don’t like like Blue Hour or Freeze. But honestly this song was a masterpiece and y’all just got no appreciation.

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  49. I feel like they were trying to do a YG-style structure with the song…drop chorus with a final chant chorus while also harkening to the Fire/Idol BTS days. this could be a Treasure song if it didn’t rely on those TXT brand airy vocals. It kinda works but often doesn’t, which is too bad because it could’ve been exhilarating.

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