I was quite ruthless when writing about Xikers’ pre-release Koong, drawing ire from the their fan base alongside accusations that I “hated” the group. In reality, I very much enjoyed this spring’s Rockstar and I’m heartened by the fact Do Or Die brings them back to this guitar-heavy sound. This feels like a nice niche for Xikers that helps set them apart from their peers.
Do Or Die melds the spirit of punk with the tropes of K-pop, resulting in an uneven — but ultimately thrilling — package. On first listen, the track felt disorienting and a bit aimless, but its energy was undeniable from the start. Further listens have revealed two sides to Do Or Die. Most prominently, we have the raucous, shout-along rock chorus and first verse, which bring distortion to the forefront. I love the sound of the vocals here. They’re rough and jagged and aggressive in a way we don’t often hear from idol groups.
Do Or Die‘s flipside borrows KQ Entertainment’s beloved autotune effect for rap verses that feel better suited to a different song. Luckily, Do Or Die‘s big, brash highlights outweigh its moments of trendy concession, coalescing into a knockout finale that feels suitably chaotic. It’s a ton of fun, offering a different level of rookie energy that will no doubt be a showstopper when performed live.
| Hooks | 9 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.75 |
Grade: B+
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
eh, Rockstar had a more compelling melody, that topline was amazing. This song though? I tuned out the noise
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I really like this, and I appreciate how it fully commits to its wackiness and does not take half-measures. The performance and vocal effects, especially on the chorus, bring back a truer reminiscence to punk pop/rock than most of their peers who have tackled this sound. I felt a bit disoriented as well after the first chorus, but it adds to the overall chaotic feel of the song.
Regarding the actual live performance, I am always really impressed by their energy as a rookie group. This vibe fits them much better than the posturing and angry energy of Koong. They do great with this playful, quirky sound and concept. It builds upon what they did best in their previous EP.
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Fun, punk energy. I give it 4 KOONGS out of 5.
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I feared that this song would be getting the Xdinary Heroes debut treatment, which I quite liked. Do or Die is definitely their most creative song, when listening to punk, you do not care about melody at all or even give importance to it, nothing’s gonna stop you from going wild and welll xikers did with this performance. Great job!
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Okay, this is 100% a big step up from whatever song we got last week (*cough cough* Koong). The punk energy is everything.
Honestly all of the songs released today are really good. After a mixed July, we’re off to a good start for August and I really hope it stays that way for the rest of the month.
On another note, EXO’s Chen will be dropping a Japanese album later this month with a very interesting rollout (all b-sides are going to be pre-releases). What are your thoughts on the highlight medley? It’s very different from his other releases… 👀
And how about the album opener “Break Out” which was just released? 👀
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Nice to hear something that’s not just ballads. Still sounds a bit “adult contemporary” to me, but I’ll reserve judgment until the album is out. Break Out is pretty good. He should really lean into rock more often.
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I have been hoping and begging for rock! Chen ever since I first became an EXO fan, so this is a very cool moment for me :’ )
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This song made me realize how much I dislike Xikers music but the vocals are nice here
7.5 for me (6, 7, 8, 8)
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i liked the song but didn’t love it. i prefer koong to this so i’ll probably be listening to that more
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I actually love Koong and have since it got released, but this offers a totally different sound which I nevertheless love as well. Have yet to listen to the entire album but I’ve been loving Xikers so far
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I’m happy this got the same score as Rockstar!
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Hmm….I’m fascinated by the fact that I didn’t like this. It’s the type of song I would usually like but nothing catches my attention in this song.
7/10 for me. Maybe it’ll grow on me.
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THIS is a sound I’ ve been missing in kpop. Punk/rock inspired pop has always been one of my favourite genres so naturally, I like this.
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