[Review] Nice Guy – BOYNEXTDOOR

BOYNEXTDOOR returned to the music scene yesterday with the new single Nice Guy and the new mini-album 19.99. It follows their earlier 2024 comeback of Earth, Wind & Fire and mini-album How? (which I have yet to review, but I can confirm that it is coming). Ahead of Nice Guy, BOYNEXTDOOR pre-release the single Dangerous last week, which I will be posting a review for later this week (the way I drafted it hinges on the review for Nice Guy to be published first, which is why we are here).

Since its release yesterday, I have given Nice Guy a few listens. Interestingly, the same thoughts have recurred on each occasion. I acknowledge that Nice Guy is funky and groovy, which offers the song a fun exterior. This fits BOYNEXTDOOR’s repertoire of title tracks, which all have this fun element that makes them appealing. But for some reason, my mind keeps settling that the song’s delivery, especially when it comes to the chorus, feels constrained (more than usual, at the very least) and underbaked. I don’t get that same excitement from the members in Nice Guy compared to the other title tracks and even the pre-release Dangerous. Interestingly, I keep missing Nice Guy’s chorus. I think consistency is the issue here, as the chorus and verses all felt similar and didn’t really differentiate much between one another. And the lack of oomph from their delivery doesn’t help out. The only major difference I hear is the presence of Nice Guy‘s hook (i.e., Look at me, Look at my lines my girl…), but even that didn’t feel memorable enough for me. Even the other parts of the song don’t really catch my attention. Ultimately, all of this leaves Nice Guy in an awkward position where I don’t remember much from the song once it wraps, which isn’t the usual reaction to BOYNEXTDOOR’s title tracks.

I am not entirely sure what is going on in the video. At first glance, it looks like a hodgepodge of different scenes. But given the song is about BOYNEXTDOOR trying to get with the person they like, I think my guess is that the guys are trying their best to make the person fall in love with them. Things they have done in the video to win over the person include getting a job at the same workplace as that person (the pizza shop), trying to deliver food to the person they like (but they end up delivering to the wrong person entirely) and taking care of animals to win over the person. I did like the second chorus montage, where the different backgrounds are spinning into one another. It looked cool. The falling through-the-floor montage feels far-fetched, especially since I didn’t see its relevance to the video. But I do like how that led into the final bit, with the group dressed up in a classier way, and it pulled all the characters in the video (including the background characters into one scene).

I liked the choreography for this comeback. It has a lighthearted vibe, which works nicely with the song. We have to wait for more to see, but I think the choreography they perform towards the end of the music video at the party scenes is shaping up to be my favourite part. Again, this sequence embodies that lighthearted vibe but just gives something different that the rest of the choreography (from other parts of the music video) didn’t have.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.3/10