Compared to other HYBE groups, I’ve had a harder time getting into the groove of ENHYPEN’s discography. Each time they release a song that I love, they’ll follow it with two or three that leave me cold. That track record doesn’t exactly build confidence in new material, but I recognize how popular the group has become. They must be doing something right, even if that something isn’t often for me. New single Bad Desire (With Or Without You) feels like one step forward and two steps back, which is a frustrating place to be.
Within this song we find a few of HYBE’s worst instincts: a veritable army of composers and an ultra-short runtime that leaves no room for musical development. Vocal effects are used not to smooth out imperfections but to add deliberate texture. This choice will likely be polarizing. I feel the production overplays its hand by smothering the vast majority of the track with these vocal effects. In this case, a little would have gone a long way. A lot makes the group sound dangerously close to AI’s uncanny valley. ENHYPEN have never staked their claim on a ton of vocal flavor anyway (they’re more notable for their dancing and image), but the effects-heavy production here turns them into robots.
At the same time, Bad Desire boasts some of the group’s most engaging melodies in awhile. The chorus unveils a nice flourish of drama that has potential to expand toward greater heights. It’s a pity that these melodies are dragged down by leaden production that squanders all the passion we know K-pop can bring. I enjoy the Timbaland-style beats in the verses, but the arrangement of the chorus needs to do something different to vault the song to another level. It simply sits there, spinning its wheels. Since K-pop is currently so obsessed with 2000’s nostalgia, someone needs to go back and listen to songs like the Timbaland-produced Cry Me A River that effectively infuse their stuttering midtempo with true dynamism and scope.
| Hooks | 9 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Yeah at this point I’m gonna give up on them, the music just never clicks💔💔💔
6/10💔
LikeLiked by 4 people
Have you heard no doubt, xo, fever, paradoxx invasion, polaroid love??? i guess you don’t listen too much!
LikeLike
Oh I love tamed dashed, bills, orange flower, tfw, go big or go home, upper side dreaming, paradoxx invasion, sweet venom, no doubt and brought the heat back, but their songs/ comebacks tend to vary from very good to forgettable for me as a listener but their highlights are great!
LikeLike
Yeah those are really good songs!
LikeLike
Hi N
LikeLike
Sorry I’m new to this, but I was wondering what you thought about “Too close”
LikeLike
“Set ablaze by this beautiful fire
It’s all my bad desire”
When will people start getting fired for their desire to rhyme fire with desire?
LikeLiked by 3 people
Tell me why!
LikeLiked by 5 people
Hey, it ain’t nothing but a mistake.
LikeLiked by 5 people
While we’re at it, I like this cover a lot. Changes the mood of the song quite a bit.
https://youtu.be/7S6sAvAsWEQ
LikeLiked by 1 person
Really enjoyable cover, really changes the mood lol
This version by Prince Royce came out recently too and I really liked the new spin and spanish lyrics he gave the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1-BkT2lyNs
LikeLike
I love the melodies, but the heavy autotune and plodding production just doesn’t do it. Remove at least 90% of the autotune, up the tempo, EXTEND THE DAMN LENGTH, ENOUGH OF THESE 2:30 AND LESS LENGTH SONGS, and I’d bump up my ratings more.
With that being said, rating’s the same.
LikeLiked by 6 people
Excuse you most kpop songs are 2 minutes…
LikeLike
Yes, and that’s the problem, while it was never this bad before (hell, just like 5-6 years ago, songs were at average 3:30). It barely gives the song room to develop and just sounds awfully rushed. I can name countless songs of that length which could be extended by a minute and sound more satisfying that way.
LikeLike
love the vibes of the song and i can see what they were going for. I like the prechorus, and it kind of reminds me of mirrors by justin timberlake. I just wish they made the chorus more upbeat or added a second part. I also feel like it has become a common theme for enhypen title tracks to not feature any bridges which is so sad because a bridge in this type of song can be so beautiful. Overall, probably an 8.
LikeLiked by 2 people
You’re right about Timbaland, first thing I thought of when listening to the song was JT’s Mirrors
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was hearing bad copycat version of Mirrors too, with the autotune set to T-pain.
LikeLiked by 1 person
this song feels like it could have been from the 2010s, and I like it for that
8/10 (7, 9, 8, 8) for me
LikeLiked by 1 person
the vocal effects… 😓 I was expecting the production to be 10/10 after Cirkut gave us Brought the Heat Back last year but it sounds so off.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This feels like a song that should’ve gone further and have had this big bridge and final chorus and gone on for like more than three mins, as you said one step forward two steps back. The Hybe curse strikes again.
