Since debut, ALL(H)OURS have stuck to a bombastic sound, fusing huge beats to catchy chants. This formula has often thrown melody to the curb in favor of other aspects, and that’s been the one missing piece that has prevented me from becoming absolutely obsessed with their singles. I wish I could sit their producers down and remind them that there can be bombast and melody in the same song. In fact, it makes everything better!
New single Dead Man Walking continues this trend, forgoing a sung hook for a chanted “la la la.” However, the production and energy are so strong that I’m willing to overlook the threadbare nature of the songwriting — at least for now. If I were to isolate the instrumental to this song, I’d be raving about its sheer bigness. When the beat gets going, it’s the exact kind of sledgehammer percussion I’ve wanted K-pop to revisit for ages. This is about as far from “beigepop” as you can get. Everything is turned up to “11,” and during the quieter moments the producers add choral elements to elevate an already theatrical brew.
With this said, I wish that ‘Dead Man Walking the song’ had as much ambition as ”Dead Man Walking the insrumental.’ There’s really not much “song” here at all. The dramatic pre-chorus builds strong tension but the chorus is so underwritten. And at two-and-a-half minutes, the runtime doesn’t allow for the flights of fancy a song like this thrives on. Still, energy wins the day here and I’m willing to surrender to Dead Man Walking‘s fierce pulse despite myself.
Hooks
8
Production
9
Longevity
8
Bias
9
RATING
8.5
Grade: B
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