H1-KEY quietly released one of my favorite songs and albums of last year with their summery Lovestruck EP. Now, they’re back to celebrate their anniversary with a very different sound. Not Like A Movie (세상은 영화 같지 않더라) takes advantage of their strong vocals but doesn’t do much else that feels notable.
Mid-tempo tracks like this are a dime a dozen in K-pop and often relegated to the second half of albums to be performed in cute outfits at fan concerts. Or… they’re released as anniversary singles with limited promotion. As usual with H1-KEY, the song is sung very well but that’s not enough to make it compelling. The verses float by with limited melodic appeal despite the girls really going for it and delivering some powerful notes. Meanwhile, the chorus is sentimental sludge repeating the days of the week in an instantly familiar (then, instantly forgettable) chant-sung hook. I probably won’t listen again unless they tack this onto another strong album and it gets played by default.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 7 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7 |
Grade: C-
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
”Or… they’re released as anniversary singles with limited promotion.” Ironically, it’s their 4th anniversary as we speak 😭 but yeah, it’s cute, serviceable, but not really for the playlists. And funny enough, we got the wonderful Rose Blossom 3 years ago for their 1st anniversary (jfc, 2023’s 3 years ago??)
Rating’s the same.
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For a fan service song, it works well. Bright bubbly poppy, entertaining enough.
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you know i’m going to be here whenever it’s h1-key… first of all i love them so this automatically gets MASSIVE bias points from me! probably a straight 8 for me, it’s pleasant and at least it’s crumbs from them not… having more than one comeback a year recently…? speaking of a h1-key comeback. if this is the only thing they release this year i will GENUINELY LOSE MY MIND!!!!! please can we go back to the sound they had with seoul or do more things like summer was you…
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I’ve always supported HI-KEY, but why does it feel like—only a few years after debut—their music has already shifted into the kind of lower-energy, “veteran” style? I really want them to return to that early-era freshness and bright, energetic sound again.
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I prefer their previous songs, but I kinda like that this is a sound that has been with kpop for so long. It would be a fitting closing theme to a slice of life anime
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I really don’t understand when they stopped being that group with strong vocals and vibrant pop melodies and started slowing down and releasing fewer and fewer songs as if they were close to renewing/not renewing their contract? lol
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