A new era begins today as ZEROBASEONE make their first comeback as a newly-reconfigured five-member group. We’ve seen this approach before with Kep1er, but this situation has an extra layer of interest because the remainder of the (former) group will be re-debuting as AND2BLE in a week’s time, setting up showdown of sorts. With this in mind, I wonder if the title “Top 5” was intentional on the agency’s part. I doubt the guys are interested in anything beyond friendly competition, but even though the song’s lyrical content references an object of their affection, the title itself is eyebrow-raising to say the least.

I can’t help but think this song would feel much more impressive if it had been released three or four years ago. Its early-2000s Neptunes-esque hip-hop beat has been leveraged by so many acts over the past few years that it’s become a familiar trope of this era. Top 5 does a fine job with the groove, though struggles to find the undeniable earworm that would set it over the edge. Instead, the track hinges on a spoken-word list that forms its introduction and goes on to repeat in various ways. This hook isn’t much to hang your hat on, but it’s trussed up by some melodic riffing that matches the swagger of the beat.

In my “top 5” list of desired qualities, I must include song lengths over two-and-a-half minutes. Top 5 has a fair amount of ideas, but no time to explore them. The energy is brisk but the structure never really goes anywhere. We’re left with a groove underpinning scraps of a song. It’s all quite enjoyable, yet leaves you feeling unfulfilled when it’s finished. On the plus side, this general vibe is well-suited to summer and would make great connective tissue on any upbeat playlist. It’s just not a highlight in its own right, and that’s a shame for a song meant to reintroduce this iteration of the group.

Grade: B