Over the years, K-pop agencies have found ways to keep content coming even as male idols serve their mandatory military enlistment. NCT’s Taeyong won’t be discharged until later this year, but he pre-recorded a video for “new” track 501 and surprise-released it for fans eagerly awaiting his return.
I can’t say I’ve been a big fan of Taeyong’s music in the past, so this release isn’t targeted toward me in the first place. However, absence makes the heart grow fonder and I’m open to a killer Taeyong enlistment-era banger. In another world, 501 might have been just that. I appreciate some of its electronic textures and the fact that the song just goes full bore into claustrophobic, apocalyptic bombast. I hold that appreciation in one hand as I eagerly make my escape from the song itself.
I… don’t ever want to hear this again. Its sound seems to be intentionally designed to repulse, choosing the most confrontational textures possible. Taeyong’s performance is equally irritating to these ears. He has such an affected “rap voice” that’s never worked for me and his growling throughout 501 is more annoying than camp. I’d love to understand what all the fuss is about, but this is not for me at all.
| Hooks | 5 |
| Production | 5 |
| Longevity | 4 |
| Bias | 2 |
| RATING | 4 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I swear to goodness it’s like for the past few months, every week or two, we’re getting at least one song in the F-grade territory, cause I don’t think I’ve seen this many F-graded songs in such a short time. Like, what is this sorcery, how long has it been since we got a song in the 9s?? 😭 To confirm this, this stats loving girl quickly checked her tweet where she once compiled all F-graded songs this year and yep, we surpassed 2020 now with 12 F-graded songs this year and is now just one song behind 2019, four behind 2017 and at this rate, we’d surpass these two years and be second after 2016 (this one is just too diabolical to be surpassed)
But anyways, as much as my Neo-conditioned taste palette wants to fuck with it, I also find it a bit too grating and suffocating. Love Taeyong, love to see him experiment, but this is not it.
5.75 (6, 6, 6, 5) for me.
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Aww 2016 was the year I got into kpop, what was so bad about it lol
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2016 was fantastic! My ratings were just more harsh back then because I was still feeling out my system.
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Oh, it’s a reference to how brutal Nick was with his ratings and reviews back then, since from my stats, 2016 had like 40+ F-graded songs, which is a LOT given the second most (2017) had like 15 songs, though I know that if Nick were to re-evaluate the 2016 songs today, the number would prolly be down to maybe one-fourth 😭
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Hahahaha that’s funny. I used to like those scathing reviews tbh
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To quote another song I do not like: “Yeesh”
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these rap songs with them forcing that stuck-in-the-snot voice and an instrumental that is pure noise (which they call ‘experimental’, but we know that sometimes it’s far from that) is a big NO for me
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wow. That was…something.
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