Long ago, the K-pop elders foretold a prophecy: “Behold! Regardless of their sound or image, every fifth generation boy group shall get their swag on for one tuneless, out-of-character chant-fest.” As an amendment to their proclamation, the wise elders added: “Fear not, lovers of bright, melodic concepts. This hip-hoppery shall only be a pre-release.”
RIIZE, ZEROBASEONE, TWS, BOYNEXTDOOR… they’ve all succumbed to the hip-hop pre-release prophecy. Now, it’s AHOF’s turn with Sugar High. To be fair, iterations of this group have already performed this style of song on the series (Universe League) that formed them. And to add a bit of positivity to this trend I’ve grown to like (sometimes even love) those tracks by RIIZE, ZEROBASEONE, TWS and BOYNEXTDOOR. But for whatever reason Sugar High feels especially jarring. Maybe it’s because the song is SO devoid of the group’s usual character. It’s also burdened by a chorus that’s far more annoying than their peers’ output. This is the kind of chorus that feels like the songwriters simply gave up. Maybe they ran out of time in the recording studio? Whatever the case, I find the sound of K-pop boys chant-screaming in unison uniquely annoying and AHOF are unable to overcome that hurdle.
The sad thing is, there’s something to be said for Sugar High‘s verses. They’ve got a satisfying bounce and lead into a so-so pre-chorus that — at the very least — draws upon AHOF’s skills. But really, there’s no salvaging the song’s unlovable, obnoxious chorus. I get that agencies want to show various sides of their artists in the hope of attracting new fans, but I can’t imagine anyone hearing this and wanting to listen to more. The upcoming title track better be a return to form because I’m going to try my best to pretend this song doesn’t exist.
| Hooks | 5 |
| Production | 6 |
| Longevity | 6 |
| Bias | 6 |
| RATING | 5.75 |
Grade: F
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Good lord… after two fantastic title tracks, they gave us this shit? I thought they were going to be the next TWS…
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Oh my rating, uhh
5.25(5,6,5,5)
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hi nick, what do you think of the new izna ep?
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It’s solid! Nothing stood out to me as “fantastic,” but it’s consistently good.
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what’s your favourite track? mine is probably lean on me.
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Yeah, that’s probably the best b-side on the album.
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that’s how I feel too. no track lives up to Supercrush and Racecar
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I’ve never seen this many low rated tracks…
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Out of topic but I’ve been always wondering – did the minimum “qualifier” to enter your global round-up, let’s say if you’re still using the grading system as per your K-Pop review, is a 8.5 or above?
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In theory, yes, but in execution I’m not entirely sure. I don’t worry about ratings so much with those and simply post what I like or what feels notable in some way.
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Okay… I’m a strong girl… it’s just music… I’m a grown ass woman pushing 20, I’ll be okay… ಥ﹏ಥ
WELL FUCK THIS, WHAT IS WITH MOST 5TH GEN GROUPS DEBUTING WITH THEIR OWN IDENTITY AND FLAIR, BRINGING SOMETHING UNIQUE TO AN OVERSATURATED AS FUCK INDUSTRY AND THEN COMING BACK WITH MID TO ABSOLUTE DOGSHIT OF A SONG?? (ﾉಥ益ಥ）ﾉ ┻━┻ FIRST IT WAS NOUERA, AND NOW AHOF??? THE SAME AHOF THAT HAD BOTH THEIR TITLE TRACKS OF LAST YEAR IN MY TOP 10 KPOP SONGS HAS NOW DROPPED ABSOLUTE BULLCRAP??? WHY AHOF WHY? I HAD TRUST IN YOU AFTER NOUERA LET ME DOWN BUT NO, YOU DECIDED TO FOLLOW IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS AND DROPPED THIS?? .·°՞(≧□≦)՞°·. AND THIS IS WHY A GIRL HAS TRUST ISSUES, FUCK YOH TARZZAN!! ლ(ಠ益ಠლ)
Anyways, 4 (4, 5, 4, 3) for me. It’s just so grating, it triggers my ears…
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i cannot take this seriously because…it’s a edgy hip hop based concept…yet the song is called “Sugar High” lol.
anyways yeah lets hope the actual title track is good and the pre-release was just a dud
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at the very least for B2P their titles are descriptive (I love that B2P concept song)
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This one definitely does not make the cut. It’s not catchy. It’s not slick or cool or different. It’s just ugly and awkward. And this is coming from a Picasso defender…
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they had the nerve to call this Sugar High for a bullshit ass song. this is as horrible as CORTIS’ music, and that’s only because their discography was flawless before this.
thank God EL CAPITXN had no hand in this.
