Fresh off their springtime ballad Samidare, HYBE’s &TEAM have returned with digital single (and pre-release) Koegawari. The guys have upped the energy a bit this time, delivering a laidback summer track whose charms sneak up on you.
Koegawari isn’t flashy, choosing instead to softly percolate until its sprightly chorus breaks through. The instrumental shimmers with a satisfying bounce, emphasizing the middle range with its robust percussion. Blasts of exclamatory brass pepper the chorus, adding an optimistic sheen to the track. And as we enter the bridge, we’re treated to gurgling electro bass that’s surprisingly funky. In short, Koegawari stuffs a ton of musical goodies into a deceivingly slight frame. If you’re going to craft a groovy mid-tempo song, this is how you do it.
Koegawari‘s hooks are also stronger than they may first seem. The song hits you with its main melody right off the bat before moving into a shuffling verse. When the opening refrain appears again, it’s buoyed by the full brunt of the instrumental. This chorus could easily grow repetitive, but the song’s ever-building arrangement keeps things compelling throughout.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
&TEAM is the musically consistent boy group I listen. They always release something that I absolutely adore and this song is such calm yet exciting. It’s such a morning song to wake up to. I’m really happy their sound is developing and they truly know where they are going. 9/10
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Some &TEAM songs (Under the Skin, Samidare) take a while to grow on me, but this one pretty much grabbed me straight away. It’s very smartly put together…like Firework, it takes an existing trendy sound and executes it very well. While I still think TXT, ENHYPEN, and &TEAM are taking songs out of the same HYBE basket, &TEAM is clearly getting the best ones.
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I’d agree on that last statement if it werent for war cry.
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Haha yes…I conveniently forget about that one!
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I was about to say, &TEAM is ENHYPEN’s counterpart and they’re getting the better material as of late…
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I think companies tend to usually give their best material to their newer/less established groups, and kinda fall into a routine with their established groups. Obviously this is not the case with every group or company, but I feel like that tends to be the case.
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Styling – both school boy and sailor boy, at the same time. At least it isn’t pastel.
I agree with EGG~ above, somehow its still very HYBE but whoever overseas this group knows what song gems to pick out of the company bucket.
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I’ve been noticing these accented vocal chops/flourishes with punchy bass hits? (Idk how to describe it) start to make an appearance in kpop. I think the first one I remember was Fifty Fifty’s Lovin’ You, but in the span of this year we also got Kep1er’s Shooting Star, NCT 127’s Can’t Stop Myself, and now Koegawari (actually this song reminds me of Lovin’ Me). It’s a nice and pleasant listen. I agree with the rating
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