EXO have been inaugurated into my “K-Pop A-Z” feature, which means anything they release automatically gets a full review. To be honest, I’ve regretted that rule over the past few years since I haven’t vibed with the group’s albums since 2018.
Is there new work REVERXE any different? Read on to find out!
1. Crown // 2. Back It Up // 3. Crazy // 4. Suffocate // 5. Moonlight Shadows // 6. Back Pocket // 7. Touch & Go // 8. Flatline // 9. I’m Home
SUFFOCATE
Suffocate continues (and ends) the run of upbeat tracks on REVERXE. My ears definitely perked up during the first few moments of this song the first time I heard it. Its club beat instantly draws me in and — unlike previous tracks — it’s coupled by a few memorable melodies. If the entire song had sounded like this opening verse, it would probably be my favorite track on the album. However, things switch up from here and never really look back.
What kicks off as a strong dancefloor pulse becomes more skittery and aloof as the percussion evolves. The chorus completely drops out before building back, yet somehow lacks the dynamics that would make this work. I feel the same way about most of the tracks on this album, actually. They’re overly flattened, as if any potential ambition has been compressed and restrained. This makes sense given Suffocate‘s title, but it’s at odds with what would make the song an excellent burst of intensity. Everything is just too subdued for me, especially given the fact that this is meant to be one of the peaks of energy on the album.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
Grade: C+
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
When will EXO get their ‘Don’t Call Me’ treatment 😔
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I really like the pre-chorus and post-chorus, but I agree that the chorus is kind of a disappointment. The title of this one made me think of the decidedly superior Infinite b-side of the same name (a.k.a. Breathe). Gonna go listen to that now instead 😂
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The other day the youtuber Rick Beato was doing his periodic top ten review. For “Golden”, his comment was that the song was so compressed that it sounds only this big, hands held 10-20cm apart. It should be stadium filling on good speakers but was mixed to be played on a phone speaker.
I am hearing that here. It could in theory have been produced a la SHINee “One Minute Back” which is this big (arms open wide) (those depth charges it sounds). Instead I am feeling crushed and claustrophobic here, trapped in a very small box.
It’s not a bad b-side, it just didn’t work out and so it became a b-side.
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ngl that intro had me thinking we were getting a the weeknd hills song 🤣 the churning persistent beat is a nice groove and relentless, a bit reminiscent of their older works. however that beat drop in the chorus disrupts what is otherwise a very good song. kai and d.o’s voices are glorious tho.
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That beat drop into the chorus was the most disappointing moment on the album for me, haha. I was really, really liking everything leading up to it, and I thought I had for sure found my favorite track on the album. And then the chorus dropped and let me down. The post-chorus picks things back up nicely though, and even if I wish the chorus was something that didn’t kill the momentum, I still enjoy this track overall. It goes over better when I know what to expect.
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Me too . The first part of the chorus lowkey ruins the enjoyment and it’s like I have to pause me jamming to it until it lands to that part . Although I will say , that worked on the last chorus . They did something to it and it felt like it added to the closing section .
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Sounds like they added the skittery drums from the post-chorus to the chorus after the bridge, and it picks the momentum up a notch, I agree.
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