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TBH, Fashion sounds better than this abomination
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I believe it.
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Sigh😕
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somehow the only hip-hop (adjacent I think) pre-release that was instantly beloved here was Dunk Shot by NCT Wish (but that’s coz their usual fare is opposite to Nick’s taste :p)
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Where is the group whose 2 songs managed to enter my Top 10 best 2025 songs and what is this disaster excuse of a song. I could not even finish listening the song before my ears started bleeding from the jarring chorus. Its not catchy at all and the has nothing going on except the energy. I almost heard SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT as the chorus because of the shock to my brain (NOT in a good way)
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*the song has nothing going on except the energy
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thank god I wasn’t alone in thinking they were chanting “SHIT” in the chorus☠️
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I still can’t unhear it 🥀
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Thankfully, it’s just a pre-release and the title track will hopefully be in the same vein as Rendezvous and Pinocchio.
*eye twitch*
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let’s call this the “NouerA effect”
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At least we got Steven’s arms out in the video.
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You always keep your priorities straight, I appreciate it
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It might be because I am in the throes of heat exhaustion but one of the first things I said to myself on the train just now was ‘watch this be a disappointment in comparison to their other tracks’, and while I was right I was NOT expecting a 5.
First off, that vocal production is- holy shit that chorus is not good. When this started I was like ‘okay, would I accept this if this was XIKERS doing it?’ And I genuinely don’t even know if I can and it lies squarely on that chorus. This is disturbingly unnatural for AHOF, AHOF.
3 (2, 5, 3, 2). You know it’s bad when I can’t imagine this song doing well getting fed to XIKERS who I feel has managed to make stuff like THAT their brand.
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this is so grating and absolutely horrible. wtf happened, where the hell is my Pinocchio and rendezvous?
2.75 (2, 4, 2, 2)
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Even though (and thankfully) this is a pre-release, it’s shocking that they went from two pure songs to this, not even a year after their debut! The title was also a trick, as you’d probably think of a bright concept. And thanks to a comment above, I can’t unhear the chorus saying the S word 😵
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Obligatory positive comment: Juwon is good at rapping.
I don’t have anything else positive to say, so I’m not saying anything else. The flashing lights at the end are crazy, it’s like they are trying to piss me off on purpose
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umm am i the only one that kinda bops to this
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I have to admit, I was left a bit puzzled by this release. AHOF is one of the groups, along with ZEROBASEONE, that genuinely drew me back into K-pop last year. I absolutely loved their debut and their first comeback because of how powerful they were and the incredible musical depth they offered.
This new track, however, was a bit difficult for me to enjoy. The sonic style reminds me of a blend of xikers, NCT, and ATEEZ, but it feels a little less cohesive here. A major reason for this is the chorus, which relies heavily on repeating “she she she she”—a direction that I feel doesn’t truly reflect AHOF’s unique identity. It feels quite different from the group I discovered and fell in love with last year.
That being said, I am definitely staying a fan, especially since this release caught me completely by surprise today. I really hope AHOF continues to collaborate with producers like EL CAPITXN to further develop and expand their signature rock sound, because that is where their true strength lies. This track only frustrates me because I know for a fact how incredibly talented they are and how much better they can do.
I’m holding out hope that their next major comeback pivots away from this specific direction, as I don’t think the charismatic “sing-talk” style suits them well at all.
AHOF, fighting!
Rating: low 7
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Not going to lie, the chorus sounds like they are chanting “shit shit shit shit shit shit shitta shitta sugar high”.
OK, I had to look it up, and apparently it is meant to be a stacatto “she” on repeat, but they close the staccato so sharply it sounds like a consonant tacked on the end.
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Damn, two Fs so close together. An ominous start to summer!
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3 actually, I forgot about poor VVS lol
(I gotta get around to listening to that, I actually like Tea and Fact$ so the rating is making me v curious)
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