With each new release, I’ve appreciated MEOVV’s music more and more. They’ve yet to deliver a song that’s completely captured me, but they have a sound that feels much needed in K-pop right now. Even with this goodwill, as soon as I spot a song title like “DDI RO RI” my mind goes to the worst sort of catch-phrasey sing-talk pop imaginable. I don’t require deep lyrics in my pop songs, but I’m pretty sick of the onomatopoeias.
Adding to the potential of bad gimmicks, DDI RO RI samples Bach’s Toccata and Fugue — often associated with Dracula. I love a good classical music nod in K-pop, but these samples have tended to frame lame attempts at hip-hop posturing lately. And as expected, that’s the case here. MEOVV are staking their claim as badasses… just like so many of their peers. And, they’ve done it in an incredibly predictable way, placed over an inert trap beat with barely-there melodies shaved of all their dynamics. The classical flourishes are cool, but used in a ham-fisted way that feels separate from the song rather than seamlessly driving it forward.
I wish more of DDI RO RI sounded like its propulsive pre-chorus. We get a taste of MEOVV’s strong vocals here and seem to be building toward a showstopping chorus. Instead, DDI RO RI plummets into a repetitive talky hook that elicits no sparks. I continue to marvel at just how difficult it seems for K-pop songwriters to craft an engaging chorus. It’s like they’re actively trying not to stretch a song in any one direction, happy to let it lay dead on the ground instead.
| Hooks | 6 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 7 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 6.75 |
Grade: D+
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I’ve been hooked to their discography lately but yeesh, this song is a hard pass.
7 (7, 7, 7, 7) for me
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I be on the moon shit moon shit moon shit.
That’s how I hear it.
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this pissed me off so bad, Teddy needs to stop playing around in that damn studio
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I liked this mainly the start 39 seconds and end 40 seconds.
As for not liking it, 6.75 is harsh. You gave Le sserafim Boompala a 7. That song is the worst song I heard of the big girl groups this year. It’s hard to take your rating as serious. For me this is a 7 to a 7.5 due to the pre-chorus and ending of the song. The overall album was not bad.
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Yeah, this song and its use of the sampling was way better than Boompala’s macarena.
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Oh, I definitely prefer BOOMPALA to this. At least that song’s silly and whimsical. We probably just have different tastes, which is okay.
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Maybe, I’m critical because Le sserafim had Spaghetti which I took as not serious, but fun. Then they followed with a leading track title with no proper singing. At least the rest of the album was not bad. The sampling in Boompala adds nothing to the song. I actually thinks it’s better without it.
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Yes I only appreciate the intro and the pre-chorus part of the song too. The rest of the song is very forgettable even though I tried listening it multiple times.
At least Boompala had nice beat, catchy lyrics, and fun vibe despite the obnoxious macarena parts. DDI RO RI just feels very bland despite the good vocals.
Boompala might be a weird dish, but it is better than a bland dish like DDI RO RI. The rest of the album is better, but there is no outstanding tracks
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i don’t like this song but it’s light years ahead of Boompala. still don’t know how Nick only rated it a 7.
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I was SOO looking forward to this EP. MEOVV have been working on this since last year. The highlight medley sounded promising and their discography has been getting better. But this album is so mired with controversy which is really bad for a group that 1) barely releases music 2) has no major glaring controversies despite being a TBL/YG adjacent group.
Dr. Luke worked on 2 tracks. They didn’t put credits in the highlight medley to hide him. Are we seriously going to platform an abuser and predator? And those 2 songs are also getting promoted for this comeback. Fans want to cancel their pre-orders and new fans don’t want to tune in. This is NOT something MEOVV needs as they are growing.
As for DDI RO RI.. I enjoy a classical sample too, but I don’t like the posturing rap and trap beat. It’ll grow on me, as per usual, but I wish it was a vocal-focused song that had something interesting to say and handled the sample more creatively. This is lazy. And I’ve seen non-fans say they’re underwhelmed by the chorus or straight up confused by the creative direction of the song and MV. I like the avant-garde style but I also think it’s super risky. No wonder MEOVV said they hoped fans understood this song… Sigh.
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Can anyone help clarify what “DDI RO RI” means in this context? Is it meant to mimic the sound effect of the organ sample, or is it just a fun piece of onomatopoeia?
