Though Hui didn’t score enough votes to join project group ZEROBASEONE, he’s able to leverage his stint on Boys Planet for increased attention on his group and solo work. This is the guy who co-wrote the mighty Energetic, so I have faith he’s still got incredible things up his sleeve.
Whale is not one of those incredible things, but it’s a good reminder of his presence as a performer. The track opts for an angsty, mid-tempo beat with tropical synth flourishes highlighting its simple hook. In other words, it sounds like a Pentagon b-side — something you’d place between bigger musical moments on an album. It’s a serviceable stopgap as Hui prepares for his next step as a singer and producer, but doesn’t go far beyond that.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 7 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.25 |
Grade: C
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
WOAH…The chorus gave me goosebumps.
Besides the generic high hats and wind up, the song is actually pretty good.
Listening to this late at night with the volume high would be amazing.
I give this an 8.25/10
would have been higher if it weren’t for the high hats
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Honestly, Hui might be one of the most underappreciated K-Pop stars ever. He is quite talented, and is behind so many modern classics, but is constantly delegated to the B-List or C-List. I hope that he finally gets the breakthrough he deserves.
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Haven’t seen you write much about Queendom Puzzle which I’ve been having fun watching so thought I would point you in the direction of this song from this week’s round!
I really love this and thought it would be up your alley too, just some classic synthy pop with a bit of a bite to it (Kei from Lovelyz and Yeeun from CLC are excellent in this performance too!)
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Yeah, I haven’t been watching it. Thanks for the link, though. The song’s pretty good.
Maybe I should do some sort of ranking of the original songs from an outsider’s perspective. Are there a bunch of original songs or are there covers, too?
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I’m mainly watching it for Yeeun, Yuki of Purple Kiss, and Elly of Weki Meki haha. They’ve done a few rounds of both original song performances and covers- honestly most of the original songs are’t that great (as with most competition shows tbh!) but there have been some excellent covers! My favourite was of Seventeen’s Fighting. I’ve put in links to that one and then all the original songs, sorry for how long this comment will be whoops.
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Actually hui didnt produce this one which is pretty evident by the empty synth chorus and the lack of space for any vocal moments. He co- wrote it but was not involved in the composition or production. As a ptg stan tbh i wouldn’t even go as far as too say it sounds like a ptg bside. Way too generic for their style but I’d agree with your rating, hui’s vocals are the only thing giving the song some colour and character.
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