It’s a day of boy group dancefloor thumpers, with both 82MAJOR and Close Your Eyes releasing talk-heavy dance tracks. 82MAJOR are more closely associated with hip-hop, so while this transformation makes sense it’s still a notable change in production style.

Trophy (트로피) is still very much a hip-hop track but with added club bounce. This works to the group’s advantage, as they’re given opportunity to showcase both their flow and vocals. And, it appeals to listeners like me who are sick of rap being automatically tied to overused trap beats. With that said, Trophy suffers from the same issue that plagues so many tracks of this nature. In place of a proper chorus, the composers have chosen a series of mechanized, spoken phrases. I’m desperately waiting for this trend to end because it’s neutering so many songs that have potential to be better.

Given 82MAJOR’s discography so far, this approach isn’t entirely surprising. But when the vast majority of your track is devoid of melodic hooks, you must rely solely on incredible flow and/or dynamite star power to engage the listener. Compared to their past work, neither aspect is able to overtake the pounding electro percussion on Trophy. This results in yet another fleeting dance track that will struggle to stand the test of time as its hooks fade from memory.

Grade: C+