Song Review: ADAP – Buffering

Today marks the debut of a new group with a new acronym. So, of course I had to look up what “ADAP” stands for. I was hoping for something completely bonkers, but was instead met with the sweet and predictable “All Dreams Are Possible.” Sadly, all dreams are not possible in the cutthroat world of K-pop, but I wish these guys the best of luck. ADAP have arrived with a pleasant little bop. Buffering is “bright boy group 101,” but I’m definitely a target audience for this sound. The track’s bounding beat gives it plenty of pep in its step and suits the members’ light vocals well. Take a little early Seventeen, mixed with VERIVERY and a dash of TWS and you’ve got the brief for Buffering. Given that this is largely a copy of a copy, it lacks the unique touch that K-pop’s most compelling groups can bring to their material, but the song is performed well and is reasonably hooky. More than anything, Buffering reminds me of one of those mission songs a group of trainees would perform on a survival series. It has its cute “killing point” in the repetitive post-chorus and is well-designed for viral poses. Time will tell if ADAP’s music can grow into something more unique and vital, but for no...