Fresh out of the military, NCT’s Taeyong is gearing up for the release of his new album next week. He’s one to offer many different pre and post releases, filming content for a number of tracks. Storm gets a “classy performance video” today, meaning it gets a truncated review on this blog as well.
I’m the first to admit I’m not a huge fan of Taeyong’s sound. I’ve always found his rapping persona to feel overly affected in the context of NCT songs, but Storm is more straightforward than usual. Rather than opt for a gimmick, Taeyong delivers a high-energy hip-hop dance track. The bass undulates with force, the flow is consistently compelling and the production is polished to a fine sheen. For me, the only thing missing is a great hook. I need a better chorus to inject a contrasting texture and keep the track from feeling monotonous. Because of this, Storm is simply a success when it could have been a triumph.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8 |
Grade: B-
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
It’s OK for a medium-high energy dark theme hit hop. He does pretty well delivering a song that sounds like it is meant for a group, but what it is missing for me is all the other timbres that other group members could have brought to the song.
Rating about right.
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For some reason I love him (even the gimmicky songs…call them my guilty pleasures). This song is cool I guess. Definitely needs that little something something (you call it hook). I have to see how the listening experience translates to the car setting. For now, an 8
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I’m not a fan of his rapping, but this is as close as I’ve come to enjoying one of his songs.
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in the background of the mix, I only notice a repetitive fingerpicking pattern based on a single note, displaying a G-funk rhythm. However, it gets lost in the rest of the production…
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This bangs, honestly. I’m biased because I’m a huge NCT fan (even if Taeyong isn’t a member of my favorite sub-unit) and I’ve come to appreciate and find his more gimmicky tracks like Shalala and Tap very fun.
Let’s be clear, though. This song is just carried by the production, which is doing all the heavy-lifting. Still, I have to admit that Taeyong is a good rapper (at least in the context of K-pop) so I really have no notes. It fits the style he had us used to hear from previous relases but it adds a couple of new touches and feels a bit more adult.
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Definitely needs the chorus punched up. I like it, but it’s muted. I dig it overall. I love that little weirdo (affectionate) and his rapping, so this is cool.
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