Song Review: &TEAM – Samidare

I considered relegating &TEAM’s Samidare to my J-pop round-up on Sunday, but the group is notable enough to K-pop fans to warrant at least a mini-review. After all, they’re the guys who gave us last year’s double whammy of Firework and Dropkick — both of which were 2023 highlights. As far as HYBE boy groups go, they’re steadily building a solid discography.

With this said, I find Samidare to be a total bore. It’s a surging mid-tempo fueled by sentimental performances and easy melodies. The song itself is nothing notable, failing to find a hook robust enough to set it apart from dozens of like-minded releases. And to be honest, the group lacks the distinct roster of vocalists needed to inject personality into something so sterile. The song won’t offend anyone, but that may be its biggest problem. It simply wafts in one ear and out the other.

Grade: C