Remember when Tempest couldn’t stop shining? Hell, I’d gladly rewind to their Dangerous days of 2023. This year has been such a buzzkill for the group. Losing member Hwarang was a huge blow and musically their burgeoning Japanese discography feels like a misguided attempt to brand them into some bad boy stereotypes.
From Vroom Vroom to Baddest Behavior to Bubble Gum, Tempest’s work within this sub-genre has been universally tedious. The songs each feel like one stupid idea with the thinnest of musicality surrounding them. When I write about “catchphrase hooks,” these singles could almost be the dictionary definition. Like these predecessors, Bubble Gum uses generic hip-hop production to frame a series of obnoxious sing-talk hooks that could have been peddled by any boy group. The irony of lyrics mentioning “game changer” and “trend setter” is impossible to ignore.
Maybe this is who Tempest really are as a group, but their best work points toward a far more interesting series of sounds. The guys have released some genuinely excellent songs in the past. In contrast, their unimaginative Japanese discography feels like the worst kind of cash grab.
| Hooks | 6 |
| Production | 6 |
| Longevity | 6 |
| Bias | 6 |
| RATING | 6 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Vroom Vroom is in Korean though.
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Agh! You’re right. I guess my brain lumped it into their J-pop discography because I prefer to pretend it doesn’t exist as part of their Korean work 😅
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I mean… Dragon exists too, like the undesirable filling of a sandwich where Can’t Stop Shining and Dangerous are some delicious, high-quality breads (weird analogy ik)… 🫠
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I don’t think it’s bad enough to warrant a straight 6, but I won’t say it’s good either. The verses are serviceable and the hooks is kinda (emphasis on kinda) melodic, ngl, I was expecting a shouty or some loud chanty hook when I was reading your review 😭 but nothing about the song interests me enough to revisit it by my own will. It just exists.
Straight 7 for me.
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I think the 6 is just an exacerbation of disappointment ngl
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The song and the styling in the MV make me think of P1Harmony but with less personality.
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Is it just me or the chorus sounds exactly like Somi’s Gold Gold Gold??
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i agree with what you’re saying.
From Lighthouse to this wth😭😭
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new jeans bubblegum better.
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