Along with labelmates ITZY, NMIXX’s album has been preceded by a few pre-releases. First was December’s Soñar (Breaker), a song that has grown on me since its initial release. Then came Run For Roses, one of the group’s most striking songs yet. Pre-releases are a good way to build momentum, but they can also put added pressure on a title track. What makes Dash more suitable for promotion than its predecessors?
That’s a question I may have difficulty answering as well. There are things I enjoy about Dash. I like how it dives further into funk rhythms than ever before, and when the girls are singing, the track flourishes. The verses are engaging (if a little slow) and spikes of harmony add color. But your enjoyment of Dash will hinge on how you feel about its chorus. The chanted centerpiece is definitely catchy, but as of now I’m finding it more irritating than exciting. I guess I just don’t enjoy hooks in this style. A more robust vocal comes in during the second half of the chorus, but it’s not memorable enough to salvage that chant.
This being NMIXX, Dash delivers a complete switch-up during its bridge. This is the right place to do this, and I actually wish the song shifted more often. This brief moment of distorted guitar feels more interesting than the minutes that preceded it and makes me wonder if my quibbles about the chorus could have been covered by a more bombastic arrangement. All things considered, I think I prefer both pre-releases to this.
| Hooks | 6 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.25 |
Grade: C
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Aw, I thought this was really good
but to each their own of course. I really enjoy the texture of the instrumental as well as how they play with the way their (great) voices are arranged or layered (?). I like the direction they’re going
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Absolutely agree with this reply. The song is leagues above Sonar, which beyond gratingly bad Spanish pronunciation, and a more sugar-not-quite bubblegum pop sound, doesn’t really stand out.
I will say Run For Roses is so unique and interesting that I do like it more than Dash, but I can also tell why it isn’t the Title Track.
If I was grading this, the harmonies and vocal runs alone would have gotten it into a solid B+. It’s a very good Title Track.
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I’m with you. I like the song, but really hate the chorus, to the point where I’m not going to able to listen to this much. That being said, for maybe the first time, I’m really excited for their future musical direction. I think that this song is a major step in the right direction for what I’d like to see from them, and I hope that they continue what they’re doing- the more “mixpop” fusion stuff as bsides, and then more engaging songs as the title track. If they continued in a musical style along the vein of this song, I would not be opposed to that.
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I’d probably rate this song an 8.25/10, quite lower than I would rate Run For Roses, which I rated 9/10
I absolutely love both parts of the song, the old-school hip-hop and the punk rock. My biggest gripes with the song are the fact that its under three minutes, the chorus, and that the bridge is short af! NMIXX really needs to explore the punk/pop rock genre more.
I hope to see DASH in your risers this month though!
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I have a gut feeling they’ll release a full length album or a repackage with all the segments of their MIXXPOP songs as full songs, like how they did with O.O during their fan concert.
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I feel like th
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Sorry, I commented by accident.
I feel like this is their best “Change Up” so far since it fits as a bridge
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I knew I would like this based on the MV preview but the whole thing?
Call it 64 because ate × ATE!! Such a beautiful showcasing of their vocal potential, enough musical changes to really be engaging and it feels fast paced enough to earn the title ‘Dash’ while not feeling incomplete at under 3 minutes. I genuinely feel every other title they’ve made before this was worth it to FINALLY have something that compliments them this well and it’s obvious why so many of them have said it’s their favorite title track yet.
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I honestly really enjoyed this, the production is leveled up from their previous material, they’re finally singing in the verses, and the change up part is how it should be done… but that chorus is so hard to get into, and the short runtime is another problem. an 8.25 from me.
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I actually like the song more than you did. I can see why people could hate the chorus and I’m not a big fan of chanted choruses. But, what made it stand out for me was the vocal layerings(?) in the background of the chorus.
I enjoyed the rock-tinged bridge too, they should consider placing the “change up” parts in bridges more often.
If I were to rank the song, I would probably rank it a point higher (8.25). But I’ll say that out of all of the promoted tracks they released for this EP, I like “Run For Roses” the most.
BTW, I’m curious to know your thoughts on their new EP. 👀
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Hmm, the more I listen to it, the more I like it. Okay, move over B1A4, this might be my favorite single of the month so far 🙂
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I love the chromatically descending chorus !!! For me this is a firm 9, I didn’t expect to like an Nmixx track this much but it’s edgy, has some delicious chords, an addictive prechorus with gorgeous vocals… and for once, the changeup does make sense, lmao.
Will def be overplaying this this year.
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Also, it reminds me sonically of Love Me Like This, which is, IMO, , their second best track (and one of the few nmixx tracks I like!!)
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this is pretty average i guess
anyway i saw the mean girls musical movie yesterday. the movie was fine enough (despite paling in comparison to the original), but the songs were… not good. they’re dull, forgettable, and are hampered by plodding percussion and sing-talk that strips all the life from the original songs. they all feel so tacked onto the script as if the writers finished the first draft and were like “oh wait we need to add the numbers in”
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i’ll probably expand on my thoughts of each song in the next global pop roundup this saturday
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your ears are even more off than usual, this is an insane rating.. easily one of their best title tracks yet? probabaly the best after love me like this. at least an 8 on first listen
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Well that was kind of rude… 😅
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Its one thing to disagree, but why do you always have to be so oddly salty about it? Music is one of the most subjective things there is
(Also hi tbl, long time lurker, first time poster! Hopefully my future posts will be more fun
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Welcome to the comments! Hope you have a good time 🙂
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i see your points but personally I LOVE IT i was worried abt the chorus too after watching the mv teaster(and when I looked at the albums the run times in general were surprisingly short) BUTTT THEIR VOCALS and the melody is sooo good (imo) i loved bae’s pre chorus and lily post chorus and just the whole thing in general. yk at first when they did the change up i was like the only thing that changed were the visuals BUT ITS JSUT SO WELL INCOROPORATED. i think what saved the chorus for my is the harmonised ‘run it’ adlibs and when jiwoo starts to sing the 2nd chorus i love slow down.
