There have been an increasing number of Japanese groups formed by Korean agencies who end up promoting in Korea much more often than their home country. With this in mind, NCT Wish have split their efforts pretty well between the two countries, building a large fan base in the process. Apart from a song here or there, I’ve struggled to embrace their music. On the whole, I find the melodies used in their songs too grating for my taste.

At first, Hello Mellow seems to solve this issue with a funky beat and rhythmic delivery that sidesteps the sing-song nature that colors much of their work. At its best, Hello Mellow recalls early NCT Dream, making me wish it would find a chorus as lush and impressive as My First And Last. Instead, the song retreats to the group’s usual schtick — a highly repetitive sing-song hook that cuts melodic lines short. I don’t hate this chorus, but it feels like a missed opportunity for something more striking.

Maybe it’s more of a vocal issue that prevents me from diving fully into a track like this. Wish’s vocals are layered in a relatively flat way, condensing what could be a rich bed of harmony into a tone that feels overly compressed. No individual voice sticks out enough to lend the track its own character. So, we’re left with a decent funk-pop effort that fits squarely into the NCT sonic universe without establishing itself as something new and necessary.

Grade: C+