K-pop artists have a history with League Of Legends‘ themes and I don’t usually write about these songs on the blog. However, everything NewJeans touches seems to become a colossal smash so I feel a certain obligation to cover as much of their music as possible. And refreshingly, the anthemic Gods is a big sidestep for the group.
Even though it’s recorded in English, Gods feels much more K-pop adjacent than most of NewJeans’ material thus far. It’s interesting to hear them operate in this space. While the song smooths over every idiosyncrasy the group thrives upon, NewJeans deliver a strong performance that proves their appeal can be more malleable than some might suspect.
Without a doubt, Gods is the most powerful NewJeans’ music has sounded, trading their usual whispiness for a heavy synthetic stomp. The dramatic choir that opens the track is a bit of a red herring and I wish its over-the-top theatricality was more present throughout. Instead, we have a very solid radio pop track that counters its generic melodies with a sense of instrumental fullness. The chorus hits with thunder force and the girls meet the challenge with a series of confident vocals. Parts of Gods are way too Imagine Dragons for me (a band I fervently dislike), but the cinematic production keeps things from plodding. In the end, the song does exactly what it’s meant to. I don’t even play League Of Legends, but I’m ready to kick some ass.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
the “a band i fervently dislike” next to imagine dragons was pure comedy to me lol
(i dont like imagine dragons’ music either)
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its funny cuz not even as a young impressionable 10yo whose only source of music listening was KIIS FM and MY FM when in the car with my parents i liked the band
ok, i admit i sorta enjoyed their older music (used to), but then thunder came out and that was bad. then bad liar released and that was the final nail of the coffin for my interest in imagine dragons
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oh and just dance was also one of my few listening sources back then, so you can tell my taste in music was really limited back then
god im glad i discovered streaming services and mp3 downloading (i used to use my 3ds for mp3 storing) before i got a proper music player
ok enough rambling, how’s the song? its alright, wish it wasn’t so plodding. it aint going on my 4000+ song playlisy cuz i only have enough space on a 64gb iphone
(man this essay-long thread is as long as myma’s comments here)
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Darling daughter subjected me to a lot of Imagine Dragons from the car ipod a few years back, but that phase has passed for her. There are worse things than a IM phase for pre-teens, so it was fine.
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I used to listen back in the Radioactive days, I loved that song. I haven’t cared about their music ever since believer and Thunder I don’t even know how it got so trendy I hated it.
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I think its OK, fine for an OST or game song, sounds like one too. Of a style that sometimes crosses over into played at actual games in a mix, like high school football and basketball.
The girls do well enough, but I think this song reveals that they are younger inexperienced performers. They do not have powerful enough vocals to knock it out of the park. For verses that are about three notes, there is a lot more that can be curled into vocally. There is also not nearly enough highs and lows in the intensity from the performance. The volume in the chorus comes from the guy at the console turning up the volume knob. It needs a lot more angst and woe and edge, which is hard to do as a teenager who hasn’t seen some shit yet.
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This reminds me of imagine dragon’s league of legends song from last year (I hope I have that write).
Why do you dislike imagine dragons?
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Admittedly, I’ve only heard their singles, but I find them such a bore. I use the word “plodding” a lot to describe music I dislike and Imagine Dragons are like the definition of plodding. Their music aims for anthemic but falls completely flat to me.
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not to mention their hooks tend to be repetitive and sing-songy (especially *shudders* thunder)
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I can’t imagine any fan of NewJeans is going to embrace this one. I’m a big fan of their 3 EPs so far, but this one is a definite no. It’s just not their sound, more like something you’d expect from aespa or a group like that. Which is fine, but it’s not the NJ sound. Count me very disappointed and worried about their direction, after a perfect discography til now.
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eh, NewJeans fans eat up everything that they release, like any k-pop fandom. and I wouldn’t worry about their direction. this is just one song for a game. two (G)I-DLE and some TWICE members were part of K/DA and none of their music sounds anything close to those songs.
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K/DA didn’t sound to my ears very different from (G)I-DLE at that time. Of course, they quickly changed radically later and adopted a smaller sound (be it indie rock or hip-hop), but I thought K/DA was consistent with the epic tone they used to go for.
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This is just a one-time thing, and I’m sure NewJeans will keep their signature sound throughout their main discography.
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I think they would. Its fun soundtrack song that gets their name out there. People know the difference between a soundtrack song and their real music. Its fun detour. If anything it’s an interesting case study for their team to know if there’s anything in here they would wanna incorporate into future projects.
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By no means are New Jeans bad vocalists, their vocals fit their songs very well, but by no means are they amazing vocalists. I think a stronger vocal group like aespa or especially nmixx would have hit this out of the park.
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This is a good anthem, but Little Nas X killed it last year and it was with his own sound. Even made me choke up a little. I think they should ask Dreamcatcher next time. They would bring the drama naturally.
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I really really liked this. ❤ These kinda instrumentals are what make me live.
Also idk much about Imagine Dragons but their Demons is one of the few English songs I genuinely love 😂❤ I never thought you would dislike them with a passion lol.
Anyhow I know nobody else will want this but if NJ goes this route I’ll love it – heck if anyone goes this route I’ll love it!
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My first thought while listening to this was “wow! This is an EVERGLOW song”
8.75/10 for me
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All these League Of Legends songs are so much better than they need to be. This one is great. I love everything NewJeans has done and this is no exception. They fit well into this world.
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This is very different from what NewJeans regularly puts out.
While I admit that I haven’t played League of Legends, most of its yearly Worlds anthem tracks slap. And this track is another solid addition to the list.
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Its ok, but what more can you expect from a lol ost
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They have some hits in their post this isn’t a surprise that it is at least decent.
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Late to the party but then discovered I’d actually already heard and liked this song…my 23 yo gamer son, a former LoL e-sports player, has it on his playlist. It’s good for what it is and yeah…I’m ready to go out and conquer the next hilltop I find after listening.
Side note: did one of the guys on the winning team look a lot like Faker or was it just my imagination?
Side side note: I’ve said before that our tastes are totally opposite, Nick. I was wrong. Imagine Dragons bores me while simultaneously grating so hard I can’t make it through a single song of theirs. So there’s that.
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