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They lost me when they said “I wanna dash” the first time😂 Definitely nothing more than a 7 from me…
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that chorus is disappointing. 7.75/10
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Far be it from me to dismiss your opinion, it’s your blog and you’ve recently published your thoughts on recent trends in an admirably lucid and thoughtful way. But at times it’s starting to feel like you’re sometimes checking boxes whether or not some song or another is sufficiently maximalist and bombastic.
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I always try to predict what grade a song will get… and I’m usually so wrong haha. When I hear synths, an upbeat pace, and a vocal chorus I assume it’ll get a B or higher. When the song has a lot of trap/rap elements, any semblance of chanting, or falls under the “loud boy group song” criteria I assume it’ll get a bad score. Oh and if it’s a ballad or slow song it’ll be rated lower. But it still confuses me when I hear a song and think “there’s no way this will get a bad score!” and then it gets a C-.
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It hurts my soul a little when i’m really enthusiastic about a song and then I see people who don’t share my sentiment. But hey that’s just how it goes. I usually like a wide range of music and only really have critique for overly generic songs or annoying parts, so I’m always flabbergasted by the amount of nitpicking here lol. Anyway, this is without a doubt Nmixx’s best title track to me. They really showed off their vocal abilities and the song is already stuck in my head. 9/10. I’m gonna go watch some more YouTube reviews so that I can get hyped about how good this is again 😤
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Just gonna embed this here because all these comments are making me feel like I killed somebody’s pet 😅:
https://x.com/nickajames/status/1747009446587556265?s=20
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Nevermind… guess I’m not going to embed it because “x” is stupid and doesn’t embed anymore. Content of the tweet:
“Reading comments on the blog and I feel like I ruined peoples’ day by not loving the new NMIXX song.
It’s okay! Just because I didn’t love it doesn’t mean it’s bad or that you shouldn’t love it. It’s just one person’s opinion (and it’s not like I gave it an “F” or something…)”
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Hey, it is your opinion at the end of the day. Though I think your rating is overly harsh and off, especially to say the song is not as strong as Sonar.
I do completely agree that Run for Roses is the strongest song though. I think they didn’t put it as the Title Track because, despite NMIXX famously making swings and wild misses, Run for Roses was probably deemed too experimental. Which is a pity.
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NMIXX were and are my biggest surprise since last year. Their releases since Love Me Like This have been better and better. I LOVE Soñar and Run For Roses, so I agree that DASH is slightly underwhelming… It’s still a million times better than their early stuff.
I do feel there is a risk NMIXX becomes a diet AESPA. Still the EP is very good, Passionfruit being the other highlight!
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This song unfortunately suffers the same fate as Run for Roses, the lack of a clear instrumental forces the girls again to oversing. The way they sing is too jarring and dissonant. I also feel like they were trying to copy New Jeans again with this “easy-to-listen-to” type songs. Which falls flat. When a group copies another group they lose their identity. At this point I still do not know NMIXX identity. I just hope JYP gives them good songs
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I feel like this is the SM-ification of NMIXX, and I really dig it! I dig it quite a lot (especially the chorus)! This song is the best one that highlights their vocal talents.
The NMIXX change up in the bridge was…. okay I guess. Maybe I’ll have to get used to it a bit more. But other than that, this is their best title track yet!
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I still yearn for the extreme change ups that they did in O.O(because that’s what got me into the group in the first place), but I’m fine with the easier to digest sound of LMLT, and now with Dash. As long as people aren’t instantly repelled by all the mixxes and actually give them a chance and listen, I’m happy.
I get the sentiment about the chant chorus, but I actually like it not because its catchy but its different everytime. The girls give their own interpretation and nuances, that slow mo with Jiwoo? It just adds that sweet depth you won’t find in a lot of chant choruses from other songs. My favorite part is probably that juicy bridge from Sullyoon, gosh was that beautiful. Only wishes I have is for the distorted guitar to be louder and grittier and the short drum break in Lily’s part of the bridge to be longer.
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Decent enough. Needs more listens before I can give my final verdict, but so far Nick’s score seems pretty much on point.
Bit underwhelming compared to their previous stuff.
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Honestly really enjoyed this, it’s a fresh sound and tailor made for the group. Amazing vocals but stilI feel like there’s just something missing? Wish the song was longer too. Overall solid 7.5 ish
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5/10
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I agree, i really like the verses and the girls sound really good, but the chorus just ruined it for me. This kinda felt like love me like this with the kind of “plain” chorus. Except love me like this was actually a good chorus to me. Also both songs start abd end the same.
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I like this a lot. A girl group really has to convince me to listen — I just don’t tend to like them – and this caught me right away. The sound is funky and fresh.
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Yeah, this grabs my attention.
It takes me back a little to early 2010s boygroup fare (specifically I’m reminded of early Monsta X for some reason?). This is not a style I’ve seen girl groups do, as far as I can recall. It doesn’t slot right into a very specific concept stereotype, which makes it feel more nuanced.
On top of that, the vocals in this really stand out to me. A lot of really strong moments here from the vocalists and some nice layering. I’m into it!
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