For the second July in a row, producer EL CAPITXN has been very busy. He spearheaded the vast majority of AHOF’s mini album released last week and has done the same for the new idntt project. Of course, in this era of K-pop there’s never just one producer attached to a track so there’s no telling how much of this work is his alone, but it’s still nice to see some level of streamlined creative vision fueling these comebacks.
As usual, the configuration here is somewhat confusing. Kids Return is the work of idntt sub-unit itsnot5ver, which invites five new members into the fold. But from what I’ve read, all of the existing sub-units are also present on the album in some form. All I really care about is whether the music is good, and idntt’s last release delivered on this front. Despite coming from a different sub-unit, Kids Return feels like a sonic continuation of Pretty Boy Swag, adopting a similar hip-hop sound. This time the chorus is slightly more melodic, but there’s still plenty of chant-rapping to go around.
Above all else, Kids Return comes across as oddly busy. Obviously, there are many voices on the track, but the instrumental is equally cluttered. I could do without the strangled goose sound that completes each chorus, for example. This hinders the track’s ability to catch a natural groove while also making the production feel big enough to accommodate so many performers. A stronger, more straightforward melody is needed to cut through all this noise and anchor us to the song, but alas strong melodies are not easy to find in K-pop these days. Instead, Kids Return struggles to find its footing. Its strongest moments are enjoyable enough to pull it over the line, but this should have been an easy slam dunk.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
Grade: C+
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I agree that it is a decent natural extension to Pretty Boy Swag, I also enjoyed the production here just as much. The spoken chorus was better executed this time, but overall, I liked it. Could do with more melodies but I don’t think this group has a standout vocalist. TripleS has Dahyun, but idk about this group.
8.25 (8, 9, 8, 8) for me
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this is my kind of jam. The complexity and cluttered nature of the track while maintaining some melodic undertones keep the whole record full. I miss the time where most if not all of hip-hop sounds full. idntt is probably my favorite best new artist contender which is to say a rather weak year for new acts. Definitely getting in touch with EL CAPITXN’s groove and musical tendencies as I also have fallen for AHOF’s RUN TO YOU. 8.5/10.
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What happend to each subunits songs being different genres? this all sounds like the same boring hip hop slop that is they’ve been releasing since last year 😭
And that chorus is abysmal😭😭
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This is one of those times when I wonder “maybe they used the wrong speakers in the production booth”. I don’t think its a bad song or a bad performance, I think choices were made in the booth that don’t translate well to all of us listening on our earbuds. It sounds crowded and not in a good way. Maybe it will sound better in the car? On phone speaker-mode? Or maybe only on the nice speakers in the production booth.
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As of now I still like pretty boy swag more than this, but time will tell. I admittedly enjoy this type of weird electronic hip-hop or whatever, but I think this sounds super cluttered because of the “goose” sounds you pointed out (or the eh-eh-eh in the background), the dissonant synths that flare from time to time (which are usually supposed to create texture in these types of chant-singing songs, but it sounds too noisy here), and the mixing/mastering of the background harmonies which are sometimes louder than the lead instead of supporting it, so it feels messy. I like the dance-break though, because it isolates the instrumental, you can hear the halloween vibe the synths are trying to bring (but it also highlights the fact that the instrumental itself has already enough stuff going on).
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