I’ve been writing about a different GFriend song every day for the past few weeks (and will continue to do so until I’ve run through their whole discography), so it’s fun when my daily GFriend feature converges with a new single by the group’s spin-off act VIVIZ. Their title track Maniac from one year ago went on to enjoy surprising longevity on the charts and SNS. I’m surprised VIVIZ didn’t strike while the iron is hot, doubling down with new music earlier. But good things come to those who wait, as the trio are finally back with new title track Shhh!.
English-language listeners may assume the girls are saying something different than “shhh” as the song opens, and that could be intentional. After all, the music takes an edgier tone than we’d expect from VIVIZ. They deliver charismatic sing-talk over a robust groove, taking a more aggressive approach than past singles. They pull off the transformation, even if it may not be my favorite mode for a K-pop song.
Listeners looking for an engaging melody will need to wait until Shhh‘s post-chorus for any salvation — and that doesn’t even appear until the song is more than halfway over. In contrast, its hook rests on the kind of repetitive, spoken catchphrase that’s been favored by so many K-pop songs this year. It’s catchy in a very obvious way, but grows old quite quickly. Shhh is still an above-average version of this particular song template, but it could have been so much more.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Maybe its just me, but something about the energy of the song throws me off. And the chorus reminds me of someone saying “bullsh*it” over and over again, but that’s not really a big concern of mine. I liked some of the overall production choices, but not enough to really, really say I love it. Still a pretty decent title track! Proud of Viviz.
LikeLike
You were right, my first language is English, and at first listen I had something different in my head! Love the darker side of this group, and their voices are incredible.
LikeLike
That would have been a better song. Bah bah-bah bah bull shit. As sung by like Charlie XCX or someone with a hell of a lot more charisma and authenticity to sell the shit out of the song. It just doesn’t work with the baby soft voices here.
Its not a bad song, its just not good.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Totally agree!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I also totally heard this as ‘buh buh buh buh bullshit’!
I am not a native English speaker, and still remember when I learned that bullshit is considered a severely offensive curse word (tween me did not know and thought ‘cow poop’ was probably a pretty tame word).
Here is my favourite bullshit song, but this one is a bit cursey even for me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzP4_JT3Gfo
LikeLike
very disappointing chorus. also, no more rap parts pls (GFriend doesn’t even have rap parts in them). Otherwise, solid song
8/10 for me (7, 9, 8, 8)
LikeLiked by 2 people
I thought the raps worked on Cliche but not Shhh
LikeLike
first time commenter here! i think this song is decent but definitely the weakest of all viviz title tracks so far, i much prefer the b-sides on this album like cliche or full moon (the latter of which i am so disappointed was like 2 minutes and 13 seconds…)
LikeLiked by 1 person
also, when i first saw the name i couldn’t help but think of jo yuri’s amazing love shhh released all those 889 days ago… yes i’ve been keeping count yuri come back we miss you 😦
LikeLike
this chorus gave me tremendous anguish
I’m going to give this a 7.5
Unlike this song, I’m looking forward to seeing GFRIEND OT6 reborn in January 2025. They are a group that I would love to see how they would develop into current trends if they hadn’t disbanded
I hope your production focuses on songs like ‘I AM’ by IVE or ‘Effortless’ by Jacqline. But I’m not going to set expectations, many renowned groups that end up returning suddenly tend to disappoint nowadays
LikeLike
Are they saying bullshit?
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s kind of generically catchy. I don’t mind it but it’s not going on the playlist.
LikeLike
In other online spaces, I keep seeing the sentiment that this is an upgrade from gfriend. I’ve always hated the idea that sexy/edgy is automatically better than fun/cute/bright. I get that people are conditioned to feel that way but it’s pretty frustrating
LikeLiked by 2 people
That is definitely a frustrating assumption many people have — particularly international fans.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I mean people have different tastes and I do prefer this sound over gfriend
LikeLike
you’re missing the point
LikeLike
What’s the point? Sexy/edgy is better for some people. For me I just like songs that are good but I tend to lean towards darker concepts. My favorite artists are Taemin and Dreamcatcher. They aren’t edgy though they are artistic. But I don’t like overly cute songs much although there are some.
LikeLike
Not the point
LikeLike
I’m going to get on my soapbox for a minute, sorry about the long comment. This has bothered me since I came into the kpop space years ago. Even all the way back in the 2010s, people have seen a dark or sexy concept as not only something they prefer, but as something that is objectively better and is ‘a step up’ in an idols career. Even for western artists it is expected that as they grow as artists, they will also be more revealing, show more sex appeal, and take on more sexy concepts.
Unfortunately this expectation also leads to the idea that idols doing any sort of bright concept should eventually move away from that completely in order to ‘mature’ or ‘grow as an artist’. A bright concept can be no more than a phase. I’m generalizing, but I have been through this process with multiple boy groups whose music and concepts I loved, only for them to ‘mature’ and change their sound and style entirely, never to go back. Twice on the other hand is a great counterexample – they’ve ventured a bit and matured their sound without losing their musical identity or their general concept (I would say Seventeen also did this well, though they have moved away from their early sound a bit).
This is also why SHINee’s Atlantis is so incredibly important to me, because it shows a purely bright concept done earnestly (not as a joke) and by completely mature and seasoned artists.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Atlantis is really good.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I loved it. 9. And the b side Cliche is peak
LikeLike
If the chorus isn’t just a repetitive bo-bo-boy shhh this song could reach at least a 8. What disappoints me the most with the comeback is the obvious recreation of maniac viral dance move. Yes we get it you want another viral moment but this just isn’t it
LikeLiked by 1 person
It does sound like they’re singing “Bullshit” in the chorus.
LikeLike
I like the post-chorus.
I wish they had leaned into the electric guitar; I think a harder rock sound would really improve this.
I’m glad that Maniac was a success, but it was one of their weaker songs in general and it’s pretty annoying to hear and see straight retread of it a year later.
As I listen to the album, I’m disappointed because they increasingly seem to be chasing trends– “Cliche” sounds like an IVE song, for example.
I can’t remember Full Moon and I literally just listened to it.
Hypnotize sounds more like a Viviz song, at least, so that’s good.
Love and Tears sounds like the credits song for a coming of age movie about a girl whose mom died but then she honored her by entering a pageant and saving the town’s library.
Ultimately, this album doesn’t have a standout track the way that their last albums have (#Flashback/Love Love Love, Untie, etc.). I’m going to give it a few more listens, but by and large I don’t think it’s going to stick with me.
LikeLike
Just realized that the part before the chorus sounds just like “Bitch Better Have My Money”
LikeLike
never thought i’d hear a kpop song where the chorus just goes ‘b-b-b-b-bullshit’ (though theres ofcourse jonghyun’s ‘she is’ with the ‘oh shit!’ (technically ‘oh she is’ but the original lyrics were oh shit and he pronounces it very similarly as well. i believe they just changed the lyrics to be fit for broadcast) in the chorus. i love that one. not so sure about this one though. its not really my type of song)
LikeLike