Review

Song Review: fromis_9 – #menow

fromis_9 - #menowfromis_9’s comebacks tend to hang around the mid 8’s on this blog, which isn’t a bad place to be. Their music rarely knocks my socks off, but they’ve developed a stable sound that can be counted on to deliver sleek, streamlined pop. New single #menow adds to this list, neither better nor worse than most of its predecessors.

This wispy dance pop style occupies the same lane Twice have been paving over the past few years. It’s catchy, fashionable and pleasant to a fault. Listeners won’t find bite here, and that’s fine. Sometimes all you need is a bubbly pop track. #menow‘s chorus delivers this sentiment in spades, gliding over the beat with satisfying ease. The melodies have a nice sense of lift — well-suited to these warmer summer months.

I’m less enthused by the rest of the song, as the verses and bridge lack the character that might help #menow stand apart from past efforts. But, everything is polished to a fine sheen and the girls offer an assured performance that makes the track very easy to digest. It won’t occupy a prime space in any of my summer playlists, but it works well as a bubbly companion to more ambitious material.

Hooks 9
 Production 8
 Longevity 8
 Bias 8
 RATING 8.25

Grade: B

32 thoughts on “Song Review: fromis_9 – #menow

  1. Aw Nick, you are so nice. For me, every time I hear another repeat of this kind of sound, the starting score value ticks down by a tick.

    I agree it is bright and bubbly and summery and easily playable in a streaming lineup. But at this point the best that a disco-lite girl group sound like this could be for me is about mid-7’s.

    Liked by 6 people

  2. at this point in fromis9’s career we know exactly what to expect from them, and that works as both a strength and weakness. fans of this disco-lite sound will appreciate the consistency of their discography, while those who are looking for musical growth will find themselves disappointed. (im leaning towards being a fan btw)

    Liked by 4 people

  3. My problem with this kind of style is that there is so much like this done and redone that my brain switches off after a few notes 😦 Unless there is a one in a million songs in there with a timeless hook I feel a bit deflated. But I bet for the younger generations it’s great since they haven’t had so much of it already. It’s true that nowadays there is so much of basically ANY style, in kpop, but the more the style is recycled and done and redone, the more the hooks and melodies need to be an absolute monster to stand out .

    Liked by 5 people

  4. This was a fun track and I really hope there’s a buried treasure for this album because I feel like it’s VERY solid and there are several good options *coughcough* Attitude *coughcough*

    Liked by 3 people

  5. #menow is easily the weakest song on the album, and it’s PACKED of highlight’s. my favorite it’s “prom night” I’ma sucker for UK garage. i wish they picked “don’t care” as the title track since it has the guitar sound that they love, but also brings a new sound.

    Liked by 3 people

  6. By my count, this is the 5th song in their groovy-disco-bliss run of singles that with Feel Good. (skipping over Talk and Talk because it’s in a different lane). Feel Good ended up being one of my favorite K-Pop songs ever. We Go was almost as strong, DM was fun too. Then Stay This Way missed the mark (a bit too cloying) and now we’ve got the pleasant, but languid, #menow. It’s feeling like a photocopy of a photocopy. Go back and listen to We Go and hear how alive that first song was!

    I was hoping after Stay This Way that Fromis_9 would swerve and become eleco-pop club goddesses or something, but maybe that’s on the new album somewhere?

    Liked by 7 people

    • Yeah, I’m with you, I actually feel this song is the worst version so far of this type of song from them. DM was fantastic, this just gave me nothing to hold on to….

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  7. #menow is alright, nothing new for them but still cute.

    HOWEVER, the album is amazing and easily the best kpop release of the year, like, there is zero competition so far. attitude, in the mirror, don’t care, promnight, eye contact are all outstanding.

    Liked by 3 people

  8. Sounds like a weak version of DM with pretty generic melodic structures.

    Overall sound is pretty subdued and primarily focuses on the low end. Not a big fan of this, coz their vocals are generally more on the higher end. The overall picture sounds more contrasting than harmonizing.

    Mixing is noticeably weaker with very forward vocals and reduced headroom. One step closer to Big Hit’s notorious mixing, which is pretty undesirable at least to me.

    Song is pretty weak overall. It’s marginal inoffensive, but defintely not good. In fact among the weakest in their discog, so what a pity having this in their 1st regular. 7/10.

    Liked by 2 people

  9. Pretty solid song ,it also brings nothing new to their sound and i wish it had a bit more bite and creativity but still a very ok song

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  10. Yeah, the song’s alright. Nothing to write home about and lacks the punch of my favorite titles (Feel Good, Love Bomb, We Go, Fun) but I like it more than Stay This Way. The album though, DAMN. Attitude blew me away, especially since I didn’t like the preview in the highlight medley. I think it’s fromis’s most ambitious track ever.

    Eye Contact is also really cute 🥹 I think the melody might appeal to you, Nick (though the inserted chanting might feel a little cheerleader/cutesy)

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  11. I don’t know man, its fromis_9. They can write these summery dance songs in their sleep. The single they chose is actually one of the weaker songs on their album but its still really good. Its just not as punchy as some of the other ones on the album. I think my favorite song is the last one, Eye Contact. I really loved that one along with My Night Routine, Don’t Care, and Attitude. Its a very good album and I highly recommend it. The production is emaculate. One of my favorite albums ever is Twice’s Formula Of Love so you know this album is gonna be my thing.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Ha, I thought Attitude was the single. That’s a great track. Whoopsie. I like this song, especially the vocal harmonies. It’s very solid. Not groundbreaking, but good.

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  13. Me Now can pass as a Twice title track and I won’t bat an eye on it, but I won’t be too impressed by it. At least it’s a nice airy background disco-pop that won’t offend anyone.

    The album has spectacular choice of B-sides. Attitude, Prom Night, and What I Want seems to highlight an evolution/direction of their music. I’d hope they’d have something like these for the title of their next release.

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  14. i found most of the album to just go in one ear and out the other. attitude and don’t care were my only standouts which surprises me because they were songs i didn’t expect to like from the highlight medleys. i think the album isn’t bad, but definitely not my thing

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  15. What do makes a memorable verse? A part of me thinks an unmemorable verse comes from
    One of three things:
    1. Being lazy
    2. Focusing on lyrical content over melody
    3. Wanting to ensure the chorus is the centerpiece

    I guess unmemorable is subjective anyway, but I am curious how you would fix it

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