Kim Jaejoong’s iNKODE Entertainment plans to debut two new boy groups this year, which is a very ambitious idea for an agency still finding its footing. First up is KEYVITUP (read that out loud and roll your eyes), who make their official debut next month. Today, they’ve dropped pre-release Best One, whose title is surely a description the group hopes fans will use to describe them.

Judging from the group announcements, KEYVITUP is set to be the agency’s more “hip-hop” act. Knowing what K-pop usually means by that, I expected a dire shout-a-thon with some awful trap beats in the background. Best One isn’t that, thank goodness. Instead, it’s a slinky R&B number with just a bit of chanting for good measure. The song has its moments. The sung verse is nice, hinting at some fantastic vocal tones, but the song soon segues into a lazy hook with no real melodic pull. And then, just after two minutes, Best One ends. I’m not sure if this is meant to be an intro track or if the video doesn’t include the full song, but as it stands this is not developed or long enough to be anything more than a whiff of pre-debut bluster. I’m confused, and not in a compelling way.

Grade: C