Also does anyone know the sample on too close? It sounds really familiar and I’ll go crazy if I don’t remember where it’s from lol.
LikeLiked by 1 person
omg same im losing my mind it sounds so familiar
LikeLiked by 1 person
I FOUND IT!
IT’S SHOUT TO THE TOP BY STYLE COUNCIL!
I was listening to the radio when it came on omg I’m losing my mind that I found it
LikeLike
not sure about a sample but considering MAX was involved maybe you’re thinking of one of his songs? It’s quite his style, a bit blueberry eyes reminiscent perhaps.
LikeLike
It is a sample, most of lines from the chorus a reminisce a song from the 70s I think, I just forgot what it’s called
LikeLike
it sounds a lot like Cutting Crew -I just died in your arms
LikeLike
The first thing I thought was Justin Timberlake… then I remembered they’re from HYBE, then looked at the runtime, then realized yep, the song is gonna be too short to do anything significant. HYBE needs to let their songs simmer longer, they keep taking good shit then flattening it so bad to fit the TikTok-mandated song length.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I’m surprised Mirrors (a Timbaland-produced JT song as well) wasn’t mentioned when certain sections and even the beat really sounded like it. In fact it’s the only thing i think of when hearing this song.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Imo that’s all I was hearing as well, might actually be the reason for so much distortion, to bypass the inevitable melodic similarities maybe🤷♀️
LikeLike
their last comeback was also very similar to Pony by Ginuwine, HYBE is known for doing this a lot
LikeLike
what in the autotune
LikeLiked by 2 people
The chorus sounds like a massive lift from the classic Cutting Crew – I just died in your arms tonight. I just hope they credited the writers..
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yup, and I do not like either version.
LikeLike
It’s not a song that I love either, but at least that’s the original 🤷🏻♀️ can we not normalise stealing choruses without crediting the writers….
LikeLike
I can hear the flutey sixteenth note puffs, and transient wisps of the melody, but its not a strong interpolation, more like a drive by inspiration. I am speaking as the resident old one who owns that album on vinyl as well as their 2nd album on vinyl.
Their best song from back when is “Everything but my pride”.
LikeLike
Sigh…🧐😤😩😓😭
Why?!?!
LikeLiked by 1 person
it’s not that bad, but was there a pre-chorus? i think they just got right into the w or wo u and this is not funny, the only bright spark for me was NI-KI’s whispers in the bridge (?)
LikeLiked by 1 person
the “don’t touch, don’t do it” part is the pre-chorus
LikeLiked by 1 person
ain’t no what that’s the pre-chorus 😭 then the verses must have been merely 15 seconds…
LikeLike
someone fire slow rabbit. he cant keep getting away with the blandest production back to back to back.
LikeLiked by 1 person
idk why he’s been holding back lately because he’s made a lot of massive bangers in the past
LikeLike
thats the frustrating part…
LikeLiked by 1 person
The teaser was promising but the Hybe tropes were around the corner so I knew better. Another potentially good song brought down from the restraints.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love the song, and I love them! It’s a 10 for me!!!
LikeLike
It’s pretty good, I like it.
LikeLike
Weirdly, the English version is better. Although, the auto-tuning is definitely grating.
LikeLike
All that autotune was certainly a choice, but I still enjoy the song. It has all the melodrama I’ve come to appreciate in an Enhypen song. I like watching the stages. Enhypen are really about the aesthetic, stage personas and performance as well as the music and I prefer to experience them all together.
LikeLike
Belift is cooked at this point.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Are they really…?
LikeLike
Unless they start making 3+ minute songs again (I know Loose is over 3 minutes, but still), I’m not holding out any hope left for Belift.
LikeLike
most kpop songs are 2+ minutes (Including Enhypen’s famous songs)
LikeLike
Yes, but my favorite ENHYPEN song is over 3 minutes. My favorite song being Polaroid Love.
LikeLike
ok…
LikeLike
what’s going on with music production nowadays? i swear every single song right now sounds flat and poorly produced. theres no structure and it feels like producers be stuffing all their ideas in a 2min song without proper arrangement and can still release it. melody is great, but production quality HAS to be improved,
LikeLike
mirrors by JT knockoff. honestly not that bad, what i’m really not sold on is the music video, i really don’t get what they were going for
LikeLike
Still an enjoyable song, even if I’m still kinda disappointed because this song could be something more, like better produced with a more complete structure
The autotune annoys me at first but now it’s whatever
Not their worst title track but not one I would frequently listen, score is about the same
Also, Helium is significantly better than this song
LikeLike