What we now know as modern K-pop emerged at a time when new jack swing was a dominant musical force around the world. This has tied the genre to the industry ever since, with so many idol acts replicating the sound over the years. One of the earliest new jack swing successes was duo Deux, whose In Summer has become a K-pop standard. The guys debuted in 1993 and haven’t released music since member Kim Sung Jae tragically passed away in 1995. Now with the aid of AI, his voice once again appears on new single Rise.

The use of AI in this way can be controversial, though Sung Jae’s vocals have been described as “restored” rather than generated from nothing. The track itself plays as an update on Deux’s classic sound, employing a light swing beat that sounds like the 90s. Even at their peak, the guys’ vocal performance (and audio mixing) had a rough-around-the-edges looseness to it, so it’s strange to hear that tempered by AI trickery. As far as big comeback singles go, Rise is relatively muted. The groove is familiar and the song itself feels secondary. In my opinion, this has often been the case with Deux tracks, so in that way it’s a faithful re-creation of their peak era.

Grade: C