Song Review: TXT – Over The Moon

Earlier this year, TXT unveiled the angsty Deja Vu, capitalizing on the rock-infused sound that made their 2021 so exemplary. However, I felt that song’s production held it back from blooming into the highlight it should have been. Now, the guys have reverted to their second mode of pop song: upbeat, disco-kissed dance music. They’ve proven themselves masters of the genre with past tracks like Blue Hour and Back For More, but Over The Moon again holds them back.

I know some readers hate when I compare an artist’s work to their past hits, but I’d like to return to TXT’s debut Crown for a second. That song is downright legendary, and much of the reason is due to its use of idiosyncratic synth textures that give it a personality all its own. In contrast, Over The Moon opts for an incredibly generic sound palette. This isn’t unique to TXT this year, but it’s disappointing given how creative their best music has been. Over The Moon is a perfectly solid (though overly truncated) piece of slick dance pop, but it could have been performed by anyone and sounded roughly the same.

This fits with my observation of K-pop’s easy-listening, overly safe trend of 2024 music (which got way too much play over on Twitter/X this weekend). In another world, with more exciting production and fully-fleshed out song structure, I can imagine Over The Moon becoming the car-shaking bop it needs to be. Instead, the song mutes anything that might provide a shock of interest. I would have loved to hear the guitar during its chorus become more prominent throughout, and the percussion needs a total reinvention. Without a bridge or final chorus, Moon peters out before it even gets going. It’s quite boring, overall.

Grade: C