ONEUS’s pre-release Unforgettable has been a stealth attack on my playlist. It’s not one of their showier tracks, but its melodic through-line gives it high replay value. This is worth noting when writing about new title track Erase Me. The song has many strengths, but a through-line is not one of them.
I don’t mean to call Erase Me piecemeal or jarring. Its various segments fit together well enough. But, the constant shifts in energy make the song feel like it’s resetting itself several times. Just when you think you’re in for a sonic explosion, Erase Me pulls back. This is a very modern K-pop song structure, likely necessitated by the industry’s increased emphasis on dance performance. But, it makes a track like Erase Me feel a bit halfhearted.
With this said, most of the song’s individual pieces are satisfying on their own. I love the symphonic stabs during the pre-chorus, and the big EDM drop is fun in a nostalgic way. The vocal performance is fantastic as always, even if Erase Me lacks a suitable climax or sense of payoff.
This is a little off topic, but given Infinite’s recent announcement of a group reunion, I’ve been thinking about this post I wrote in 2019 outlining the elements that make songs like The Chaser so effective. Erase Me could benefit from every point I made back then.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8 |
Grade: B-
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I agree this was not their best, but it was entertaining none the less! I was pleasantly surprised with the direction they took this comeback. They are always trying new things and I appreciate it ☺️
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A pleasant surprise.
The had me worried with the anti-drop, but brought it home 😀
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I love this so much. Oneus is always good but they did really really well with this whole ep. I hope they see a ton of success with it.
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The various parts of the song don’t quite add up for me but I appreciate hearing shades of Valkyrie in the verses and To Be or Not to Be in the chorus. If there’s one thing that ONEUS does well, it’s bringing the drama.
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Instrumentally interesting in all but the chorus. Still quite solid though.
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Despise the chorus but everything else is incredible.
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Despising the chorus seems like a deal-breaker!
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Sadly it is…
The song was progressing perfectly until 1:02 came along and ruined it for me. It had all the elements that I really like in a song and was about to be the perfect ONEUS song for me but that chorus….
Thankfully we still have ‘Unforgettable’ in this album.
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yes, the exact moment where they lost me
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Thank god someone agrees with me. I liked it a lot and then that “drop” came along. It felt so empty, nothing hype about it, sadly.
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This song reminded me so strongly of Ateez – guess it’s the quasi-militaristic marching music portions. It’s definitely an odd bit of machinery, but I like it well enough. The choreography is really lovely, too.
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It’s not my favorite at all, but it’s relatively satisfying, it has that nostalgic and theatrical sound that I love about oneus but the fusion with EDM doesn’t convince me much, in fact I dislike it a bit.
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This might just be my least favorite oneus title track. The drop was just not for me. I love listening to EDM but that gave me absolutely nothing. Which is sad, because I really liked the rest…
I also have to say it, it’s missing Ravn’s signature style & tone, you can basically tell which parts were originally meant for him..
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I said this word for word with a friend listening to it for the first time. The spot where you’d hear “Rav spittin flame” and he’ll go off but… it’s just empty 😦
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This one sounds really good – especially that instrumental! I’ll be honest – Oneus has been this special group for me for a while and I realized recently that I was finding it a bit hard to listen to their songs. So I didn’t really have any expectations for this cb – and so maybe that’s why I thought it was cool!
Hwanwoong was really in his element, Leedo doesn’t look like Leedo anymore but he’s still good and I’m not sure if I saw Xion more than once lol…. still it felt nice – like someone said a bit of Valkyrie, a bit of TBONTB and some more. There’s something old-style about this and I feel it could be a grower!
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I have a tendency to zone out so I love the fitful nature of the chorus. I think it’s more effective in making me anticipate the (brief) payoff that other songs are. My one gripe is with the texture of the
Edm synth, like it doesn’t sound like it fits but it also doesn’t sound like it doesn’t fit. Definitely a song with a lot of great elements I like but it’s also a bit of a head scratcher which means I’ll definitely be back lol
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Oneus should release a chaser like song though, they have the seoho to pull it off
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I have to agree that individually the elements are super strong. I can see myself coming back but lowkey felt like stringing them together feels like whiplash at some points, particularly in the middle of the chorus
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I loved it! It’s a very ONEUS song and by my book these sound a little weird or disorganized at first listen, but then they get stuck in my head (in a good way), they click, and all the weirdness is forgotten. I’m left with a listenable, interesting, well executed song and performances. I had the same feeling with LIT, ASWE and Same Scent. It’s an 8.5✌🏻
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ONEUS just got that signature melodic style to all their music that just makes me really appreciate the group. Their songs are very easy listens and generally I don’t have much critique. Didn’t like that drop much however, seems like its the fad nowadays
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