It’s the battle of the 8s this week, with 8TURN coming back yesterday and LUN8 waiting in the wings today. I don’t think these two groups have anything in common beyond the number in their name, yet I link them together because both feel completely malleable in sound. If you asked me what a LUN8 song sounded like, I’d have no answer. They simply perform songs that are given to them.

New single Sneakers takes us into more upbeat territory, perched over bright summer synth before collapsing into a lethargic chorus. Before hearing the song, I predicted the guys would be shout-chanting about their sneakers during the chorus, and that’s not far from the truth. The actual hook has a bit more of a melodic throughline, but remains underdeveloped and completely forgettable. Worse yet, the instrumental loses all momentum here, growing dull and defeated just as the guys are extolling the virtues of their favorite shoes. At just over two minutes, there’s not enough “song” here to leave any impact. I don’t really get the point of this beyond the need to churn out new material for promotions.

Grade: D+