TXT continue to push into global markets, building upon their winter smash Sugar Rush Ride with English and Spanish language collaborations featuring Jonas Brothers and Anitta. Both tracks are present on their new album (minus Anitta), offering a taste of different genres. Meanwhile, new single Chasing The Feeling is the latest in a long line of recent songs to riff on Take On Me-style synth pop.
This specific song template has almost become a genre of its own, and even I (an 80’s music enthusiast) am beginning to tire of icy synth riffs. If you’re going to beat a trend to death, you might as well make it interesting. Chasing That Feeling is a sturdy slice of melodic synth-pop, but it’s far from daring. I’m actually surprised how straight-laced and generic the song feels. It has all the right ingredients of a career highlight, yet constantly undercuts itself. Every element simply runs through the motions, tied to a curiously subdued energy that tempers the track’s anthemic leanings. I’m not saying it needs a Sugar Rush style tempo shift, but I keep waiting for something dynamic to happen within the arrangement.
On the plus side, this straightforward approach lets the melody take form, unencumbered by K-pop’s usual trip ups. The pre-chorus is especially nice, creating a mini climax where both the instrumental and vocal performance reach their peak. I would have loved to hear this energy amplified throughout the rest of the track. A killer remix could easily elevate Chasing That Feeling‘s spirit, bolstering its icy atmosphere with more oomph. Right now, it exists in a strange middle ground that pleases but never thrills.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8.25 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
It feels a bit like Set me Free (twice) in that regard
I’m kind of having a love-hate relationship with it
I wish it was more dynamic but because there’s not much to see in kpop these days I might go back to it often
The album is definitely their strongest in a while
Is it their best? Idk
Time will tell
But it’s an overall positive review from me
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I agree with your review but I still like it very much. the album is so good too!
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Huge fan of 80s inspired kpop songs, Everglow La Di Da will forever live rent free in my head for the next couple years possibly longer.
As for this song… Gosh can you possibly get even more generic than this? It’s repetitive, it’s one tone, it’s boring as hell. How did we get from the absolutely astounding Back for More to this?!
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Cause its the first title track without slow rabbit and full control to an american producer
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its not bad but i feel like it couldve been so much more. had my hopes really high for this particular cb (the concept clips sounded amazing) so I might’ve set myself up for disappointment 🥲
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This is so cheesy to me. I’m amazed how TXT can turn retro into emo like they just created a new genre all by themselves.
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You nailed it; retro turned emo is exactly the vibe. It should be a new subgenre haha.
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Another one channeling their inner Maniac. The original one, especially in the pre-chorus. With a touch of a-ha in the shortest break ever.
As a child of the 80’s, this doesn’t do anything for me.
The original Maniac ‘https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x1K5UH2nek
With all the mid going on today, I have started a personal festival of Adam and the Ants live on grainy old pirated videos available for free on youtube. Actual danger. Actual badness. Enjoy!
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I think the teasers did a good job of making the song sound a lot bigger than it actually was.
From the album, I think Deep Down is the most interesting song, and probably could’ve done better as the actual single if it was longer.
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The song’s good but it’s too tame. If the climax / final chorus and bridge of this song was a bit more impactful, this song would be a 9/10 for me.
Maybe the combination between, ‘Back for More’ which had an INCREDIBLE climax + the preview version of the ‘Chasing that Feeling’ had my expectations too high for this comeback.
The song’s gonna be a 8/10.
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IMHO it’s a much better variation on Take On Me theme than Zerobaseone’s previous attempt a few months ago. The only fail is the synth riff itself, which has actually no character and no punch. Just cut it off, and the track gets pretty immediately a bop.
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I definitely feel like a different feeling in the bridge and a high note in the last portion could have elevated the song as a whole but I can say that it’s bolstering energy as a whole works.
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Am I the only one who basically heard this song already? I don’t remember the name, but I can’t get in out of my head. The pre chorus feels like an 80’s song I already know. Like exactly the same!
