I don’t know what’s gotten into me this year, but there have been several boy group tracks I’ve loved that — in the past — I might have dismissed as “noise music.” I suppose as this trend has softened it’s made the sound less infuriating. Or, maybe the songs have just been more fun. Chief among these examples was NCT Dream’s summer comeback BTTF, which tempered its noise with a truly majestic chorus. New single Beat It Up nixes the majestic melodies but catches the occasional groove that sets its apart.
Between the song’s repeated vocal riff and Dream’s own performance, they must say “beat it up” a couple hundred times throughout this track. There’s not much variety among the chants and taunts and Beat It Up could do with a bit of melodic respite. Instead, the song lives or dies on the success of its rhythm. The instrumental is by far its most compelling aspect. It’s a maximalist version of popular Y2K influences, overstuffed and busy where other K-pop productions would opt for a more minimalist approach.
I can imagine a much more interesting song thrown over the top of this instrumental. As it stands, Beat It Up feels like a series of disconnected ad-libs, almost as if the composers and/or performers were just making things up as they went along. There’s no defineable chorus, even as the “beat it up” refrain is repeated ad nauseum. This makes the song feel more like a sketch than a fully-developed release.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
this is how I feel about the song. the vocal parts are great but the rest is mid. the instrumental is great, however. and I’m glad it’s not another Smoothie situation.
Rush and Cold Coffee are by far the best songs on the album.
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in other news, I’m kinda scared for the RIIZE comeback.
the electric guitar part is great, but Fame was my least favorite from the tracklist/instrumental teaser. or this could all just me doomposting because SM song descriptions are almost always inaccurate.
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“Rage-style hip-hop” 🤬
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I actually don’t mind that since this kinda genre tends to grow on me (Fashion did lol)
and Shotaro is gonna KILL that choreo if this is the case
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Either Cortis-esque Fashion or Bangtan-esque Dionysus. The latter pls, Center 5
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I’m actually excited that sounds good, let’s see what RIIZE’s version of a rage track would be like!
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I hate whispered chorus with a passion
I heard the song twice now and there’s no melody whatsoever
I’m gonna pretend their only comeback this year was BTTF/Chiller
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I fricking love this song. It’s the kind of energy that made me fall in love with K-pop. Love the old-school energy.
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and the rest of the EP is awesome.
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The NCT groups have my favorite music among boy groups, especially their early stuff. But for their last couple releases (Smoothie, BTTF, Chiller) it’s been a bit hit or miss at first listen. It always feels like there’s something missing from their title tracks or that they’re simple not that good and requiere a couple listens.
For “Beat It Up,” I’m taking the pre-chorus and the bridge, maybe that will carry the song until I eventually don’t mind the track as a whole. Hopefully their mini-album will have songs that I’ll love.
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Is this song this year’s kinder gentler version of Sticker, without the whistling sample?
I actually … quite like this. It is bonkers, it is over the top maximalist, its packs so many ideas into 3:28. It actually makes a statement and forces me to have an opinion. Being challenged is far better than another song that sounds like another song which sounds like another song …
For that, I say YES. I have no idea how to score it but I am intrigued.
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Dream is one of my ults (hence the pfp) so there’s definitely some bias, but they pull this song off better than anyone else could just because of how cool their voices and delivery are 🙏 I tend to like more melody, but the pre choruses and bridge in this are enough for me, and the sheer charisma in the rest of the song is good enough for an 8.5 with potential to grow with time
The rest of the EP is so good too, I’m hoping for a buried treasure for Cold Coffee because I was ascending the first time I heard it…like chills every 5 seconds
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cold coffee is INCREDIBLE, based on the title i was kinda expecting a filler track with a repetitive/spoken chorus, but on the first listen i was tearing up by the end of the song. definitely the highlight of the ep for me, i hope it gets a buried treasure too 🙂
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Lol same! I was expecting maybe a mid tempo r&b song but my expectations were wayyy surpassed
I will forever remember where I was when i first heard Cold Coffee by NCT Dream 😂
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Undoubtedly the best song on the album. It gives On The Way vibes. It’s full of warmth and optimism which is what the group does best.
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there was a certain point in the chorus where i was like “this is kenzie”. i immediately checked the credits and there she was haha
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LOL I literally did the exact same thing 😂
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I like it. It’s goofy and fun, and I think Dream is at their best when making these songs
8.5/10 (8, 9, 8, 9) for me
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The beat is fire. Everything else, just alright.
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Maybe I’ve listened to too many SM songs but everything being thrown in kind of music just tickles my brain. Instantly hooked and one of my favourites from NCT Dream in a while.
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God I hate BTTF. That song just scrapes at my nerves with its awful chorus. This I enjoy. It has an engaging groove.
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It’s a very SM song if that makes sense. The compelling instrumental(and seemingly the performance)carry the track. Chorus is very repetitive and the verses lack variety but it has redeeming qualities. Imo it’s better than Chiller and BTTF. Similar to Smoothie I think it’s a song that will go hard in concert.
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