The Boyz delivered one of my favorite sets of summer songs with the first part of their new album this August. This was somewhat unexpected — not because the group isn’t talented, but because I never know what I’m going to get with them. Of all the groups in their standing, I can’t pinpoint a definitive sound or style. They’re expert performers, but the music has been all over the place — a sampler platter of boy group fare. Some of it matches my taste. Much of it doesn’t.
New single Watch It hits many of the stylistic points I like for The Boyz, at times recalling career highlight Prism. It’s not as melodically addictive as that track, but the slinky funk of its groove ignites similar sparks. The song is at its best when it builds to dramatic moments of showmanship during the pre-choruses and explosive bridge. These segments point toward how The Boyz might sound if they took their sonic inspirations all the way. Instead, Watch It‘s chorus retreats to a mumbly sing-talk centerpiece. This refrain grows more addictive as the song goes on and matches the muted percussion of the track, but I still think it could have gone bigger.
Fortunately, Watch It is buoyed by a great sense of dynamics. Its more subdued moments are countered by the occasional spike of aggression, lending the song an exciting sense of tension. It uses this tension to craft a structure that grows more bombastic as the track goes on. This aural storytelling is bound to give Watch It plenty of longevity. Its final thirty seconds are a real knockout, and I can’t wait to replay the song in anticipation of that payoff.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.75 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Ah I love this. I’ve probably already listened to this 10 times since it was released. Ngl not a fan of the album. It’s not targeted to my music taste, but it’s ok since I got three amazing bsides from their last album. Their next album is probably going to be a whole different sound, so I’ll wait for that. Also want to point out how good their vocals sound in Watch It. I felt like their vocals in Roar and Thrill Ride were so grating making it difficult to listen to. So whoever constructed this song actually took into account to their vocal tones. Anyways its a yay for me.
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Woah, sometimes I’m so disappointed when I hear a song after listening to its teasers, but here its the opposite. They do this dark funk sound really well imo, and I hope whoever is choosing or producing their music taps into this style of song more. The bside Escape also has a really cool sound.
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I feel like The Boyz has been my rediscovery of the year. In the past I probably would have written this off as another one of their SMish-sounding title tracks, but this is very seductive and stylish. While I don’t like this album as much as the previous one, I feel like they do a good job incorporating older Kpop sounds (again, it sometimes feels more like SM than any of the newer SM stuff) while making interesting production choices. Agree that Escape is the standout here. They seem to be alternating between dark and bright concepts so looking forward to Part III.
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they’re on a roll this year. album is pretty good this time too, but I still prefer Christmas In August.
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This year has been such a great year for TBZ. All their music has been hits for me although ‘Lip Gloss’ became heavily out-shadowed by the b-sides for me.
This song is so interesting. From the MV teaser, I was wondering how they were going to pull this off as a song because it sounded like those generic sounds / music they have over commercials, but Younghoon’s starting really hooked me in. The pause before the chorus would usually indicate an anti drop or sound change for the chorus but I like that it kept it’s subdued, groovy sound.
9/10
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This song is a 9 but I hate the chorus so it is a 7😤
I mean, it is a “Sugar Rush Ride” case for me…everything started great and I felt the build up was going to take me to an amazing place and then the “chorus” hit (or didn’t) and that was it for me.
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Not feeling this album as much as I wanted to (compared to Christmas in August which I fucking love). I’m obviously in the minority here but this is a downgrade for me.
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Oooo I like it. And there’s a cat.
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I like it very much. I think it’s unconventional and does a good job of bringing out The Boyz’s cool atmosphere.
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