DKB are at a transitional moment, recently losing member Teo after a drunk driving incident. No one could blame them for being upset, and the aggressive energy of What The Hell seems to channel that feeling.
Most of this song is boy-group-by-the-numbers, unveiling a mixture of crooning and bad boy rapping over a rugged beat. But then we reach the chorus and things begin to feel more meme than song. I’ll admit to laughing the first time I heard the “what the hell” hook, which is clearly not the song’s intention. It’s used more sparingly than anticipated — a smart move, for sure.
Given a more idiosyncratic touch, What The Hell‘s herky-jerky beat might hold great appeal. As it stands, the track feels like DKB’s attempt at a rugged NCT style. They pull it off, but I’ve long since lost interest in this sound.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.5 |
Brave Ent does not know what to do with them and that is sad. They only give them underwhelming songs.
On another note JongUp just released the MV of his song “Stuck”
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oh wow, is this a callback to his ‘bad’ performance in Peak Time? I love it
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I had about the same response in the same order as Nick. A hearty audible chuckle during the intro of all the What the hell’s. Then a reversion to form for a basic boy group song, with a sigh. They should have leaned in a lot more. Pull another MCND-style “Ice Age” for full commitment.
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I was wondering who would take the lead in singing with Teo leaving. I was actually impressed and felt like we got to hear/see all their singers (minus Yuka, again). That hook is just boring…these kids deserve better.
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what the hell indeed. I feel like im listening to EPEX here.
8.25/10 (6, 9, 9, 9)
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I wonder if they went this route to compensate for losing their lead vocal. It might’ve been easier to go “boy group paint by the numbers” with Teo gone than to try and create a whole new concept and sound for this comeback.
That being said, it’s crazy how Brave Brothers has produced hits for some of the most well known artists in KPOP and you wouldn’t be able to tell if you looked at DKB. I wonder what the disconnect is.
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Or main vocal. I think Teo was officially the main
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