Really. I miss slow rabbit on the song he always makes stuff interessting. Everytime Kpop tries to americanise more there is an 80% fail rate because it songs so boring in the end. And sadly this one doesn’t belong to the 20% success rate. It’s a stable song and interetibg choice of genre but it doesn’t have that extra kick to it. Even if it was just high backing vocals and layers it would have been better than this.
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“Maniac” from the Flashdance soundtrack for the pre-chorus. The one in which the dance double for Jennifer Beales does the sexy post-welder-day-job-pre-strip-club-evening-job-warm-up.
There is also a touch of some other New Wave B-side circa 1983 or 1984 like an OMD or Erasure-type in the verses. That high echoing blipping sound.
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The verses blipping sound reminds me of this one from OMD from 1981, though there might be closer references elsewhere in the Orchestral Manoeuvers oeuvre, eg the Dazzle Ships album.
It’s like an old Fairlight or Roland synthesizer sound, or emulator of same.
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You’re not the only one! It took awhile to come to me, but the melody is VERY similar to this part of Simple Minds’ Don’t You (Forget About Me)
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This song is missing something… a Sweetune production
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oh they’re such good singers and vocalists but the song is just so flat and generic, despite sugar rush ride’s failings it was a rollercoaster of a listen and this one is a bit of a snooze. the album gives them more to do, fortunately.
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Sugar Rush actually grew on me a lot after my initial confusion.
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I think this song would have been vastly improved with a driving beat like Cyberpunk by Ateez. It would have injected some energy into what feels pretty pedestrian. It’s understandable that TXT would play it safe with their English singles but it’s frustrating when they do that with their title tracks too.
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I like this style a lot. 9/10 for me
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I like the synths, but it could just be way faster.
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This song is freaking great. I love it so much. I’m so gonna listen to this more than any human should.
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the lyrics were a little jarring to read as they fit disturbingly perfectly into enhypen’s dark blood … I think hybe is actually really struggling to maintain a unique musical identity between all their boy groups
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Agreed. It’s a lovely song but the lyrics seem as if the writers thought they were writing for enhypen – from the repeated mentions of fate while enhypen are on their fate tour, falling down from heaven which is the plot of the sacrifice mv, the “come (and) kiss me” similarities in bite me. They all seem innocent individually, but together it seems very formulaic and strategic. I can’t tell whether hybe are struggling with maintaining a unique musical identity for each group like how you said, if they have a certain buzz word quota they want to match, or if they’re counting on zero moagenes ijbol.
Nick mentioned in their review for &team’s firework that many hybe acts are beginning to feel interchangeable so I’m very surprised they didn’t mention it with their review for CTF! I’m curious to see whether enhypen will also suffer from the same identity crisis with their comeback this year.
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* I feel like it’s worth mentioning for people who don’t keep up with enhypen that fate was a constant theme in dark blood, from their short film, “if you wish to escape from this twist of fate, bite me”, to their intro called fate, to additional mentions throughout the album, which is why their tour in called fate.
Perhaps it’s the new buzzword for 2023.
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For me it’s their best highlight in their carrier.
The energy is very good.
The sound is very refreshing.
This song makes me dive into their ocean if feelings and just drift.
I’m tired of usual kpop formula and sound and this one definitely feels different.
When prechorus starts I just ascend.
As for me, this song doesn’t need the beat of Cyberpunk of the beatdrop or antidrop or SRR style shift.
It’s good as it is.
For B sides, Growing Pain is pure alternative rock in Korean. I like it
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Love the verses, but not the pre-chorus and the chorus. All in all, this probably had a lot more potential but ended up a bit generic / repetitive..
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……I like it!
It took a little while. I thought it was mid at first and a little bit of The Weeknd ripoff but the more I listen,the more I enjoy it! Kudos, Txt! This is a highlight for me this year.
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Ah, lovely.
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I love this song! I think that I could listen to this on hour repeat.
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