With the end of ZEROBASEONE’s contract looming in the (very near) distance, fans are concerned this might be their last comeback — at least in their current iteration. It’s impossible to know for sure what the future holds, but the guys are no doubt throwing everything they have into their first full album and the promotions of title track Iconik.
ZEROBASEONE’s title tracks have ranged in sound, but the last few have taken a bright, anthemic pop approach with effusive choruses. Iconik‘s funk-infused sound feels closer to their excellent 2025 b-side Devil Game. I’ve always thought Devil Game would have made a killer title track and I definitely prefer it over this. Early reports around Iconik teased it as a mixture of Michael Jackson and EXO’s Love Me Right, which is practically a fever dream for me. I hear those influences here and there throughout the song, but the final product is much more reserved than I had hoped.
This echoes a general complaint I have about K-pop at the moment. Nobody goes for it anymore. If you’re doing an MJ-inspired funk track, you better find the biggest, stickiest beat you can and go for broke with a sense of scale, passion and flair. Iconik swerves and coasts, but it rarely hits or punches. The opening verse is too languid for its own good and the chorus feels far less impactful than it should. The post-chorus chant comes closest to bringing the force I’m looking for, but I wish we could hear this energy withing a melodic structure rather than a chant. My fondness for ZEROBASEONE and this genre will be enough to make Iconik a very minor standout on my playlist, but it’s hard not to be a bit disappointed when they’ve already released a stronger version of this earlier in the year.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8.25 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
This is mellower than it should be but I like it, I would put this third behind Good So Bad and Blue in terms of their title tracks.
I saw a bit of their comeback show and Lovesick Game is the closest they’ve come yet to Over Me except with chairs instead of ribbons. I’m still perplexed as to why they chose Slam Dunk as a prerelease.
When it’s all said and done, I’m gonna miss these guys. Now it’s on to A1pha or whatever BP2 will be called.
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I would say Lovesick Game is almost exactly Over Me… bar for bar lol
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Iconik is a breath of fresh air after the okayish Good so Bad and the forgettable Blue. I’m glad they went all out for their final song.
The real standout from the album though is Star Eyes. Now that’s a song I wish they had released more of!
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Forgettable Blue? Damn. One of my favorites of the entire year.
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Okayish Good So Bad…. I don’t respect your opinions but I respect your right to express them
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if this is what they’re gonna go out with then honestly I’m not mad at it. I really like it, although I agree that Devil Game executed this sound better.
my favorites from the album are Goosebumps, EXTRA, Long Way Back and Star Eyes. Star Eyes specifically is everything I’ve been looking for in a song – the UK house beat, the strings and the late 2000s/early 2010s EDM beat. it also sounds like a survival show anthem (it’s very Here I Am-ish at the beginning).
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also, when I first heard the snippet of this song, I was reminded of Superhuman by NCT 127 and VIXX’s early material (On and On specifically) – both amazing tracks with funk influences
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Agree with you on all of the stand-out tracks, down to Star Eyes being the clear buried treasure here. Wow, those strings are gorgeous.
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I haven’t looked into Zerobaseone much, but I really like this song! Other than Devil Game, is there anything else I should check out on this album / in their discography?
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it’s not a very long discography for better or for worse imo. I will say I don’t think they’re known for having super standout music, but much of it is fun and easy to listen to, and fits their flower boy genre really well.
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Echoing the sentiment that since they’re a group with a projected lifespan of 2.5 years their discography is pretty easy to listen all the way through. There’s three albums and three EPs, plus a Japanese EP and some singles and OSTs. This new album is by far their longest at 10 tracks..
My personal favorite title tracks are In Bloom and Good So Bad, and non-title tracks I would recommend are Sweat, Insomnia, and Kidz Zone.
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Oh, and I forget the excellent “back to zerobase”!
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From a construction perspective, it is a standard song-camp, slot the ideas into a framework style. I mean, there are seams. 2:09-2:12 is the most obvious, but every four lines before there are seams too.
The difference is the producers made better choices for the instrumental. The funk and swing. It doesn’t funk or swing, but it sounds like it does, and that is what matters. We are all too charmed to bother noticing the seams.
As with others above, if this is what they go out with, its a good choice.
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The album being titled “Never Say Never”? They’re fucking with me. Contract renewal prayer circle is back on 🙏🙏🙏
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If this ends up being their last title track then admittedly I feel let down. The MV budget outshines the song which doesn’t live up to its title. I would’ve preferred something in the vein of Star Eyes but more emotional with all the disbandment feels as that would’ve been more fitting. Slam Dunk wasn’t the best PR choice yet musically I find it stronger.
Though their catalogue never reached the heights I imagined, I’ll always hold affection for this group as 9. Following them has become one of my core memories as a Kpop fan.
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idk that “this ic-o-nic elec-tronic GROOVE” has wormed its way into my brain. It’s no Good So Bad, still an 8.5 for me
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