Last time MCND made a comeback, they pre-released a track that turned out to be even stronger than the actual single. I’m not sure if Pop Star portends an eventual comeback, but it’s always nice to hear from the group.
If you liked BOYNEXTDOOR’s recent trio of tracks, Pop Star should work for you too. It’s an upbeat blend of rock and hip-hop with a breezy chorus and punchy, colorful verses. Add a requisite second-verse trap breakdown plus plenty of whistling and you’ve got a very familiar K-pop template. The song is well-performed and catchy, but I feel like I’ve heard this exact sound hundreds of times before.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I miss the bonkers MCND “Ice Age” age.
This one here has a few charms, but melts into the ordinary.
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MCND benefit from being really good performers – they infuse any song with a sense of personality that I find lacking in a lot (perhaps even most) of current boygroup releases. That alone brings this song up in my rating compared to similar recent songs.
Do I wish they’d give us something a bit more unique? Yeah. They’re one of the few that can really pull off a kitchen-sink, NCT-inspired, rap-heavy noise fest and I want to see them harness that potential!
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MCND are good performers. Genuine fun. It looks like they are having genuine fun and not over-rehearsed acting fun.
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I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. One thing that struck me when I was first watching their MVs (which must be more than a year ago now) is that I caught myself smiling along with them – something that doesn’t normally happen when I have no idea who the group even is. Their energy is thát infectious.
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I’ve loved their offerings, including #mood, which no one on here seemed to like. I hope this is a little summer detour and not a segue into a style change. I like them being quirky. On the positive, they are so sunny and good-natured I can’t help but like them. Seriously, cute as buttons. They have a true sense of joy in performing.
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I went back to check the #Mood review (I was curious if I was still an MCND noisy-song hater back then lol) but seems like everyone in the comments did like it?
Thank you for bringing me back to it though, it needs to go on my summer playlist for this year too!
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Mood is probably my favorite song from them ❤ I loved it right from the first listen and it only got better and better with their amazing performances!
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“Cute as buttons” is the most adorable phrase I’ve probably ever heard. I can appreciate how MCND look like they’re just there to have a good time, no cool guy postering or anything. And even if I don’t 100% mind cool-guy postering, their approach is very refreshing
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Woah, t’s been so long since we’ve heard from MCND.
This nice but it’s so different to their usual bombastic sound.
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These boys give me joy ❤ True joy. Like others have already said, just watching them makes you smile – they are fun, breezy, it’s bright but not “in your face screaming at you to have fun”. They seem to genuinely enjoy performing and you just can’t take your eyes off them.
And I really like this song ❤ I definitely would rate this at 8 or 8.5 or so! Their vocals are clean, it’s the right amount of catchy and it keeps the mood throughout. Also their choreography is beautiful. I can’t think of another adjective then beautiful really – it definitely has something to do with the youthful energy they always project in their songs.
Also on the point you mentioned at the end – “I feel like I’ve heard this exact sound hundreds of times before” – I feel this may also have to do a lot with the kind of sounds we like maybe? 🙃 If it is a sound you really love even if you listen to it a hundred times you might still like more of it. But if it’s something you feel neutral about maybe hearing more of it would feel repetitive.
For example, I know you love the Brave Girls songs a lot but personally when I listen to them I get the feeling of “I’ve heard this kinda stuff from them so much before that it’s a bit boring”. Everything after Chi Mat Baram was like the same song for me and I lost interest… and I think that’s because their particular sound and vibe was probably not something I was that keen on 😂
For MCND I love this youthful “we are future bounce” vibe they have with their upbeat fun sound so I would just love more and more of it really! 😀
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I miss these kids and I can do is echo the same sentiment as everyone else…watching them perform is always enjoyable. They’re one of the few boy active boy groups who have a complete roster, they’re amazing vocalist and their rapping is pretty good (for kpop standards).
I hope this leads into an official comeback. I’m confused why they’re on tour when their last comeback was almost a year ago. I hope TopMedia doesn’t drop the ball with them like they did with Up10tion (RIP).
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