The Boyz’ Phantasy series has seen them in top form, rattling through a variety of styles with confidence and flair. The trilogy comes to a conclusion with Love Letter, which feels a bit like an afterthought. Minimal promotion and a truncated track list give it the air of a going-through-the-motions repackage, but thankfully Nectar continues their run of quality title tracks.

Neither as colorfully goofy as Lip Gloss nor as structurally compelling as Watch It, Nectar is the kind of song that gently sneaks up and wraps you in a warm embrace. It’s conversant with current boy group trends — easy-listening melodies over a subdued dance beat. This is a style I’m naturally biased toward, but can become too generic for its own good. Nectar occasionally stalls into forgettable ‘fan song’ territory and is at its best when barreling full steam ahead during its propulsive chorus. Give me those bright synths and surging dance beats, guys!

I enjoy the song’s interplay between acoustic and electronic and think this could have been explored further. Nectar‘s relentlessly pleasant veneer needs to crack open and reveal something more idiosyncratic. Otherwise, it’s yet another random boy group track within this sub-genre. As a punctuation mark on a very successful era, it’s a welcome addition. However, I’m more excited to see what comes next.

Grade: B