After a promising April, the K-pop industry has me back in the doldrums. Too many songs are feeling disposable these days — catchy and stylish but lacking the indelible melodies and striking centerpieces that forge a long-enduring classic. “Fast fashion” has never felt so apt a descriptor for the industry, and ENHYPEN’s new Bite Me follows this sleek-but-empty trend.
I’ve gradually come around to ENHYPEN’s music, and their 2022 mini album was on heavy rotation throughout the summer. I tend to prefer their brighter fare to the vampire cosplay, and Bite Me borrows from both extremes. At its best, it delivers a solid melodic hook that takes me back to early-00’s pop (98 Degrees, anyone?). It cycles around this refrain too often without enough modulation to make it interesting, but a melody is a melody. I’ll take what I can get.
Even better is the first half of Bite Me‘s pre-chorus, which experiments with vocal layering to inject much-needed texture. Sadly, this is followed by a jarring chant that lands with all the finesse of a lead balloon. In a song this short, there’s no room for filler. I’d much rather have heard Bite Me‘s arrangement grow into something expansive and fresh. Without a bridge, the song fizzles into a form that feels more like an extended interlude. The song plays with one or two musical ideas, but they’re never fleshed out in a way that crafts a satisfying whole.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 7 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
Grade: C+
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Omg i thought the same that the song reminded me of a 2000s bg but without the climax
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Song is fine. Performance is fine.
But really, who thinks that teenagers performing a song like this in the hyper-conforming ultra-protective environment think the refrain “Just come over and bite me” is real. I mean, no, just no. Ain’t happening. It isn’t a serious tease, it just doesn’t work for these kids. The theme has no credibility here.
Now imagine someone like Wonho performing this song. Perhaps OnlyOneOf, who would probably change up the instrumental a bit. It would actually have meaning, seduction, menace. Just come over and bite me.
And then it just kind of ends, fizzles out, keeping to the under 3 minute limit.
From the album, the song “Karma” lyric is “I don’t give a what”. Sure. Sure, you don’t.
My other problem is that all the songs on the album aren’t very rangey. A to A, essentially, deliberately. I mean, they can sing it well, so great for the stans (“OMG they are so stable!”), but if you crave any musical variety it ain’t here.
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I would argue here that it’s not so much about general sex appeal (the way it is with Wonho and OnlyOneOf) and more about, well, vampires. Vampire imagery is pretty heavy in this moody subgenre of ENHYPEN’s music. It’s heavily conceptual, so don’t take any of their lyrics too seriously. They talk about “white fangs” in Given-Taken — anything goes.
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Sure. Sure it is. Vampire lore, just vampires.
So, I am old. Old enough to have lived through the 80’s the first time through. Old enough to recognize that single and double entendres are exactly what they say on the tin. Old enough to read the lyrics of this one, and if I didn’t know it was a kpop song sung by teenagers, I would have called it a metal hair band song about sex.
This blood’s pumping crazy (Oh my oh my god) Cuz I know you’ll save me…
May as well be Van Halen. Panama, naughty naughty song.
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I thought all Enhypen members where 18+ already!
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I don’t know if it’s a matter of age so much as perspective. This song, paired with this group, concept, and visual design? Sure, there’s some innuendo. A metal hair band song about sex? Metal hair band songs about sex must be a lot tamer than I thought. If Wonho released it, the innuendo would be a lot more in-your-face. Here, I’m taking it for face value. No part of the choreography or styling is particularly suggestive, either.
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Now I have Panama stuck in my head. I’m “shook”.
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I can give a pass eith Given-Taken and Drunk-Dazed. Bite Me is way too kinky for a group this youthful.
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I think youth have already found kink.
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They do, but young people singing about kinky stuff is a relatively jarring combination, nonetheless. Shudders me a bit.
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I imagined Wonho performing this and immediately, vividly, realized your point.
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This is sex appeal aimed at teens. Every teen except the most protected are here for the innuendo and the tease. I’m imagining a concert and me sitting next to teen girls proclaiming themselves “deceased” at every body roll and hip thrust (my experience at a recent TxT concert). The young are ready to seduce each other, so it’s fine if it all seems slightly underbaked for us.
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They are finally getting a better song than txt
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Eh I wouldn’t say that, I like it alot though it has a similar appeal to SRR. Now if txt put out SRR and Enhypen put out drunk dazed at the same time. I would give it to Enhypen
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I actually love this song—regardless of the chanting the beat is just amazing and there’s so much else going on.
Karma for buried treasure!
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I think K-pop has finally worn me down on spoken-word/rap bits that threaten the momentum. If they’re done well, I can at least turn a blind eye now, haha!
