Along with The Bias List, SF9 are celebrating their tenth anniversary. This is a big deal, as not all acts reach this milestone. And honoring its significance, the guys have released a full album of new material. In 2026, this is also a big deal!
Throughout their career, SF9 have never settled on a distinct sound. This has made it difficult for me to latch on as a fan. They have songs I adore, songs that are just okay and songs I dislike. I can’t even say there’s a specific approach I prefer from the group since their highlights have run the musical gamut. I guess they’re at their best with a great chorus, regardless of genre.
Without Wings attempts an Afrobeats sound — a K-pop trend that’s a few years too late at this point. Afrobeats remains a popular sound globally, but K-pop has already pillaged it to an extent where the songs no longer feel notable or surprising. And as far as choruses go, Without Wings is not one of SF9’s best. It certainly doesn’t feel like a special anniversary track. It’s more like a forgettable curio that’s been sitting around gathering dust, retrieved for this moment out of necessity. The R&B-style vocals are nice, but the melodies do nothing for me. They’re just kind of dull throughout.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.25 |
Grade: C
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Wow, 10 years, congratulations to SF9.
I often underestimate SF9 title tracks, because they seem to common but then upon repeat listen one can more fully realize how well done the songs are. I suspect the same will occur with this song, so for now, for today, I am going to say Yes.
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10 years is a long time! To be honest, I think I prefer almost any other song on the album than this one. It’s very forgettable and literally all the other songs are stronger and more memorable. For example, ‘Too easily,’ though there are some flaws with it (my opinion). Something about Without Wings makes me incredibly bored and at this rate, I think I prefer RPM or Scream over it, which is saying something for me. And I’m really confused over the ‘W W’ line. SF9 usually chose one of their most outstanding songs as the title and this is clearly not the case. However, I still enjoyed the album. It is their 10th anniversary, so I’m guessing they want something a bit more light to give their fans after 10 years of almost consistently giving their fans strong and powerful title tracks.
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also, I have a question about the cover. Isn’t that AI generated? There’s two Hwiyoungs and Youngbins in there
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Being active for 10 years and lived to tell the tale are not easy at all. Its proof of the group bond and tenacity. However the album title track seems too dull for such occasion. I like the instrumentals and the vocals were solid, but the hook was a bit weak and the song really lacked the punch to make it stand out among other songs in the album. Other tracks in the album were actually not bad at all even much better than songs in the previous mini-album during march comeback. My favourite tracks are Cross My Mind and Too Easily.
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Those are also the standout tracks for me, with Curtain Call too! (I think they reused some sounds from Tear Drop for this one). It’s kind of surprising to see that it’s only their second album so far
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