Now that &TEAM have made their debut in Korea, the group straddles two countries — each with their own preferences. Sadly, the melodic rock of their earlier years seems to have fallen by the wayside during this expansion as their agency is moving them into a more downbeat, moody sound. For whatever reason, “moody” seems to the be the default mode for boy groups looking to capture a wider audience.
Yep, we’re far from an Aoarashi or Yukiakari with new title track Mark On Me. This is a lurching bit of angsty drama, built on suffocating synths and a towering — yet halted — chorus. Immediately, you’ll notice the members’ vocals. I’m not sure they’ve ever sounded better on a track. While HYBE producers often smooth over unique tones in favor of mushy sameness, Mark On Me allows the group to fully relish in their unique voices. It’s really quite striking and the exact approach every group should be taking.
My problem with Mark On Me is that I simply dislike this style of song. I’m not sure how to describe what it is about this songwriting approach, but the fitful quiet/loud nature of the production and predictability of the structure just feels tedious to me. This is not &TEAM’s fault, and as already noted they do as much as they can with the sound. I’ve just never vibed with this style. To me, it feels like we’re stuck in the murk, trudging through a very rigid song structure that offers little opportunity for surprise and schedules its moments of catharsis as if ticking boxes off a checklist.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.5 |
Grade: C
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
it’s a song that wants to be big but ends up being pretty generic, like some imagine dragons thing and having benson boonie on it doesn’t help either. A bridge would probably improve it but pop songs nowadays are allergic to it.
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I forgot that Benson Boone was part of this. That explains a lot, actually…
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In the Stars and Beautiful Things aren’t half bad but Mystical Magical, however 😬😬
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It sounds like the song where the agency tries to impress everyone with Vocals, with that glissando slide at the beginning of most lines. For that, for the stans, it does well enough.
For me, its a schtick searching for purpose. Trying to use a short musical motif to make it Have Meaning. Besides Imagine Dragons and such, I am hearing VIXX without the elaborate theming and commitment.
(to be snarky – ooh, black and white, and now grey, and the swans (who are not en pointe?), and That Red theater everyone uses complete with the spotlight, its about the transformation they must go through backstage to be Artists like fame is an elaborate game of chess.)
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This track maintains a steady, somewhat weary pace that, for some reason, calls to mind an Imagine Dragons song. The contrast between the verses and the chorus is quite nice, though I feel the chorus could have been just a tad bit longer and reached a bit higher, perhaps enhanced with some beautiful choir vocal effects.
Additionally, it’s another piece that wraps up right at the moment it could have truly taken off and flowed into a proper bridge, a soaring high note, and a triumphant final chorus. It often feels like modern tracks are a bit hesitant to be boldly adventurous. Thankfully, as Scripture reminds us in Romans, we have nothing to fear and everything to gain when we walk in faith and confidence! Don’t be shy—step out boldly and embrace that creativity. You got nothing to 😎 ⓁᗝŞᗴ 👌🐇🐇
8.25 (8,8,8,9)
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I have mixed feelings about this because on one hand this is a bit more appealing than We On Fire, but on the other this doesn’t move the needle on their recent string of subpar comebacks. There are some nice elements in the verses but the chorus is monotonous, and the short run time doesn’t help either. I feel like they were trying for something with more of a Deer Hunter vibe but totally missing the mark.
I was recently listening to the Yukiakari album and it struck me just how great some of those songs are…I wonder if they’ll ever get back there again.
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While I did like the vocals & dramatic vibe of the song, it really lacked the sense of progression and the production really left us wanting. I mean the song was going nowhere despite the cinematic vibe. Its just going moody for the sake of being moody and left it at that without any resolutions. Its quite a shame as the mini album was actually not bad at all, my favourite B-side in the album was “Night to Howl” The “Aooooo” parts was the clinch.
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I really don’t understand why this moody direction is the style preference for debuting in Korea. Is it for the “global” audience? Because it’s not like there hasn’t been a surge in jpop consumption (especially in the top jpop pop rock bands) in Korea as of late. These new title songs lack the anthemic mood and cathartic release that the melodic rock sound gave.
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The song that could’ve been…there are few things that I dislike more than being left unsatisfied. I actually liked everything they gave us EXCEPT that it is unfinished. There’s no excuse for this crap…15-20 seconds of something would’ve made this song great. As it is, it’s just ok.
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Yeah, it’s become such a common complaint that I forgot to even mention it this time. The song simply cuts off when it should build to something (anything!) to give it a proper finale. I can’t imagine being a producer and leaving this project feeling satisfied. They only made 2/3 of a song.
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Verse/chorus x2, that’s all we get…that’s bare minimum from arguably the biggest Kpop company out there. This group, and I’m going to add TxT to the mix, deserve better. It kills me a little bit every time this happens.
PS: On the upside, at least they didn’t auto-tune the whole thing…that would’ve been criminal😏
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it reminds me of those horrible alt pop songs that were popular around the late 2010s on youtube, that would usually be the background music to some animation meme or fan edit
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Do you have any examples? I am not sure what you mean.
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took a while cuz i had to go out my way to find these songs considering they have left my memory completely since covid, but heres a short list
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Wow these songs suck lol. Also screw Melanie Martinez. Would rather to NMIXX YDS, DICE and AHOF SUGAR HIGH 30 times each before any of her songs.
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Mark on Me was kind of eh, nothing unique. The only song that caught my ear was Love Jang, the same vibe as Mismatch from their last Korean EP, and that CORTIS song sounded like a CORTIS song from their loud chants and whatever.
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dollar tree vixx
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