FNC band AxMxP debuted last year with a rock-meets-hip-hop sound. While this isn’t a new approach in K-pop, it gave the guys a bit of distinction within an agency stuffed with similar bands. Since then, their sound has softened a great deal and that continues on new single 10 Reasons To Date Me (나를 만나야 할 10가지 이유).

The hip-hop influences are still front and center during the verses, but placed atop a light rock production that’ll be far more palatable to a wider audience. 10 Reasons is lively in songwriting but laidback in execution. There’s actually a lot stuffed into the song, from chant-along counting to the plaintive melody that forms its centerpiece. Given a more dynamic arrangement, I could see this really standing out in their discography. With what we have, 10 Reasons is more “pleasant” than exciting — the kind of song that would be welcome on any playlist but would never be the marquee moment.

Grade: C