NMIXX were smart to pre-release Roller Coaster last week. That song takes some time to get under your skin, but it’s blossomed into a subdued summer hit for me. Title track Party O’Clock plays within similar sonic territory. It’s far less successful in its execution.
The name “Party O’Clock” conjures ideas of massive EDM drops and blazing tempos. It’s odd, then, that the track embraces a chill ‘drum-and-bass-meets-house-beat’ instead. This energy seems to be a K-pop trend at the moment, much to my chagrin. Chill drum and bass music can be quite intoxicating, but it needs a smooth, slithery melody to match its vibe. Party O’Clock the song and Party O’Clock the instrumental are very much at odds with each other. This makes for an awkward listen.
For one, the track is far too beholden to chanted sing-talk. Even its melodic moments have a sing-song quality that totally overwhelms the beat. The second half of the chorus is downright obnoxious with its “mingling mingling” hook, but it’s better than most of the talking that fills the verses and pre-chorus. Flashes of vocal brilliance poke through here and there, but overall I find this song to be discordant and grating.
| Hooks | 6 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 6 |
| RATING | 7 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
the sing-talk verses are so bad, I genuinely can’t recall a single melody from this song except for the latter half of the chorus (which is grating too). Roller Coaster should’ve been the main single and this one the pre-release.
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oh speaking of “drum-and-bass-meets-house-beat”, the newly released New Kidz on the Block by ZEROBASEONE is a better example of this genre
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“At odds with each other”
You said something similar about In Bloom’s instrumental and melod and I disagreed, but I will agree with you this time. The dissonance created by the sing-rap-talk sections end up blunting the effect of the parts which are actually good. It’s a shame.
Roller coaster is great though, I really like how they pulled off two contrasting melodic themes yet it still feels cohesive. The chorus returns to my head once in a while at random times, so it really managed to sink in more than I thought. Gotta give props for that!
Still, I think that Party O Clock will greatly improve over time just as I felt with their earliest title tracks. But still, I really want them to drop the chant style singing/rapping if it does not add anything to a song. I think it was a necessary part of ‘O.O’, but not for this song.
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Well, that’s not what I expected it to be…
At least we have Roller Coaster.
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This works for me! I think this one is super fun and the hooks hit well. Even the rapping/talking is working. It’s all part of the fun.
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I’ll pass on the party and stay at the amusement park.
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i would still listen to this song but i’d enjoy it a LOT more if they’d just stop with the sing-talk
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So I guess the current sound trend is shaping up to be to replace trap which was ubiquitous not too long ago with skittering drums.
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i’m pretty sure this will grow on Nick and appear on their “risers” list…
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I’m writing mini reviews for my sis after I listen to kpop songs now lol and thisw is what I immediately put down for it :
WOW!! I REALLY LIKE IT!! A lil New Jeansy-Twicey chill vibe but still Nmixx!! Catchy! Fun! Some really gorgeous vocal parts and pitches!! ❤ They look and sound really good!! Pretty MV and choreo too! The chorus is AMAZING!!! 💕
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Yeah that captures what I feel. The chorus is really nice. I found this sonically more interesting than Rollercoaster – their voices felt much more right here. Rollercoaster was a Sullyoon showcase – her voice was the one that really fit it. Here I feel everyone fit the song better. It doesn’t have the shock value like the other Nmixx tracks – still very pretty though!
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I was fully expecting to dislike this because of how little I felt from Roller Coaster. But I actually think this is pretty pleasant. I honestly don’t see what everyone else is saying about the chorus being grating, it sounds fine to me. Maybe the sing-talk in the verses gets a bit obnoxious, but overall I actually enjoyed this alot. Not sure if it’s going on my playlist, but this is my favorite (or maybe least disliked) NMIXX title track so far.
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hmm im not 100% sure how i feel about this. i really loved roller coaster and was hoping id like this song even more. while i like the chill vibe of the song, i think the trap breakdown towards the end of the song is so jarring and doesnt mesh with the vibe at all. ill still put this on my playlist but i may hit skip a few times.
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Judge me all you want but i need them to bring their mix pop back. I enjoy O.O and Dice much more than whatever they release now.
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The song overall doesn’t drive me to any particular emotion.
Should not trust JYP girl groups’ summer songs in recent years. More & More/Alcohol Free, Sneaker, and now this funny by NMIXX.
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I love this song, the production is so clean >< "this party's not a party without you" the partys being so close together kinda annoys me. this track reminds me of my favourite red velvet moments. I hope we get more of this sound from nmixx!! their vocals just sound so good in this style
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