Across several releases in 2024, RESCENE proved themselves an exciting rookie act capable of offering a somewhat different sound than most of their peers. K-pop’s girl groups are stuck in a very airy (often “beige”) style of muted pop music at the moment and I’m waiting for a new voice that popularizes a change in direction. Sadly, new single Glow conforms more than it challenges.
The best parts of RESCENE’s fantastic Love Attack have been abandoned here in favor of a pleasant pop midtempo that could have just as easily come from a group like ILLIT. Glow Up pulses with a laidback groove, pulling every single one of its punches. The coattails of Sabrina Carpenter’s Espresso have become excruciatingly long with K-pop producers, and you can practically see the vision board here. At just under two and a half minutes, the track seems designed for TikTok with its eyes firmly fixed on replicating the mega-success of last year’s Magnetic.
You may notice that this review has now compared Glow Up to several different songs. I try not to over-compare when it comes to pop music, but this best explains my issue with Glow Up. Every single piece reminds me of something else and these sounds have been run into the ground. I suppose the song might make decent connective tissue on a Spotify playlist, but without a point of view of its own there’s nothing pulling my attention toward the track itself. It’s simply… fine.
(Also, is that repeated synth sample the same one from DXMON’s Girls, Love Boys, Love Girls?)
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
It’s cute, though too pleasant. The “that-that-that-that-that glow up” hook is catchy, and adds to an already developed, though airy, hook. Wish the outro was extended to a bridge and maybe the final chorus could be stronger? Wish it was longer. I prefer UhUh and Love Attack over this. This one is decent.
8 (8, 8, 8, 8) for me. Unsure of its longevity tbh.
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RESCENE have build up a brand of releasing songs with mediocre to forgettable verses and good (to even great) choruses. This song felt lighter than a side salad and digested faster than fast food. At just barely two minutes it suddenly ends, no build up or climax, it just plateaus. I’m kinda losing faith in a new gg turning up and switching things up. SM’s new gg’s production seems preoccupied with the current aesthetics.
On another note, Nick, have you considered bringing back Bite-Sized album reviews? I love that feature, and it’s where I discovered Love Style, Miracle, and Error. I would love to read a review on SHINee’s Everybody EP, and since we’re unlikely to get a comeback this year, I thought it would a good trip down memory lane.
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No feature is ever dead on the blog, so there will be more bite-sized album reviews in the future. It’s just a matter of when!
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they’re my favorite girl group of this generation and this was disappointing. The post chorus is reminiscent of “Tick-Tack” and the styling in the video is close to magnetic. I still like them and the song isn’t even terrible, but I miss getting what originally had me hooked
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i never get companies doing this , having a great run with a distinctive sound and then suddenly going for averageness , why ?
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Ikr! And love attack charted, you would think that would tell the company that they’re going the right way
The album was cohesive but very white cotton candy if you will
I feel kinda bad saying this but I kinda hope this comeback doesn’t go viral or gain any major traction (I’m not asking for them to flop) just so The muze will get the idea
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I’m going to add to your comparisons and say that the song sounds very 5050ish ( ͝סּ ͜ʖ͡סּ)
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this is just a very safe popsong , i expect something more from Rescene , all of their title tracks have been great for me except this one , do better Rescene
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while this is probably my least fave of their title tracks, i still enjoyed it! plus the album is super nice and i feel like i’ll be repeating the entire thing. they’re one of the few groups in this new generation that is filling my loona craving
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First there were the originators (NewJeans), followed by the imitators, and now the imitators have their own imitators. Definitely a step backward for Rescene.
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What happened to pinball and uhuh??
This is okay. Very close to the TripleS, Illit and NJ sound, only without something that makes it stick.
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LOVE IT. 9 for me. Yes, they followed a trend, but it was more memorable and unique to me than what it imitated (those being illit tick tack, 5050’s sos, and newjeans bubblegum) I don’t know why others are saying this too safe for them like their last title track wasn’t less adventurous than their debut. This was cute and probably my favorite title track
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