About a month after pre-release BYOB (Bring Your Own Best Friend), Billlie are back with title track DANG! (Hocus Pocus). That’s a lot of parenthesis! This one-two shot further establishes them as a quirky group who exist just outside the mainstream.
DANG! enlists songwriters Daniel Caesar and Ludwig Lindell among its team of four, and if those names sound familiar you’re probably recalling their epic pop track Red Flavor by Red Velvet. It’s no wonder that DANG! feels a bit SM-ified — as filtered through Billlie’s off-kilter worldview. The track retains the sing-song style of earlier singles, utilizing chirpy vocal effects for a post-chorus earworm that will either enchant or repel.
I’m somewhere in the middle. I don’t find DANG! cloying, but it’s not particular interesting either. It has a slight marching band sound that reminds me of 2010’s-era girl groups but doesn’t bring many new ideas into the fold. Its chorus is catchy, yet the overall vibe can’t quite match the understated appeal of BYOB. For now, the song feels like a lateral move rather than an exciting new development in Billlie’s fascinating discography.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
this is like a repeat of nmixx’s summer single album – the first subdued single is better than the second, more poppy single
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Slight disappointment.
We are a looong way away from Eunoia and Ring Ma Bell.
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I think Sua and Suhyeon added the charisma and uniqueness the group had. Yes the girls are talented but there is no reason to be impatient and make the group less unique when it comes to music.
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So this is why it felt so Red Velvet-y!
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Interesting connection with Red Velvet! I heard the influence once you mentioned it.
This isn’t really hitting for me, and I think it’s because of the melody of the chorus and the way it’s sung/mixed. It guess it straddles the line between good and annoying for me. I do appreciate the “ayayay” and “watchin myself” added to the “bum bum bum”s, because that is much needed to keep that section interesting.
Fingers crossed that they’re saving some really excellent songs for when Sua and Suhyeon are back.
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I was thinking it was something in the mixing, too. I can’t put my finger on it, but the production isn’t immersing me the way it should.
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I love Billlie. They’re one of my top 3 groups. But I don’t love “Dang.” I mean, it’s all right. But I don’t think there’s anything too special about it.
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Oh, that intro was so promising. I love the Red Velvet-y vibes.
This song also gets the ‘more energy! more passion!’ rating from me.
Something about it feels too slow. There’s a lack of energy here that is not intentional. There’s a lot going on in this production but it isn’t doing it for me. Playing at 1.25 is slightly better, but it’s not just the speed of the song that is the problem. I’m not sure exactly what is.
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Seems like a ‘filler’ title for them. It’s still Billlie, but you can also see this being performed by a lot of other groups. It somehow lacked that ‘childhood innocence and curiosity’ charm, even if it is sprinkled here and there on the song.
Yes, aside from having Caesar & Loui, it sounds like Red Velvet because Sunshine – Cazzi Opeia ❤ and Ellen Berg – seems to write the main topline. I am so sure it's Cazzi who came up with the 'bo-bo-bombarda' hook because these arpeggiating hooks are her signature.
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Easily their worst comeback.
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