If we imagine the K-pop industry as a shopping street, ONF’s music is that quirky little boutique sandwiched between big box stores. Their continued pairing with producer Hwang Hyun has resulted in a discography that — while varied in sound — boasts a consistent character and perspective. This has made them the only K-pop act to land on top of my year-end singles countdown twice since the inception of this blog. Needless to say, expectations are high whenever they release music!
New title track Bye My Monster offers something slightly different for both ONF and the industry as a whole. Its orchestral heft, vocal-driven performance and dark drama recall the hallmarks of K-pop’s hallowed “second generation.” I like what it’s doing. In fact, I think I like what it’s doing more than I like the song itself.
ONF are perfect avatars to deliver this style. They’ve showcased tremendous vocals on b-side ballads, but this is the first time that approach transfers to a title track. Bye My Monster‘s verses are delicate and spacious, shining full spotlight on the guys’ tones. And when the song builds to a climactic power note finale, it’s hard not to get goosebumps. Meanwhile, the chorus offers a sense of catharsis as percussion kicks in for a driving intensity that builds a satisfying centerpiece. Still, the melodies aren’t quite hitting in the way their best material has, and when stacked against their (admittedly fantastic) discography Bye My Monster is more likely to become a song I appreciate than actively rush to listen to.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I have so many thoughts on this song. For me it’s a stand-out 10 across the board.
At 2:39 – I like how the lyrics ‘the ripples on the lake of my heart’ have a literal rippling effect, where a different member sings every other word. Such a beautiful detail.
A lot of the time in kpop it doesn’t feel like attention was given 100% to every aspect of a comeback (maybe the lyrics are weaker, or the choreography is more interesting than the melody, etc.) but I really feel that, with this song, it doesn’t have any element lacking. For once I wish I understood korean because even the lyrics are touching (shocking for this industry?!).
I’m not even a dancer or that knowledgable in dance and I desperately want to find the choreography, from the small clips in the video it looks insane.
TL;DR, SOTY 😻 They rlly slayed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
SOTY for me too.
I hope they’ll win best dance performance award for this!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope they are doing good sales-wise because these guys kinda carrying boygroups imo.
LikeLiked by 3 people
they got 30k sales as of now which is little comparing to what they deserve 😦
LikeLiked by 1 person
Parts I love, part I like, parts I don’t think work with the parts I like, but I’ll take it anyway.
LikeLiked by 1 person
ONF aren’t one of my top groups but I’ve watched them for a few years and I think their music brings something exciting to kpop. It’s also admirable to dance to the rhythm of your own beat despite the noise surrounding you. I appreciate them greatly.
Now unto the song–Personally I wouldn’t call it a masterpiece bc we do have We Must Love but the elements here are soo good. On a subjective level this blows away the bg releases we’ve gotten thus far. I’m all for nonsense songs with nonsensical lyrics but this one lingers.
LikeLike
It was this blog that got me on to ONF in a serious way with this breakdown of `Complete’, and it’s been a delight to see the reviews of their releases since then.
I share a similar response to Bye My Monster as here; I love it, utterly love it for its existence, for what it does and how it does it, and at the same time it’s not my favourite track on the album. I will say it definitely gets stuck in my head; I’ve been humming bars from it all day.
I’m looking forward to what gets picked as the Buried Treasure from this EP. 🙂
LikeLike
Glad I could help you appreciate that epic song!
LikeLike
I love these guys (and Hwang Hyun) and cannot say enough about how talented they are. I love how no matter what other groups are doing, they will stick to their own sound and not fall for whats trendy. This reminds me so much of The We Must Love which which was amazing on Road to Kingdom. I actully turned on the subtitles because I was curious about the title.
I just want them to win and be appreciated and acknowledged for what they bring to kpop. They have been my favorite kpop group since 2017 and seeing how far they have come is truly amazing. Especially in a field where other groups they’ve debuted with have disbanded or lost members.
Hoping that Slave to the Music is l the Buried Treasure. It reminds me of a funkier and harder hitting version of Aseriod.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Pretty good.
Not as good as their best, but good.
Rating is on point imo.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It got me hooked from the very beginning with the orchestra, that melody blends in gorgeously. Tbh, on first listen this is freaking amazing! It has some parts that seem lacking, but it’s 11/10 from me for now😅.
LikeLiked by 1 person
oh how much I love ONF! Its been a while they did an emotional title track like that and I love it so much. I think it has all the ONF trademarks. The slightly bonkers instrumental with orchestral strings and rock elements side by side, some very strange background vocals/ad libs or is it a sample?, Wyatts slightly cringy English rap verse (to be found in almost every ONF song – I love him so much!!) and some beautiful melodies and outstanding vocals. Is it just me or do they all sound even better now after they came back from the army? Anway I saw the full choreo, it’s beautiful.
And then that album, every song is fantastic (slave to the Rythem – what a song!).
Just need a full album from them. Are we ever going to get one?
LikeLike
We did in 2021 (plus a repackage!) and it was excellent!
LikeLike
ah yes true, City of ONF had 13 songs (although I don’t count English version, I mean who listens to them?). What counts as a full album 9+ songs? I never quite understood that repackage thing tbh
LikeLike
best
LikeLike
Wow, this is so pretty. I love the melodrama and orchestral elements that remind me of E’last but still carry ONF’s unique stamp. Not sure about the rap, but Wyatt’s deep voice is such a pleasing contrast to the other members’ soaring vocals. Also, that choreo looks amazing. I think I’m going to appreciate this more each time I hear it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love at first listen…made me stop everything I was doing to listen carefully. 10/10
LikeLiked by 1 person
i love how they make this from the classical Rachmaninoff, never knew it will turn to be Rock ballad instrumental song. They’re so brave to released this in the middle of these tiktok friendly songs.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ll be honest, as a hardcore ONF fan since 2021, Love Effect (the song and mini album) was a major let down for me. I really thought they’d go all out with their first comeback post-enlistment and instead they played it extremely safe. Arrival is the only song from that mini that I have gone back to and the title track is easily their weakest IMO.
Bye My Monster is more in line with what I expected from them last year and it’s a relief to see that the previous comeback was just a fluke, the magic is still there! The mini is very strong too, Aphrodite and Slave to the Rhythm could’ve been title tracks as well and Breath, Haze & Shadow is a stunning ballad.
ONF are one of the very few remaining active groups to actually deliver on the music scale, when so much of the industry has become more and more commericalised and cutting corners to increase sales and idols being packaged as influencers rather than musical artists. We should be so thankful to have them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bye My Monster is slowly becoming my most favourite ONF track, overtaking Moscow Moscow.
11/10
LikeLiked by 1 person