JYP Entertainment has found great success straddling the K-pop and J-pop markets with acts who can easily swerve between the two. New boy group NEXZ will continue this tradition with their upcoming debut, but first it’s time for a fresh single from NiziU. Though they’re first and foremost a J-pop act, the girls made a push into Korea last year with their track HEARTRIS. Sweet Nonfiction is another bubbly production that could easily translate to K-pop’s trends.
When Sweet Nonfiction first started, I thought we might be in for a quirky electronic highlight reminiscent of J-pop legends Perfume. That would be a very exciting route for NiziU to travel. As the song unfolds, it’s clearly more concerned with being a chipper pop trifle than upending the group’s sound. That’s probably a wiser commercial move, though elements of its upbeat instrumental seem to point toward a more daring future.
I enjoy how stuffed Sweet Nonfiction‘s arrangement is. From vocals to production, there’s barely any empty space. An insistent kick keeps things charging forward, ornamented by jazzy flourishes and muted synth. NiziU’s delivery is similarly mile-a-minute, unfolding in a conversational style that suits the song’s energy. It makes for a pleasant listen, even if it lacks dynamic peaks that would enhance Sweet Nonfiction‘s resonance. Those knockout punches are missed, but this is still one of NiziU’s most idiosyncratic tracks.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8 |
Grade: B-
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I also thought of perfume immediately after the intro – the beat is definitely something nakata would have put out around 2011. If we get an instrumental you could probably stick a perfume acapella over it and it would fit perfectly lol
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I don’t know if I have been brainwashed by too many “western slanted” HYBE releases but this sounds like something Twice would have put out in 2015, which back then worked for that time and place in the history of kop, but now it makes me cringe a little. Not that I enjoy the new VCHA song more, although it’s entirely western, but that production is definitely more on my alley, although the song is reallllllly bland. Ideally could we have both?? Great song and great up to date productions??? God knows if last year Jungkook’s album has been a HUGE highlight of the year. Despite it being entirely western, to me it ticked all the boxes: the great production and the great pop songs (which he also performed really well). I wish k-pop could hit that level more often.
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I love NiziU because they answer the question of “What would Twice sound like if it were just Sana, Tzuyu, and Chaeyoung?”
Fun song. I don’t like it as much as Heartris, but this will probably end up in my playlist
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No one’s pointing it out, so I will. The boy group is called NEXZ, not NEX7.
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lol I even watched the survival show that formed them and I still got it wrong 😭
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