Now wait a hot minute - I just heard Next Level and it's a BOP. That pulsating bass? That dry aggressive beat? They decided they are coming for the XCX YYY plink plonk girls. It's frustrating because it's not an original song, and the source they went to look for it is extremely questionable. But I'm bopping! And contrary to most, I really don't like that disjointed middle 8. It's giving me debut album Mamamoo, it's giving me Moonbyul live @ SM Café and I'm not here for it. As we got this song + that long-ass video about their lore, I can only wonder if this isn't just the beginning for a more convoluted phase for them. Maybe SM wants to release some more viral-attempt moments before heading onto a proper mini. All in all this is a lot better than Black Mamba, which falls in the same "produced with instruments provided by Fisher Price" category as Mafia (In The Morning) to me. This one has a soul, a pulse, color on the skin.
The only thing that I absolutely loathe about this release is that Mr. Lee Soo Man could have picked THIS from the same franchise soundtrack. A lost opportunity.
I'll be playing Airplane Mode, We Go, Ring Ring and Ride all day long.