K-pop is getting its summer started early, with a few seasonal releases during a period usually reserved for April showers. First we had RIIZE’s excellent Impossible, and now we’ve got a summery pre-release from ZEROBASEONE. Sweat arrives about three weeks before the group’s newest album and delivers the kind of energetic dance pop perfect for the beach.
While Impossible veered much closer to straight-up house music, Sweat feels more indebted to overall K-pop trends and history. It’s got a catchy “rum pum pum” hook and a few minor switch-ups in tempo and energy. This causes the song to feel a bit generic among boy group fare. ZEROBASEONE have had a pretty identifiable sound so far and Sweat feels more like a red herring than a continuation of their style.
However, this is a sound I tend to be biased toward. I’m a sucker for bounding, feel good beats and singalong melodies. In this case, I would have liked to hear more ascending melodies rather than the constant descending lines that characterize both parts of the chorus. Sweat never quite soars and this is largely due to its melodic structure. Thankfully, the buoyant production keeps things sprightly and the guys give it all they’ve got, making this an enjoyable prelude to the oncoming summer months.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I didn’t quite know what to think about the song either. But then there is that word I used, “think”. Thinking not feeling. Songs that tell someone to dance without making someone want to actually, yanno dance. In this case, a song that tells you to sweat without making someone actually sweat, or want to sweat. Its just overthought as a song. Everything about it meets expectations, but it lacks inspiration.
I said hey hey momma said the way you move, gonna make you sweat gonna make you move
cmon now sweat, swehhhhhh ehhhht!
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Agreed, this one, I guess, was supposed to go The Boyz’ Lip gloss or Nectar alley, but it got lost and ended up in the wrong part of the neighborhood
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EVERYBODY DANCE NOW!
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My gym playlist kind of needed this, though. I played last year’s stuff to death.
In Bloom definitely feels more like quintessential ZB1 than this, but I’m with you, I love this kind of upbeat song, so I’m sure I’ll be playing it just as much.
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This is probably the first title track of theirs where I haven’t thought “I would like this better if only…” It’s just straightforward, uncomplicated, slightly old-fashioned sounding fun. Also I think it’s the closest they’ve come yet to replicating the Jelly Pop vibe.
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This song kind of reminds me of SF9’s Scream. Can’t wait for more kpop groups to release summer songs! My playlists have been severely lacking much kpop this year:(
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they’re officially the best PRODUCE group, I’m sorry. they have had such a solid streak since they debuted. I love the production here, and the melodies are catchy.
dumb trivia but this song has 4 people in the credits, same with Impossible – and both are most probably going to be my top 2 songs this month. can’t wait for both groups’ albums!
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IZ*ONE better
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Normal bg song but I will dig anything that I can put on the background for the time being. lol
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It’s crazy for me that they are a survival show group. They have such great chemistry and matching vibes between members and feel like a very balanced group overall. I liked this! I think it will keep growing on me, but I really enjoyed it on the first listen. Indeed, it is kind of generic and easy on the ear, but I liked that it didn’t have the polarizing elements that made Crush a slower burn for me (though now I love it way more than when it came out). I wonder if they’ll keep up the tempo or return to DnB for the title track. Maybe a bait-and-switch between the too? I’m eager to find out!
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This def lived up to all the hype the members gave this. Contrary to review, I found the contrast between the descending chords and upbeat vocals in the chorus really nice. I would’ve added more harmonies throughout but other than that this is an enjoyable listen. Can’t wait to see what the title track will sound like.
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Hi Nick! Have been reading your reviews for a while and always love reading your analyses. I saw you did a review on Impossible by RIIZE and was wondering if you could do a review of its B-Side, Siren? Haven’t really seen any reviews breaking down the production of that track and would love to know your thoughts.
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While I really like the overall sonic consistency zb1 have been going for, it’s nice to hear them in a bit of a different sound environment while still retaining their bright nature. For me personally the song tops lip gloss by the boyz as it never really clicked with me and I just find this production a lot more engaging to listen to. Really excited to hear the rest of the songs when the full ep releases though!
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