Overall, it’s a pretty decent track. While the verses didn’t completely stand out to me, they still pave the way nicely for the rest of the song. I thought the pre-chorus and bridge showcased the members’ vocals beautifully. However, the classical organ sample felt a little out of place for my taste, leaning into a “trap vampire” aesthetic that isn’t quite my personal favorite style. Given those unique, slightly spooky undertones, I feel like this release might have been a perfect fit for a late September or early October autumn comeback.
Personally, I would rank it a little below “Hands Up,” but I am genuinely so happy to see the girls becoming more involved in creating their own music. It is wonderful to see their artistic input, and I hope they continue to learn and grow so they can return even stronger with every single comeback.
Final Rating: Low 8
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If you specifically mean the meaning of the phrase, it is more than onomatopoeia. “DDI RO RI” is a Korean phrase used lightly or teasingly when experiencing hard or unclear moments.
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Flashy yet classy, deliberately rough, MEOVV sure is the new BP. It’s currently one of the most exciting groups to me.
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I love the Bach sampling and trap beat.
8.25 (8,8,9,8)
I would give the lyrics a solid 8 as well. They fit the Bach sampling and overall production very well. Hook was a 7, but it grew on me more as I gave it a few more listens so bumped it up. I love how the organ leads in and then the beat drops Very satisfying and doesn’t seem to “ham fisted” imo.
As for Nick’s criticism that it’s “placed over an inert trap beat with barely-there melodies shaved of all their dynamics”—he seems disappointed by the lack of a soaring melody. He is completely missing that the song is intentionally designed to be a cold, atmospheric track that mirrors the predatory theme of the lyrics. Which is why I don’t understand how the lyrics are ignored when reviewing a song. Just weird.
Overall the EP has a solid B-side. Revenge being my favorite (This feels like a SZA song. I love a good Rnb) and Hit Em being my least (kind of a weird song with weird vocals).
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And I really liked burning up.
This is just bland though.
Also lol at the girls claiming they’re the blueprint.
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I have been a big Meovv defender since day 1 when everyone hated the debut and I was fine with it. We go Hands Up and Burning Up, who were fantastic. Definitely one of the best GG songs last year and I’ll fight you on that. This here? I can’t defend that. It’s heading to the worst song of the year for me. I thoght nothing will beat Boompala, yet here we are. The sample is grating, it’s really not s pleasant sound to have in a song. And why are we getting all these spooky Halloween themed songs and video lately?? It’s freaking summer! You know what? Babymonster actually did a far better job at this with Sheesh and that song was sooo hated.
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I think I am the only one here who listened to that chorus and wheezed. Theres only one way that could have gone, and it was what we got. Production has interesting parts when it’s not using that organ, and there’s are parts with promise (prechorus, verse 2, violin bridge), but it all gets dragged down by everything around it. Sure you can have cold and atmospheric, we’ve had cold and atmospheric thats worked well (R.I.P. Pixy, we literally got TripleS’ Sleek which in spite of its run time is mostly played straight and well), but the problem is using that organ melody that literally to define that chorus turns it into a joke. I cannot take that seriously.
The homogeny in Teddy’s production for pretty much all of the girl groups involved with them holds everyone back, now that we have loads upon loads of tracks with hardly any deviation. Pair that with splicing structure down for streams, and hardly any title track put out by MEOVV has felt complete.
4 (3,6,4,3). I want to note that I liked what their BSide “In My Hands” had to offer and it would have been a good title track had it not been just 2:30.
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That video is a fascinatingly gothic thing that is sorely let down by what I would call a frustratingly “impotent” song. There is something muted in how it sounds, like they sand-papered down the rhythms and edges and removed that feeling that made previous songs by Meovv so enjoyable. Such a waste.
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The MV looks fantastic (hopefully those visual effects were real and not AI) but the song is….. okay
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oh the outro was def AI…c’mon, it really isn’t a surprise with companies like that
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well at least the black label finally write a real song that can be called song for them…
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A bad example of the use of classical pieces that limited themselves inside the box. The bridge > finale deserve a 9 for me but it’s just to cringe to listen to the chorus.
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this song kinda slaps and the choreography is great. but the video is unwatchable.
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Honestly, a really compelling mv (that probably has ai all over) and i like how hard they went with the theming especially since the song doesn’t shy away from the sample! It was nice to see them do something themed, but having listened to burning up so much, I think I’ve come to view that as their sound. So in a way the pre-chorus is the only part that sounds like them to me. These could’ve been a lot cooler and I probably won’t listen to it, but at least it was interesting
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