One thing about JYP groups is that they’re always going to be very prolific. KickFlip debuted just over a year ago and are already on their fourth mini album. That frequency and consistency has quickly built a catalog of music that feels unique to them. I’m loving their youthful pop/rock sound and am happy that the agency seems to support this musical direction. Last month’s Twenty proved to be a big grower and title track Eye-Poppin’ (눈에 거슬리고 싶어) feels primed to follow in those footsteps.
KickFlip songs have become known for fantastic choruses. Even if the connective tissue between these hooks sometimes falters, you can always count on another big refrain waiting just around the corner. Such is the case with Eye-Poppin’. There are moments in the verses that feel too throwaway for my liking, but the chorus is airtight. It’s rambunctious and properly energetic, centered around a memorable melodic focal point that pulls the whole song together.
Because of this, Eye-Poppin’ takes a moment to get going. Its opening verse takes no interesting turns, making it feel extraneous rather than thrilling. The producers were wise to shorten the second verse and sandwich it between highlights, because once we’re about a minute into the song it’s so much fun that you forget about its rocky start. I predict I’ll be playing this a lot over the next few weeks.
| Hooks | 9 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.75 |
Grade: B+
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I enjoyed this song a lot, already a contender for my top three this month!
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Love Love LOVE the direction they are going in!
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So glad we’re getting so much of this sound from KickFlip, it really suits them! I’m also glad they put their best feet forward with Eye-Poppin’ and Twenty, definitely the best songs on the EP.
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Oh thank heavens something that isn’t moody posing shit.
That said, the song construction is actually a hot mess concealed by someone in the production booth working some voodoo magic, starting with a pace that is a good 10% faster than is prudent. Honestly, I wonder if it was recorded slower and sped up afterwards.
That said, I’ll take it anyway. Rating maybe low to mid 8’s for me if I am honest with myself.
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They did it again! Another hit! The whole album hits! ♥️
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Every release I worry they will go further in the Stray Kids direction and thankfully that hasn’t happened. I’m normally perfectly fine with tempo breakers and alternate song structures when done well, but I agree with Mymagoogle and think on first few listens something isn’t working. This could change after some more time though. I really do like this song a lot, though!
For now, I’ll give it a 8,7,8,9 = 8
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The pace is too frenetic for me so for now I prefer Twenty, but I think this is a pretty fantastic sound for them that no one else is doing consistently at the moment. I feel like they’re pulling a bit of a TWS in that they’re just doing variations on a theme, but in this case I really like this theme.
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2nd kpop song above an 8.75 this year, nice! I don’t really care about this group, but I predict this might rise to a 9 for nick
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this is GREAT!!!! i love this pop rock sound coming from anybody, so i’ll give it a tad lower at an 8.5 because of how they sound weirdly autotuned for me?? like i know every group has it to some extent but its just weird how they made it noticeable here
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Agreed, they’ve done a good job of showcasing vocals without much processing so far (to my untrained ears at least), but there’s definitely notable processing in this song. Not enough to completely flatten their vocalists’ colours but it’s undeniably there now.
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