Since their debut in 2023, BOYNEXTDOOR has steadily built up a large fanbase and this year they’ve continued to branch out to festivals like Lollapalooza. All the while, their music has kept its own color, pulling as much from very old pop genres as it does modern trends. New single Hollywood Action continues this approach but flirts too heavily with novelty.
The group has developed a penchant for swing music and other sounds of that era. It’s certainly unique, but threatens to feel like a schtick without the right song. Their music is almost always personality-driven and that gets them far even on a track like this. It’s hard to imagine another band being able to pull off Hollywood Action at all. I don’t think even BOYNEXTDOOR make it work, but it’s a testament to their charm that the song is at least listenable.
I’ve never enjoyed music that sounds too much like a commercial jingle, and Hollywood Action veers hard into this territory. It’s built upon one goofy idea, repeated without much extra flesh on the bone. The track centers around a catchy brass loop, over which the guys cast off some forgettable sing-talk about “screaming like a thriller” or some nonsense. The production here is too threadbare to carry much excitement. It sounds like a drag-and-drop loop from a sample pack, unadorned and unexciting. One of BOYNEXTDOOR’s greatest assets is their energy, and that’s almost completely absent given the constraints of the song. Sadly, this is their worst single in an otherwise strong discography.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 7 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 7.25 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Innovation involves risk, so I’m happy they are continuing to put out new attempts at that swing style.
I think you are spot on that they rely too heavily on the single hook. Also, the little “improvisations” in the song work, but I think you are right that instead of being as unique and interesting as they could be, they seemed plucked from a jazzy rolodex rather than artfully crafted.
I don’t hate it, but it could be a better track with more soul. I’ll give it: 7,7,8,9 = 7.75
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Not for me.
They went straight for #6 on Melon though. Easily the biggest 5th gen group atm.
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It’s catchy but also comes off as too gimmicky. Like you said, it repeats one idea over and over again without doing something innovative. Thank god the guys’ charms help… a bit though.
7.5 (7, 8, 7, 8) for me.
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It’s like they chose a sample that was made up by a sampling shop, instead of a song that slapped and was remembered fondly.
Like the old Will Smith “Getting Jiggy With it”, which isn’t that different in flair from this attempt today. However, Will chose slapping samples, ones that could run for a full 4 minutes or more of that beat with the singer and the whole crowd feeling that vibe the whole time.
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wow you genuinely just hate fun atp lmao. can’t imagine how miserable you have to be to hear a lighthearted, energetic song with an mv full of good vibes and the first thing you do is write a review laying into it, calling it unadorned, forgettable, commercial, and unexciting. genuinely what songs do you even like? i know you’re called theBIASlist but atp you genuinely just sound like a picky, pretentious, snobby hater and all the people who glaze you and defend you in the comments are just like you.
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the song is mid at best and the mv looks like montage of different kpop mvs i’ve already seen years ago.
anyways yeah hes just super biased an i cant take him seriously ugh.
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you’re on a site called the bias list lmao why are you complaining about nick’s … bias ?
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take the hint
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judging my your comment I’m gonna assume you’re either a troll or someone who can’t handle the fact that other people have different tastes in music.
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”someone who can’t handle the fact that other people have different tastes in music.”
what a fking hypocrite.
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yeah nah having different taste is one thing, writing 3-paragraph reviews about every single song you don’t vibe with acting like there’s an objective problem with it and you’re some music expert is whole other. it’s also funny to then see one song get slapped with a 7.25 when another song that has the same “problems” he mentioned in that review get like an 8.5.
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Well, thank goodness no one is forcing you to visit this blog or care about my opinion.
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A 7.25 is a good mark, and it got an 8 (!) for Bias, so clearly not hated at all. Without even reading the review, I would go “OK song, but not their best”.
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You’re forgetting Nick has been a big defender of boynextdoor for a while now.
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They should’ve had a better loop if they were gone use it as the main part of the hook. I like the song because I like BOYNEXTDOOR, it’s not awful but it didn’t push the concept far enough
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NOOOO my bonedo…this one is a little too one note to work for me, especially for a song so short it needed an insane chorus to keep the energy up. feels like it could’ve made a good intro or interlude tho paired with a more fleshed out title track
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Sticking to their style and I respect that. This song is very BND, and that’s the only reason it works. Definitely would be hard for any other group to pull this off. Their strength is selling a song like this with charm and performances. I’m a sucker for them so I’ll buy it for now. Usually I give their songs a 7ish rating but then they rise up to almost 9, so I’ll start with an 8 this time and see where it goes 🙃
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its fun but they’ve certainly had better singles.
8/10 (8, 8, 8, 8) for me
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I’ve only heard a snippet from tiktok but I think they’ve done a really good job creating their own sound and distinguishing themselves especially as most hybe boy groups seem to be blending into one.
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All I’m saying is, this song could’ve been UNB’s Black Heart with the personality of But Sometimes or EW&F. The central sample gets a little too overbearing for my taste. It an alright song by itself, but even my love for bonedo can’t look past its shortcomings. Rating’s the same. Anyways, from the album Live in Paris was good (if one can charerize it as much based on how little ‘song’ there is to consume). I also found myself like Bathroom too, as it reminded me of G-Dragon’s ‘This Love’ (which liberally incorporated Maroon’s single with the same name).
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It sounds like a “part of a song” to me, with Boynextdoor’s personality and talents they could have added so much character and depth to the song, but they didn’t or couldn’t with such a short running time.
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not their best, but pretty fun. I like the swing vibe. It’s too short though. Live in Paris is much better, but also too short.
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i haven’t seen anyone mentioning this but i rly enjoy how different each verse sounds. not only between the first and second verse, but even inside a single verse there’s lots of different rhythms and stuff, which i feel like make the song more interesting. probably gonna help it stay relevant for me!!
i also rly like the production on this, even if i agree that it does feel a little repetitive(?) i also think the instrumental on the outro is rly fun
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Song wise they’re always inferior to that one other Hybe 5th gen bg. This one is not an exception.
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This felt unfinished like it obv needed to cook more. I do like the 60s croning effect and the concept was fun but wasn’t explored enough. in comparison to Feel Good this is about the same for me–both are aight and I’ve revisited those tts the least.
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