When A2O Lite and A2O Soul released their first songs last month, each act had different chart fortunes. Lite lodged their super-hit Neon at the top of the charts almost instantly, while Soul’s Superstar never reached those heights but enjoyed a smaller, steady climb. This is pretty typical of how boy and girl groups function in K-pop. Girl groups are much more likely to score a huge public hit, while their male counterparts stake their careers on a dedicated fanbase that buy a ton of albums and pay for expensive concert tickets. This can take longer to foster, so it’s smart for A2O Soul to quickly flesh out their burgeoning discography with an album.

On this album, Soul has taken the unlikely (at least for K-pop) approach of establishing a single genre and teasing it out across five tracks. Lee Sooman is calling it “new synthwave,” but most pop fans have heard this sound before — especially if you’re familiar with The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights (and who isn’t?). Still, this icy, cinematic synth sound has always been a favorite of mine and the real important aspect here is that Dancing In The Dark retains producer Yoo Young-Jin and his uncanny ability to turn a “normal” song into absolute magic via incredible vocal arrangements.

Unlike Superstar, which benefitted from a luxurious runtime, Dancing In The Dark is short and sweet. In fact, just as the vocals begin to churn into a fantastic round at the song’s finale, the instrumental cuts short and we’re done. As usual with songs like this, I need an extended version. However, what we have here is still fantastic and quickly establishes Soul’s identity. They don’t sound like any of their peers, and that’s no easy task in an overstuffed market.

Grade: B+