Enhypen are consistently better than I give them credit for. I just gave the whole mini a listen — nothing outstanding, but it’s one of the more cohesive EPs in recent memory. Everything is solidly good, albeit not incredible. Plus, it’s my opinion that Enhypen are strongest when paired with a rock guitar, so I was glad to see its return in a couple songs on this one. They sometimes struggle to distinguish themselves from TXT (I think this title track sounds way more like a TXT track than an Enhypen one… right down to the lack of a bridge 😉 ), but I think that more rock-y angle is where they’re really able to shine as their own group. I do wish it was a bit more anthemic this time around, as it was on their last mini.
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As an Enhypen fan, I have to express my sheer disappointment with this song and what it could have become if that chant bit of Bite Me was completely erased and replaced with something as lot more melodic, or simply just removed and allow the song to jump straight from the first part of the pre chorus into the chorus. Then the chorus melody to develop further into a pre chorus that builds on the good foundation it already has.
I’m so mad because the song already decided to ditch a bridge but then it decided that including that chant that is frankly irritating and grating (and this is coming from me who actually doesn’t mind most of NCT’s ‘noise’ music) and doesn’t add anything to the song tbh, and it even repeats itself!
With such a great hook, I would imagine Bite Me to be a lot more dramatic. They are going for a fantasy theme right with the vampires? They said something on the lines of biting them would enable them to be saved. If that is the case, than doesn’t the song need to be as dramatic as the lyrics to match it? But because of it the lack of innovation, the energy feels plodding and almost dulls out the other wise great chorus.
When I try picture bite me with a sort of build up and progression with the likes of Infinite’s Back or Miss A’s Hush, my heart twists in turpid disappointment of the what could have been.
As if it can’t be worse, this is also my least favorite album from them so far, at least from the first listen. I’m not sure if I want to come back to anything, except perhaps Bills and Karma, but Bills doesn’t even feel like a Kpop song and it is painfully obvious that it is not written with Kpop in mind. But it still sounds good nevertheless.
I’m not sure how the album and the song will age. I know that hook will stay in my head and not leave there any time soon, but it is the question of whether I can overcome my sheer disappointment over this title track or let it fan the flames of an already schorching rage.
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So no buried treasure close to Polaroid Love? I guess that one was a fluke. Easily my favorite by them.
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I would say Karma, but it’s the opposite of Polaroid Love’s genre LOL
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Ironically, another Hybe artist has released a Polaroid Love-type song today (in that it’s bright and optimistic):
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There is nothing on the album remotely close to poloraid love in terms of the kind of sound. As for quality, it’s pretty subjective, but there is at least one or two songs that I might like more than Polaroid love, at least with the benefit of time.
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Interesting choice for the lead single. I like how it starts off with a chorus, I like the minimalism and lo-key percussion. Could almost be a tune off of NCT’s 2018 Empathy (my favorite by them). The first minute and 35 seconds are great; but then it just circles back and repeats it all over again, and then fizzles out. I agree with Nick, I wish it could have been developed more. So much potential here. Maybe they can do a Sherlock Clue + Note, and take that first 1:35 and attach it to something else.
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IT’S. TOO. SHORT. it’s so unnecessarily short that it takes away from the song. aside from that, I think my biggest complaint is that it just feels a tad bit tacky… the vocal performances, especially at the first part of the chorus or whatever you call it, feel too forced to be considered sexy or even mature that i can’t help but cringe.
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Yep, it just sort of ends, fizzles, right at the 2:59 mark like someone just yanked the volume fade out lever hard right then.
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the first part of the chorus belongs to a different song. I like the song but it’s definitely held back by the lack of a bridge and final chorus to make it complete. in comparison, Sugar Rush Ride’s antidrop is worse but the rest sounds complete because the second chorus acts as the final chorus and ties everything together.
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I am conflicted… I agree this could’ve been such a bigger, more explosive song. Since the teasers, I was hoping the chorus melody was a pre-chorus or at least that it preceded a great post-chorus because it is great but still needs to be pushed a little bit further. I like the verses, especially the “oh my god, this blood’s pumping crazy” That whole segment sounds very late, 90s-early 2000’s bg, and I loved it. I wish the chanting part was not repeated twice (and then again in the second part), considering it’s such a short song… And the issue is that it is so short that without a bridge, a post-chorus, or at least an excellent extended chorus for the finale, it just ends without reaching the height it could’ve.
In my opinion, the performance itself is really good, as I’ve come to expect from Enhypen. Their strength is their charisma, stage presence, and skill to pull off complex choreographies seamlessly. I wish they were given music that further adds to their performance abilities.
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By the way, for me, Karma was the only B-side that really stood out on first listen, it has the right energy. I wonder if the “woo-hoo” is intentionally sampled from Blur’s Song 2?
