For a group of their stature, A.C.E have developed an outsized fanbase internationally, touring extensively to cultivate fans all over the world. Their music has occasionally catered to this market, though the past few years have been quite inconsistent when it comes to sound.
In my heart, I’ll always hold A.C.E as those daring upstarts who released songs like Cactus and Callin’ when everyone else was following different trends. The guys crafted a stellar discography up to their enlistment, but seem to be stuck in an identity crisis now. March’s My Girl was nice but lightweight, failing to take advantage of their specific charms. New single Pinata swerves in the exact opposite direction, emphasizing bombast over melody or nuance. To my ears, it’s the worst thing they’ve released since 2019’s misguided Savage.
If you love the sound of boy groups shouting at you full blast, you’re in for a treat. From Pinata‘s opening electronic stomp and vocal fry, it’s clear this will be the type of song that seeks to show listeners how cool and tough the guys are. I don’t really care how cool or tough an artist is if the music isn’t good, and Pinata‘s joyless, flat chorus renders the whole track off-putting. This hook is so bad it negates any of the impressive vocal turns that surround it. A lumbering instrumental only supports the song’s worst instincts, failing to bring anything new to this sub-genre of shout pop. A.C.E have shown us again and again that they’re capable of amazing things, but this is doing nothing for them.
| Hooks | 5 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 7 |
| Bias | 6 |
| RATING | 6.25 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
A.C.E of all groups doing shouty boy group music… (ಠ_ಠ) (and ik there was Savage too, but that was without the “shouty” aspect)
6.25 (5, 7, 7, 6) as well
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fr they were the last group I expected to do a shouty boy group song:(
this is easily their absolute worst title track and Comeback.
This song makes me appreciate Savage
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And btw, Nick, EPEX released the MV of their B-side, “Closer”, on Monday, so what are your thoughts on it? https://youtu.be/TZhlLAUpXqE?si=6gO1JdrhcZk3_B_F
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Oh I know, ACE of all people doing their shouty Stray Kids song imitation circa 2021.
sheesh
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Unrelated – there is a new KAVE ft Gaho album out, and it is quite good. KAVE is an above average kpop band album elevated with one of the best kpop vocalists ever. This is their second album and a stand alone single since July.
This one popped up in my feed this morning, and it starts with Seven Nation Army type drum kick, then quickly diverges. There is a brief section that brings to mind Led Zeppelin riffs.
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Ooh, this is fun – guess I’ve got something to listen to today after all! Also, hey, it’s been ages! I was so mad about the ACE song it dragged out of lurking!
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KAVE’s You is on repeat in my brain. So good.
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I really hope this works for someone because I think they’re some of the best performers and vocalists active in kpop – I saw them on their last tour and they were fabulous. They’re incapable of going on a survival show without winning or making it to the last round! I even love Savage!
But yeah, this is awful. They’re trying to evoke Favorite Boys with the performance but the song takes all of their strengths and buries them. The few moments of vocals just make me mad for what could have been. Their company clearly dumped what money they could into the promotion of this and I’m really hoping they can build some momentum, but momentum and musical consistency have always been their weak spots.
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Ace
This had me thinking about a treasure of garbage music, Omega Xs Vamos and its spiritual successor, Baila Con OX. I’ve been listening to OX a lot recently because I was supposed to be seeing them in Dec. And yeah, it’s shouty garbage, but it’s shouty garbage with CHARACTER. It’s fun. It’s got goofy Spanish and farty brass loops and beats you can rock out to in the car and the guys sound like they’re having fun. I actually cried when I found out that tour was cancelled and I wasn’t going to experience that wonderful nonsense live (admittedly I’ve been crying a lot the last two weeks).
Point being, Pinata does not have character. It is not fun. It will not sound better in the car. It’s just bad. And it’s spelled Piñata. Humph. Back to trying to figure out what “ice on my tee” means.
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This comment is so spot on it actually hurts to read.
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I adore A.C.E. but this may be the worst song I’ve ever heard. It’s painful to listen to. I expected more from them.
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I liked it until the chorus hit
7.5/10 (6, 8, 8, 8,) for me
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Well, there goes my theory that they’re pivoting to a more vocal-focused group. This brings the drama that I was missing from their post-enlistment work. Unfortunately, the song itself is terrible. It might have been tolerable if the shouty parts of the chorus were replaced.
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I like shouty music but the wrong group did it here..
i feared from the teasers this would be thier worst. But for me, the choreo and ofc the vocals saved it a bit.
8/10 id say. Ill listen to it for performance but not the song alone lol
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I’m addicted to this song, it’s what kind of song I like. 9/10 (9,9,9,9) the lyrics (rhymes) in the chorus are funny 🤣
The only complaint I have is I wanted the last chorus scream more, last longer and a change in the production.
For being agree with everyone, yes favorite boys is on another level compared to this.
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I totally agree this was very underwhelming the hook threw me off it was like they were trying to catch the beat.
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I had a lot of expectations before this song was released, but, well… this is too aggressive. The instrumental has potential
The music video is very beautiful, and member Wow has great visuals
7.5 however
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I’ve enjoyed ACE for years and i’ve been rooting for them pre and post enlistment. They’re one of the few 3rd gen groups that’s still active and this group has amazing vocalist. I was hoping they would have a similar trajectory as ONF post enlistment but I fear we’re going in the wrong direction.
After hearing the teaser I was disappointed, then I was even more disappointed watching the video. Why can’t they just let boy groups sing…why are they always shouting? Man, this just really let me down but atleast its a single rather than connected to an album. Can ONF’s producers donate some music to them?
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I disagree, this needed more shouting in my opinion. -10/10
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furthermore, this writing is clunky AF
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God, this one hurts. It’s like A.C.E trying to do StrayKids instead of doing, well, A.C.E, which has always been pretty great when they’ve had all 5 members present and went for broke. There are even brief snippets in the song where I feel like it should build to a song as great as their earlier material only for it to punch you in the face (or eardrums) with obnoxious mediocrity.
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This song is not that bad. The shouty part of the chorus was unnecessary, but the rest is nicely done, plus the guys’ showcased their performing talents for the first time since they came back from their military service.
Now, if this song was done by any other group, I’m not sure I would give it a chance. But ACE is a group I root for, therefore, a somewhat biased 8/10.
PS: these days, if a song sounds like kpop, even if it’s a little bit noisy, I’ll take it. Examples of this phenomenon are: Dxmon’s ZipZipZip, Itzy’s Gold, Nowadays’ Oowee and Treasure’s KingKong.
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