n.SSign’s Love Potion will most certainly be the final K-pop title track released in 2024, and given Korea’s current state of mourning I’m a bit surprised it was released at all. Earlier this year, n.SSign blitzed the market with several promoted tracks from their last album. And more recently, they busted out a killer cover of SHINee’s Lucifer at KBS’s end of year song festival. Love Potion makes for a fun, bouncy send-off to the year.

For this song, the guys have tried their hand at new jack swing — a late-80’s, early-90’s genre that seems as if it will never fall out of favor in K-pop. At its best, this genre can be unstoppably funky, layering rhythm upon rhythm to craft a hulking sound that’s sharp, angular and very exciting. However, as new jack swing became more mainstream in America, the radio began to fill with versions of the style that smoothed its edges into a more adult contemporary sheen. Love Potion reminds me of this era. The beat still swings, but it’s amiable rather than ambitious.

Love Potion will get (and keep) your head nodding. It doesn’t put a foot out of place and even kicks up some extra funk during its brief transition into the bridge. But from melody to execution, the song is quite tame. There are many nice vocal moments layered throughout the verses and Love Potion climbs toward a robust finale that showcases the group’s undeniable skill. However, the hooks are simply too flat to hit with their intended effect. I find myself admiring, but never losing myself in, the music.

Grade: C+