When last we heard from TIOT (I swear… there are so many “T”-acronymed boy groups right now) they delivered the melodic pop rock of The Long Season. Though this song didn’t do much to stand out from the pack, its sound pointed a very promising way forward for the group and grew more addictive with time. But like so many smaller K-pop acts, the guys can’t seem to nail down a specific sound. New single Flex Line takes them in a completely different direction.
It’s been a rough (some might say awful) few weeks for idol releases. A couple days after Odd Youth built a track from brass that sounded like a strangled chicken, Flex Line finds another way to make brass obnoxious. This approach only works in very rare situations. BTS’s Dope is a good example of building a dynamic, showstopping track around a brash instrumental that could have easily tipped into annoyance. Flex Line is loud and proud, but much of the song sees the group shouting at us with no real engaging structure.
The track opens with high energy rap before segueing into a generic blast of melodic build. This quickly crashes into the shout-chant hook in the most predictable way. All the while, warped brass struggles behind the vocals as if being tortured by the producers. It’s not irritating enough to be memorable in a bad way. It’s just another tired, trope-filled boy group track to throw on the pile.
| Hooks | 6 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 7 |
| Bias | 6 |
| RATING | 6.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Meh, average braggadocios boy group track that does nothing.
6.75 (6, 7, 7, 7) for me.
Also, a pretty sad fact no one wants to hear: the highest rated K-Pop song of this month (not including buried treasures) is an 8.25 so far, so even when TWS does well, we’ll have only one song worthy for the list of the Top 3 K-Pop songs of April 2025, an even worse repeat of November 2024, unless we have an unexpected highlight from some other group as well or a few of those 8-8.25 rated songs grow further (I can lowkey see the CYE song grow but whatever) 🫠
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The tortured brass is my favorite part. I don’t hate this but I don’t think it has grabbed my attention enough to stick.
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eh sorry this was meant as a reply to you but as regular comment
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OH MY GOD I mean this wasn’t meant as a reply. I took the Melatonin too early.
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what do you think abt this other track by unis? https://open.spotify.com/track/3ySVVIb0CUByvMtaJNK9tC?si=z3ThBcKlQOea3Zct-Fa20Q&context=spotify%3Asearch%3Aspring%2Brain
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What is that sample/melody this opens with? Swear I’ve heard it elsewhere in songs that utilized it better.
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Lupin by DKZ.
That sample also tickled an area in my brain and I had to find out where I heard this before. DKZ definitely utilized the sample better.
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There are samples sets called KSHMR that all of kpop uses to death. There are even multi-part youtube series (plural) that detail who has used what where. Once you hear some of them, you can’t unhear it, and you start to hear it _everywhere_. There is this one drum rim shot sounds that I just can’t unhear.
I don’t know what this tin horn sound is, but it has also been used in more than a few places.
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At this rate, some group should just go ahead and sample that “worst sax solo of all time” that went viral a few years ago.
0:55
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See, I remember “TIOT” because in my mind I always mis-pronounce it “toight” like a Boston or Brooklyn accent of “tight” with a good oy sound in there.
As for the songs, I have apparently downloaded a couple but do not remember them in the least. Add to the pile.
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