Reminds me of when Big Time Rush sampled it back in 2012. Remember BTR? They are apparently touring right now lol
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I looooooved the intro – the starting was just amazing!! The music and the first few verses were great too! The chanting….. idk lmao. Maybe it will grown on me. Maybe it will end up being memey 💀 Again the melodic part of the chorus was great too! I liked that the general vibes were closer to Given Taken (my fave from them) – yet it could have done with that Drunk Dazed style hype ending with a different verse. Right now it just ended….
The Bite Me part is definitely stuck in my head and like most Enhypen songs this will just grown on me ig (I still can’t forget how I came around to Future Perfect lol).
On the other hand I discovered this little pre debut song today and WOW I LOVE IT!!
Yay to it being on Spotify but this is gonna disappear away without any of the promotion or stages – I can only hope I can keep it alive by repeat listenings lol.
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I really like this! Thank you for sharing. It positively reminds me of Young Boy from Nine.i (the group from Boys Planet’s Winnie, Seowon and Jiho!)
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Same here, it reminded me of Nine.i .
Both are really nice songs!
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I love Young Boy! ❤That’s a good comparison! This song also reminded me a bit of Xeed’s Dreamland (Xeed being another group this company Nature Space handles I think).
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This came up in my You Tube this morning out of the blue and I really liked it…who the heck are they?
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I loved it from beginning til end…especially the pre chorus and chorus!! 🫣
The performance is great! I agree that it’s too short and they could’ve gone for a grandiose ending. For that, I’d rate it an 8.25 instead of an 8.75.
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Give me that early 2000’s boygroup sound. I can’t not like this. I also kinda wanna play Kingdom Hearts with older sister now.
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It’s fine, 7.75-8 sounds about right.
I really enjoy the vocals, but the anti-drop and rap turn me off.
If they had turned down the rappy parts and upped the vocals a bit, then this would’ve made an excellent song for Oneus.
P.S Nick will bump this up to 8.75 in a week and talk about how it finally clicked 🙂
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I will do no such thing 🧐
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Ooh, agree about the pitch for ONEUS!
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Sorry but I don’t think so…
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I was a bit more self-censored on the subreddit (if anyone here even uses that) but here I can say I’m sooooooo disappointed. I was particularly building up this comeback cus it’s been so long +I liked every previous release but Future Perfect so it felt more like a year’s worth of hype, but somehow I feel even more let down by this… It’s soooo short and I still don’t get why ENHYPEN keeps doing this because almost everyone I’ve seen doesn’t like it, and frankly the song is just to plain. And I don’t even think this is one of those cases where the music video can make up for it because somehow that was ALSO underwhelming 😭.
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Considering your opinion is completely moderate and politely expressed, it does make me a little sad that the self-censoring is necessary on other platforms.
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Yet again, I feel like im the only person besides one other who actually likes this song. It does remind me of 2000s boy group other than the chorus section. I will admit the chorus isnt my favorite but im also not a hater of all anti drops so its fine with me. Still looking for one of their title tracks to top tamed-dashed for me tho.
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I like it. It has that 00s flavor with a good sprinking here and there. The rap is unnecessary.
But it’s for the wrong group. With members looking so youthful, this has a BDSM undertone that got me saying “hold up there”.
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I adore this! It’s ridiculously catchy and fun.
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I love it (except for the weird rap chorus part). I just feel so drawn to that main hook and the melody overall. I’m surprised so many people are disliking it. 😭
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Let’s just say that I liked the concept film better than the actual MV, and the soundscape of that concept film better than this song. On a lighter note though, some good songs in the EP. “Sacrifice” sounds more vampiric than Bite Me, and “Chaconne” and “Bills” are your typical post-TXT rock/trap track but “Chaconne” has that lulling melody that circles around in your head, and I love the indie rock strumming in “Bills.”
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I’m really annoyed at this song. This song not only carries the same mellow energy throughout the whole song, but it also kills itself with the “come here and get some” part. This song sounds unfinished which annoys me the most because the start was great, some parts of the song are great but it just doesn’t deliver.
Bring back Wonderkid and Hitman Bang who worked on their previous Title Tracks. They were doing an incredible job.
6.75/10 for me
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I really dislike that anti-drop with the very nonpassionate chanting, haha.
I like the chorus melody though. Also, I am absolutely here for 2000s boygroup revival. I really hope the trend catches on!
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i haven’t liked a whole album of theirs since the Dilemma Preponderance or whatever the hell it was called. The intro Fate is completely ridiculous like their intros always are, and I love it. Bite Me isn’t perfect, but it taps into classic Kpop weirdness more than most songs this year. There’s a lot going on in this song and I do wish it was longer. Wish the era of official remixes would come back – a little tweaking would make it great.
The rest of the album is weirdly moody and muted, but it’s kind of growing on me. Not enough to be second-Enhyphen-album-I-own- good, but it’s decent.
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