I’m back with K-pop’s wonderfully silly acronyms. Debuting boy group NAZE’s name apparently stands for “New Adventure’s Zestyfull Echo,” which sounds delightfully stupid in a way that’s almost impossible to believe is true. They’re managed by C9 Entertainment, who have previously fumbled the ball with groups like CIX, Cignature and Good Day. With that in mind, NAZE’s future already seems hazy. Debut single People Talk doesn’t raise expectations.

This song fits within a specific sound I absolutely despise. “Plonky piano + trap beats” is my personal kryptonite, bringing to mind the worst of American radio schlock (Sunday Best, I’m looking at you). It’s a sound stripped of all soul and this song makes it difficult for me to gauge what I think about NAZE. They perform it well enough and thankfully don’t lean into the obnoxiousness of the production, but nothing here sounds authentic. It doesn’t sound like K-pop, it doesn’t sound like something a bunch of teenage guys would want to sing, and it doesn’t sound like a template going forward for a new group.

I guess I’ve gotta give the songwriters kudos for choosing subject matter not usually explored in K-pop, but I always find it weird when a track like this attempts to extoll some virtue or life lesson in English when you know none of the artists performing it had any real say in what was going on. It just feels unconvincing and trite. And unfortunately, the song isn’t saved by its melodies, which sound more like a commercial jingle than a proper pop hit.

Grade: D