CRAVITY returned just over a week ago with their new single, Now or Never, their first single since their EVERSHINE comeback (led by the single Love or Die) and their win on Road To Kingdom: Ace of Ace.
Listening to Now or Never over the last week, I consistently thought that the song could have gone further with its rock influence. Now or Never felt like a song that could have been a powerful song that blows you away, especially after the ticking pre-choruses. But that powerful feeling isn’t realised when we reach Now or Never‘s choruses. Now or Never definitely heads in that direction, but a more electrifying or grungy feeling would have made the song more enticing and exciting in my books. We get closer to that realisation at certain points in Now or Never, such as the first half of the bridge. But it wasn’t enough to tip Now or Never over the line into ‘awesome territory’ for me. Similar comments regarding the choruses can be said about the vocals. While they were good and solid throughout (again, the autotuned vocals during the first part of the pre-choruses were great), I think there were some constraints on the members, which probably contributed to the dampening of the choruses. Stronger melodies and hooks would have helped, as well. I did feel the raps were the more promising aspect of Now or Never, as it helped add some extra power and suspense to the song in their own way. Overall, Now or Never was a decent follow-up to their Love or Die comeback from earlier in the year.
My biggest issue with the music video was the pause in the music. The purpose was to give off suspense, but the subsequent launch back into the music should have been more explosive. What ended up happening was a weak return, which just doesn’t do the music video or song justice. But aside from that, I really enjoyed the aesthetics of the video. Now or Never is about ‘boldly seizing opportunities, reflecting [their] ambition and unwavering determination to take on the world’s challenges fearlessly’. In the video, the challenge is an asteroid that comes crashing into Earth, but the members are able to embrace it and live through the impact with one another. I also really liked the clock (I think this is what it is) set in the video. It looked cool and very futuristic.
I liked the powerful vibe from the choreography and the energy the members put into the chorus sections of the routine. It made it feel jam-packed and very intense. The pre-chorus moves and the outro routine were also highlights. CRAVITY did an awesome job with this part of the comeback.
Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.5/10