As SM Entertainment’s bid for fifth-gen girl group domination, Hearts2Hearts had a slow start but have charted progressively better with each comeback. New single RUDE! arrives with plenty of hype, not only because of the group’s potential but also because it finally breaks a late-winter hiatus for the industry.
So far, my favorite Hearts2Hearts track has been last summer’s Style. It packed the most melodic wallop and remembered to bring that most important aspect of K-pop: fun. Its follow-up Focus was also good, but relied too much on spoken-word hooks for my taste. RUDE! feels like a middleground between both songs. It’s sleek and fashionable — tasteful to the point of feeling generic within this era of subdued house sounds. However, its chorus recalls some of the bubbly appeal of Style. The melodies are still too flat for my taste, but at least they’re trying to poke through.
A silly spoken-word bridge injects some personality into the track, but overall RUDE! feels as if it could have been delivered by most of this generation’s girl groups. I’m beginning to hear a “signature sound” blossom for Hearts2Hearts, but I fear it isn’t specific enough to etch the group into SM’s pantheon of strong girl group history. RUDE! would sound great bumping in the background of a busy cafe or soundtracking a strutting model runway walk. It confidently delivers a specific, sanitized aesthetic. But judged strictly as a piece of pop music, its tricks are pretty limited and repetitive.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
Grade: C+
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I really want to love Hearts2Hearts but I can’t help seeing them as a cosmetic ad version of SNSD. It’s so clean and cute to the point of boredom. I do like the chorus and post chorus but everything else is bland especially compared to something like 404 (which is my fave so far this year).
Rookie bands should be playful and inventive not just sticking to their concept. Also those 3 last comebacks are way too similar, H2H, we need surprise!
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It sounds pretty good, but I don’t like the bratty concept, and I HATE that the producers resurrected the SNSD spoken word gimmick.
I’ll just stick to Pretty Please.
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Will be ever get a ‘GREAT’ track from these girls? It’s always something ‘serviceable’. I want some ambition, bombast, and bite to their music. They need their Paparazzi moment desperately if they actually want to make a mark on kpop.
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I pray that the Paparazzi you’re referring to is the bop by Kan Mi-youn (my favorite of all the songs called Paparazzi (Gaga, SNSD, etc)).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKY4p2WRx4s
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I was specifically referring to the SNSD one, because SM has made such a decision to market H2H in relation to Girls’ Generation
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It’s like a watered-down Style but does the job decently. Wish it had more oomph to it, the girls need a strong standout like Style.
8.25 (8, 8, 9, 8) for me.
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Damn I really hope H2H can develop their sound even further. I seriously see potential in these girls but we need more investment in them. Song needs more dynamics and a wayyyy bigger sound but the song is actually quite funny as well.
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It was obvious right away that this song is aiming for an addictive, repeat-listen track. It feels very close to “FOCUS” to me. If I kept listening to it over and over, there’s a good chance it would grow on me—but I don’t really feel enough charm here to make me want to put in that kind of effort. I’d give it around a 7/10.
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I love it. Chappell Roan’s name was very present on those songwriting sessions.
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It’s fine but doesn’t come close to Style for me.
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This def feels like an H2H song, so I would say they have solidified their identity at this point. While it is probably their weakest title yet, I don’t think it is bad. The bridge is nice to have, but I just don’t really enjoy it, which is a shame. Should have been something more melodic and been the peak moment of the song, preferably with a feeling of build bringing us to a peak of the song instead of feeling like a pit stop.
8,8,7,8 = 7.75
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This song sounds like a pretty dress on a pretty girl looks. It’s fine, it’s looks pretty, it sounds pretty, but it has no edge.
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HMM i agree that this will probably be a grower, not very impactful on first listen but the song has good structure. it just feels so sterile, even stella’s little monologue felt so…not fun lol
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I really like this. House beats are always a yes for me, and the hooks in this are addicting. The chorus melody especially is unexpected and fresh. I also really enjoy the members’ line delivery in the verses.
This isn’t as good as Style (it’ll probably grow though) but definitely tops Focus. 8.75 (9, 8, 9, 9) for me!
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