Some songs are instant hits while others take time to fully reveal their charms. Neither approach is better than the other as long as a song enjoys longevity, but the latter category is more difficult to write about on this blog. For whatever reason, almost all of NMIXX’s songs have been slow-burn successes rather than instant hits for me, which means initial ratings are usually lower than they should be. I tried to keep this in mind when listening to new single Heavy Serenade, imagining how I might feel about the track in a month’s time.
Following last year’s Blue Valentine was always going to be a tall order, especially when that track went on to become such a huge hit. In several ways, Heavy Serenade attempts to replicate that sound, employing a tempo-and-energy shifting arrangement that moves from moody and dark to bombastic and cathartic. The percussion is especially dynamic throughout, adding a rock drive but fracturing the instrumental into jagged pieces. There are some great moments of stabbing drum hits that really accentuate Heavy Serenade‘s drama.
However, what ultimately made Blue Valentine such a sleeper hit was the compelling chorus at its core. While its verses experimented with form, the hook went straight for the pop jugular. As far as I can tell after a few listens, Heavy Serenade isn’t able to do this with the same panache. Its chorus is too fitful, moving from a soaring refrain to a spell-it-out “L-O-V-E” climax. This second segment just doesn’t work for me, making it unclear whether the song will flourish or flounder with time. I’m not feeling too optimistic.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
Grade: C+
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Well, it’s no Blue Valentine, but it’s still good, it just lacks the punch that song had. But who knows, it may grow on me :p
8 (8, 8, 8, 8) for me
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i really dislike the post-chorus. Its like we go from something insanely dramatic and emotional to childish spelling out words.
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This is honestly an instant 10 for me and probably my favorite song of the year so far.
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No nmixx! don’t end sombr like that 😋
Pinky up and cortis found cowering in the corner😍
9/10❤️❤️
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No nmixx! don’t end sombr like that 😋
Pinky up and cortis found cowering in the corner😍
9/10❤️❤️
(meant to put this as an actual comment not a reply😭)
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This feels more like replication of roller coaster or party o’clock to me than blue valentine.
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like the song a lot in production and melody. However the English lyrics is in dire need of a rewrite for grammar, phonetically also awkward in certain parts like “can you give me a hug”
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HEAVY SERENADE:
They took the most GP friendly track for the TT once again, after going for a more experimental teaser track. My first thought was how much it sounded like “Cosmic” by Red Velvet. Epic, spacey, a little nostalgic/sad, and mostly sung. Then there’s a definite heaviness and antagonistic feel to Jiwoo’s 2nd verse rap that introduces an interesting new feeling. The head voice and falsetto switches are nice, as well as the bridge to chorus vocal highlight. The production is solid throughout. “L O V E right, L O V E right” is super catchy, as well as the chant backing vocal (“I don’t doubt it!”), but I agree that it feels a bit too light and poppy for the melancholic feel of the track itself. This may also extend to the lyrics, which I haven’t had the time to delve into a lot yet. Compared to Cosmic, Red Velvet has the better track, but I don’t think it make this a bad song, it just makes me remember how great a song Cosmic truly was. My rating is still pretty high, which I’m sure surprises none of the regular readers of this blog.
Rating is 9,8,9,10 = 9
Album Review to follow as I have the time.
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Good effort overall, but I’m still a bit disappointed with this one. I had really high expectations, and honestly I feel the same about most of the album. Probably around a 6 or 7/10 for me.
I do LOVE that they explore and experiment beyond the usual pop formula, and hope they keep doing that. But sometimes it feels like the music gets too focused on “trying to be different” and loses some musicality in the process.
A lot of parts feel super muddy because there’s just too much happening at the same time. You can hear it especially in the spoken/rap post-chorus part here, or in the Crescendo bridge. (Not really a new issue either for me, I felt the same thing with “Spinnin’ On It”)
There are polyrhythms, countermelodies, effects, detuning, and a bunch of other layers all stacked together, and after a certain point the harmonic and melodic ideas just get buried, especially when most of the melodic content are the girls voices only.
Music is kind of like speech to me. It needs pauses, silence, room to breathe. Otherwise it starts to feel like trying to listen to someone talk in a crowded bar.
The songs on Blue Valentine were better at giving melodies space while still keeping a sense of structure. But to be fair, when you try to go beyond the standard pop song formula, there’s a really thin line between “just enough” and “too much”
Still, I’m really enjoying the identity NMIXX is building, and the vocals were pretty solid overall!
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Heavy Serenade is NMIXX’s version of BlackHole. It’s epic and playful if a little crowded musically. I like it but it’s not my favorite NMIXX release. On the other hand the EP is excellent (as always) and LOUD is a banger.
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