Infinite members have remained busy since their return in 2023, and that includes solo projects. As a massive fan of the group (I’d still consider them my ultimate bias), I haven’t cared for much of the music to come from this era but I wish the guys well and hope for their continued success.
Main vocal Nam Woohyun has returned with a new mini album and taken on a rock guise for title track Only Forward (Only 직진). This has always been a great sound for him, highlighted by the excellent self-penned Everyday way back in 2016. And boy, do his vocals sound good here. He remains one of my favorite vocalists in K-pop (probably number one, honestly) and Only Forward gives him full reign to belt as loud and powerfully as he’d like. I love nothing more than hearing his voice over equally energetic tracks, which is why he’s always been such a key ingredient to Infinite’s success.
However, Only Forward feels like yet another song that doesn’t live up to its performer. I don’t know if it’s just because Infinite set the bar so high during their peak, but all this recent material feels inessential. I appreciate that it’s self-penned and carries a sentiment that’s very applicable to Woohyun’s recent experiences, but taking that aspect away the song itself feels a bit too generic. Thankfully, it’s buoyed by Woohyun’s forceful and compelling performance and that’s enough to boost it over the line.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Apart from its musical aspect, I can tell Woohyun has aged well. Despite his battle with stomach-related cancer, he looks very healthy for his age! Sometimes it always surprises me how well idols age. Anyways, he excels in being a soloist because his voice has a lot of texture and is very pleasant to listen to. Not my bias in INFINITE, but definitely memorable.
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I’ll agree, I see some random appearances of his sometimes and for some reason I find that he looks more cute and youthful than a lot of people in their mid 20s
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Speaking of INFINITE, have you watched the short performance of Be Mine in Boys II Planet? The performers are Woollim idols/trainees and I think it’s worth a watch! As expected, Mnet is being an asshole and eliminated one of the idols without any screentime or proper reason. As a result, the show is facing well-deserved backlash.
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Agree on all points. Nam Woo Hyun performs the shit out of this song. This is what it sounds like to sing a whole song through to tape in one take. Impassioned with an imperative. (… … to be fair, it probably was more than one, but it was not snipped and clipped and autotuned obsessively.)
I also appreciate the spritely pace of the song – Twice, producers, take note!
But why oh why did he pick something that sounds like an OST? Even the video looks like an OST. I mean, OST’s have their place, which is best when attached to a hit Kdrama. By themselves, it is just odd to pick one that sounds like but isn’t.
I’ll take it anyway. mid-8’s from me.
Speaking of Nam Woo Hyun and OST, this gem from last year (with Kim Sung Kyu, my other hot honey) was on my top ten for all last year. Sharing, because sharing is caring. Sung harmones at 2:03, yasssss.
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Will there be any buried treasures from the album? Hoping to have a listen if I get a chance today.
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If there is one, I probably won’t write about it until next week because I’m traveling over the weekend.
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Bonnes vacances 🙂
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