K-pop’s “seven year curse” meant nothing to TXT, as they very quickly renewed their contracts without any publicized drama. I’ve always felt that getting past this seven year mark makes you a K-pop veteran, which is crazy because it feels like the brilliant Crown was only a few years ago. I think about that song in relation to TXT all the time. I long to feel as excited about new material as I did during their debut year, but so many of TXT’s recent title tracks have felt incomplete and musically threadbare. It’s frustrating when you know how excellent a group can be, but their material is constantly holding them back.
New title track Stick With You (하루에 하루만 더) is also quite unambitious, which takes the sting out of its short runtime. It’s much more forgivable to truncate a simple pop song than it is to butcher a potentially dynamic epic. Stick With You is simple synthpop, content to lay down a vibey groove rather than build to any noticeable peaks. In this way, it’s doing what most K-pop is doing these days. It never thrills. It never tries to become a moment. It’s simply “nice” all the way through.
Stick With You‘s chorus was teased extensively before the song’s release, and this is actually the least impactful part of the song. The melody is fine, but the production needs to give it more heft. The chorus doesn’t stick out from the rest of the song, making the experience feel quite flat. A post-chorus instrumental loop is even less impressive. Rather than opt for a needed shot of energy, we’re treated to a murky synth drop that fills time without advancing the structure forward. Of the (too) many “pleasant” K-pop tracks of late, Stick With You‘s sonic identity is more suited to my taste than most, but it’s still nowhere near TXT’s best work and I leave the track feeling unsatisfied.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
Grade: C+
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
It has some components of a 9-rated song, but it’s also missing a lot of components as well. Decent, but not memorable like Crown or 0x1 Lovesong
I don’t have much else to complain outside of the chorus so I’ll just give it an 8(8,8,8,8)
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Regarding one of your recent tweets about HYBE not producing most of these short songs in Kpop recently (which I respectfully disagree with), I have to admit the production value has gone down the drain. The last time I was impressed with a title track’s production was Sugar Rush Ride…3 years ago.
There are soo many 2:30 songs out there, some EVEN shorter, that end with a lasting impact, a climax. This one just has no progression throughout, and its what makes or breaks the song. Its been a pattern ever since SRR and its always a letdown. It is such a shame Bighit doesnt understand how to construct a song within the 2 minute mark. It always sounds like the song is just cut right after the second chorus. On top of that, if a song relies on a beat-only chorus, the beat needs to be great, otherwise it just falls apart.
Stick With You aside, this album sounds amazing. Bed of Thorns and Take me to Nirvana are chefs kiss
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+ Stick with you already has a sped up version on youtube coming at a whopping 1:59 runtime, further proving this was made for tiktok bg music, especially that chorus.
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I never said they weren’t producing the most short songs (they totally are, which is my number one critique of HYBE’s output). I just said they weren’t producing most of the “worst” K-pop songs of the moment — at least not enough to be single-handedly blamed for the state K-pop is in right now.
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Oh, I apologize for the confusion. I still do believe they are somewhat to blame for bad music in kpop recently. They have opted for muted production which impacts almost every song the company puts out. Insert soundcloud trap beat
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To me they’re getting more and more unifluential comeback by comeback, and it’s quite grotesque they were much more relevant when they debuted than today. Their average recent stuff is no longer than 2:40 minutes, completely forgettable since the very first listening, with no personality or at least some energy punch.
I can’t understand how they ended up like this after those first 3 years of stunning productions (until their live appearance at Lollapalooza in 2022), and that’s actually a shame to see such a talented group become the next Oneus to waste their potential with this kind of deliveries.
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I think this is their best song in years, I love the melodies here, but the “is this a dream” part sounds out of place and the short duration () holds it back. I am so sick and tired of HYBE honestly.
the album is consistently good all the way through, but again, all songs except one are under 3 minutes
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to add: there really is no excuse when TWS’ songwriters can craft complete songs that are under 3 minutes
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The production is fantastic, City Pop in the best way. I think they went for a Jimin “Like Crazy” slow vibe and it works for me. The chorus has TXT written all over it and is a bit basic maybe but I do like this song.
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what do you think of dream of mine? Also on the album. It’s my favorite tho it could’ve used an extra verse or something lol
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I actually like this song . I haven’t enjoyed a title track from them in a good bit . I wish there was so much more that this song can offer because it would have reached peak greatness with a bridge an a killer last chorus and outro .
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I really enjoyed the verses but the chorus let me down. But this is the first track I enjoyed from them since Sugar Rush Ride, tbh.
Also, I agree, can’t believe they have been here for 7 years already. Similar to another comment here, I also think they are a lot less “relevant” to the mainstream kpop scene than they when they debuted and I believe it’s mainly because they failed to create a unique sonic identity for themselves. It’s sad but also if they have decided to go down this route for their future, I believe they have the right energy to pull it off, just hoping for better tracks for the guys.
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As we venture into years now of a good portion of kpop groups giving us songs under 3 minutes I begin to wonder if I am the one out of touch for wishing this was not the case. To craft a full musical experience takes time and even with songs like this – that I do like – admittedly it doesn’t feel like enough time to truly let a song reveal it’s full potential. Another bridge and punchier final chorus would’ve really taken this to a climactic level but as it is? Glad that I like a title from them but they aren’t taking the big swings they used to like with Lover/Loser or Sugar Rush Ride.
Even so, despite my mixed and melancholy comment it’s amazing to be 7 years in with them since I still fondly remember their pre-debut rollout and I hope their future is bright, as well as filled with longer songs.
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This is fine!! As has most of their output for the last while, which is getting very tiring!!
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