LNGSHOT garnered a ton of attention with a string of releases during the first quarter of this year, but have been relatively quiet since. Apart from a collaboration record with Jay Park, it’s taken them quite a few months to schedule an official comeback. That new album is slated to release next month and is preceded by new single Masterpiece.

It feels like I see LNGSHOT’s name lumped in with CORTIS quite often, but the are really quite different from each other. LNGSHOT have much more of a smooth R&B sound, driven by vocal color rather than vocal effects. This has great potential for dynamic output, but so far most of their songs have been plagued by the same issue that’s characterized a certain style of global R&B over the past decade or so: repetitive, monotonous phrasing.

It’s easy to envision a world where Masterpiece lives up to its title. The guys are clearly talented and the song’s textures are inviting. However, while listening to the track I feel like I’m listening to the same two or three lines repeated over and over again with slightly different flair. I suppose this builds a hypnotic vibe for some listeners, but for me it comes across as dull and derivative of so many other tracks within this genre. R&B can be a vessel for some of the most dynamic songwriting and structure and I hate to see it boil down to what comes across as a halfhearted, vibey shrug.

Grade: C-