It’s a mini Wanna One reunion as AB6IX’s Park Woojin pairs with former bandmate Ha Sungwoon for his new title track Cool & Hot. This song aside, I’ve always felt a full Wanna One reunion would be a big moment on the Korean charts. Too often, the members of Produce 101/Girls/Boys Planet groups suffer a mixed track record once they’re spread out among their respective agencies. I know it’s contractually impossible, but all of these groups should have been permanent.

Of course, you need great music to make your mark, and the slight funk of Cool & Hot is more “good” than “great.” We’ve heard a ton of this throwback hip-hop sound lately. Any novelty it may have had has long since worn off. Beyond all the DJ scratches and breakbeats is a song that bops along nicely but never catches fire. Woojin is a fun rapper and it’s nice to hear that skill fully harnessed in a way that AB6IX (or Wanna One) songs don’t always allow. However, he doesn’t do anything particularly interesting here. The ambition is pretty low throughout, which makes sense given Cool & Hot‘s unobtrusive, head-nodding sound.

Ha Sungwoon’s hook is similarly subdued. “Oh my jeez!” is a supremely awkward phrase to build a chorus around (and my dirty mind hears something completely different…).The melody also lacks bite, feeling as if it would be more at home in a coffeeshop than a dance floor. Both Woojin and Sungwoon are amiable performs with plenty of highlights to their name, but I’m afraid Cool & Hot will struggle to worm its way into listeners’ memories.

Grade: C