Earlier this year, NINE.i released one of my biggest summer standouts. A large chunk of New Mind‘s success was thanks to the Sweetune-produced magic of its title track Turn It Off, but the entire album was pop excellence. As always, this made me very eager for a follow-up. Luckily, the guys are happy to deliver with digital single Neverland.
Well… not so luckily, because this song is a definite step down from their summer highlights. The production takes a familiar tropical turn, hinging on an instrumental that would’ve been right at home in 2017. It actually feels a bit refreshing in 2023, but this isn’t enough to counteract Neverland‘s dull melodies. Where Turn It Off burst with a carnival funhouse of inventive hooks, Neverland is rather rote. Its chorus hearkens back to 2017/18 in a different way, drawing upon that brief era where K-pop hooks targeted the brittle EDM breakdowns of The Chainsmokers. There’s a certain nostalgia to this, but the song never pushes past these touchstones to become something of its own.
I’m still charmed by NINE.i’s performance, and if we position Neverland as a fan-targeted song rather than a full-fledged comeback, it’s better than most. However, the guys have set their bar high and will now be measured against those glories. A pleasantly generic track like this just doesn’t make much of a dent.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Noooooo!!!! 7.75?!?! How could you?!?!? 😂✌🏻
I just love their sound. Everything they put out there is literally music to my ears. I think their vocals sound better in this song (or at least I can listen to them better in this song). Young Boy is their best one so far, but I’d give Neverland an 8.5/10
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I am a new nine.i fan. I got into them about a month ago and had the privilege of seeing them in Salt Lake on the 13th. They did an insanely good cover of INFINITE’s Be Mine (and I don’t think anyone besides Golden Child covers INFINITE well.) I’m looking forward to future releases, and hopefully another opportunity to see them live.
This is good, but not what I was hoping for.
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Wait…. NINE.i did a U.S. tour??
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Apparently I didn’t reply in this thread. I’m an idiot.
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You can find some clips on YouTube
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Not a tour, sadly. They performed for the 70th anniversary of the Korean-American Alliance.
They performed for about 30 minutes for Korean Culture Night. I cannot remember all of the songs, but I know they performed Turn it Off, Power Up, and High School Love as well as Be Mine.
I really want them to go on a tour, they were fantastic live.
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I am insanely jealous!!
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Me too 😦
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