Song Review: Enhypen – Bad Desire (With Or Without You)

In many ways, Enhypen have been the group most emblematic of both the extreme highs and lows of the HYBE business model. From the incredibly high concept music videos and dynamic hooks to the bafflingly short runtimes and compressed production, they’ve had an inconsistent discography to say the least. Regardless, the group have experienced immense popularity as a result of viral hits like the mellow Fever and vampiric Bite Me and a consistent presence at the forefront modern K-pop. New single Bad Desire (With or Without You) arrives as the groups newest RnB offering, encapsulating both their best and worst instincts into a taut package. However, the highs outweigh the lows.

From an objective standpoint, there are so many issues with Bad Desire. Firstly, the production feels restrained and the percussion more hollow than full. I totally understand the Timbaland-esque sound they were going for and though it does work really well in spurts, its lack of variation or character results in it veering much closer to monotony than I would have liked. I do still think it stands as the tracks strongest idea from a production standpoint—though the potential feels unrealised. That feeling also isn’t helped by the absurdly short run time, which prevents the track from ever reaching the kind of dynamic finale it was so desperately calling out for. The whole thing has this added robotic sheen to it too, reaching once again towards the over processed vocal hell that so many HYBE tracks fall victim to. From a cynical lens, it’s got all the makings of a disaster.

But then the pre-chorus hits.

I absolutely adore the central melody of this song and that’s probably why it’s still in regular rotation almost a month and a half after its release (which is quite good by 2025 standards). I was initially quite hesitant about the heavy vocal processing but further listens have made it feel much more natural. The pre-chorus has a dramatic flair to it that’s wonderfully enhanced by the arrangement. I love how the percussion—which presented itself as the tracks most prominent element—fully clears out here, leaving only a few shimmering synths and pensive keys, creating a fantastic soundscape for the vocoder assisted hook to really take off. Yeah the central melody is very Mirror‘s adjacent but I’m not complaining when the results are this magnetic. It’s devilishly addictive, breathing new life into the rest of the track and hitting a wonderful middle ground between sultry and melancholic. So much so that It’s got me to overlook many of the more technical issues I initially had with it. And while Bite Me might still be the groups best attempt at this specific sound, Bad Desire might just give it a run for its money sometime soon.

Verses: 9

Chorus: 9

Production: 7

Performance: 8

Final Rating: 8.25 / 10