Song Review: ONEUS- IKUK

“Special” albums can mean a few things in K-pop. For GFriend, it meant two new songs. Today, for ONEUS it means a handful of new material and a ton of re-recorded hits with their current five-member configuration. Last month’s Rupert’s Drop is also included in the tracklist, while IKUK acts as the title track.

Buoyed by their stint on Kingdom, ONEUS take the opportunity to pair this song with a performance-heavy video reminiscent of their excellent stage on KBS’s year-end song festival. It’s been awhile since we’ve seen them promote something upbeat, and IKUK hinges on many of the sonic hallmarks that have made their music successful in the past. The song has moments of potential but doesn’t come together for me. For every time if bursts into a funky celebration, it also dives into an irritating breakdown or unsuccessful tempo shift. This has been a concern of mine for many of the group’s tracks. It’s like they’re trying to do too much at the expense of continuity and momentum.

The biggest thing holding IKUK back is its chorus. The melody itself doesn’t work for me, but then the guys pair it with an irritating vocal effect that’s meant to sound retro but actually just pulls their voices up into a grating register. Because of this centerpiece, it’s hard to enjoy everything else swirling around the track. Parts of the verses have great flair and the pre-chorus unveils a satisfying groove that should have gone on to underline more of the instrumental. The production is just so piecemeal and stop/start. It’s hard to gain a foothold.

Grade: C