Recent releases by TWS, RIIZE and IDID have me wondering if I’m starting to go full circle and enjoy weirdly atonal boy group hip-hop tracks again. It helps when the production is interesting and the subject matter isn’t simply “I’m so cool, look at me.” To be honest, much of my opinion about this style of song comes down to things like vocal tone and specific production choices (percussion, riffs, etc.). I can even forgive a lame spoken-word hook if the guys dial back on the shouting and perform it in a slightly different way.
For the first verse of NEXZ’s pre-release I’m Him, I thought the song might join my growing list of hip-hop bangers. But after a promising groove and satisfying verse, the song devolves into the kind of “spiraling melody followed by cut-and-paste boy group bluster” chorus that instantly makes my eyes glaze over. Things briefly right themselves during an exciting bridge, but the bulk of the song is driven by a few irritating refrains that are hard to ignore.
When it comes down to it, songs like this boil down to individual moments, and what grates one listeners’ ear might excite someone else. It’s a fine line between catchy and obnoxious and I’m often surprised where I fall on the spectrum when it comes to specific songs. Though there’s plenty to like about I’m Him, ultimately it tips over to the negative for me.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 7 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.25 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
you heard taylor’s new album? god that album made me feel absolutely nothing, just a collection of boring midtempos with some crap lyrical songwriting
worst part is i was anticipating this album before it dropped thanks to the promotion and max martin credit and made me think it was gonna sound bigger than it was
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I sampled it. Haven’t listened to the full thing, though. I instantly knew it wouldn’t really be for me and wasn’t the big “pop” album we were promised. I’m not a TS fan in the best of times, but was hoping this could have been an on ramp that would help me see what all the fuss was about. Instead, it’s just more of the same.
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i fully accept taylor is not for me and will never be for quite a long time
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Yeah, but as a student of pop history and a lifelong mega-fan of pop music, it feels very weird to be completely detached from the biggest pop star in the world.
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The album release was plastered all over with multiple clickable links. I was tempted, but then I realized that I haven’t ever listened to a TS album all the way through on purpose. Her music is so omnipresent that eventually I will hear it all anyway eventually.
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NGL those were my thoughts too. I was really expecting a return to the big, upbeat pop sound that she did in her 1989 album (which is my most favorite album of hers to date) based on the producer credits and the aesthetic the photos gave out.
I guess I’m not feeling many of the big music releases of this year. 😦
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theres like no song in the album i would give an 8, most being mid to low 7s and maybe a few 6s
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OK I listened to the album. I thought the vocal was overproduced, the instrumental was under-written and underproduced, and as usual she goes on and on all warbly and wordy about relationships and such.
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actually romantic might be the worst song shes ever written
aside from it allegedly being a charli diss, the lyrics are horrid, the disses being elementary school level and coming from a place of popular girl narcissism
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The Charli diss is ridiculous considering no amount of coke could ever make Taylor write a good song.
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The picture is giving me TVXQ Mirotic flashback vibes. The song is not. Pass.
… Plus one point for having a pronounceable group name with a simple meaning, Next Generation Z. OK, not bad.
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The song’s fine, but I’m hoping the title track is better.
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I thought it was SKZ in the beginning, then lost interest at the chorus
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The first few lines really sound like something Changbin would rap
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