Musical trends come and go in K-pop and usually mirror sounds popularized elsewhere on the globe. Most of these trends start out well enough before the industry eventually drives them into the ground, but a certain trend of the moment has my hackles up already. An increasing amount of boy groups are latching onto a specific “rage” hip-hop sound popularized by Western artists like Travis Scott and Playboi Carti. I know I’m older than the typical K-pop fan and likely have a different musical background, but if this style takes hold of the industry it will be difficult to give it the kind of chance I’d like to. I simply find the sound repetitive, monotone and very affected.
This brings us to ENHYPEN, who have tried on this style for new single Knife. To be fair, the group has flirted with these sounds before — as early as 2022’s Future Perfect (Pass The Mic) (a song I actually enjoy). However, their music has become shorter and more threadbare with time, downgraded to the two-minute mark and lacking the structural diversity that used to make K-pop interesting. They’ve never been a vocally oriented group, so this move toward heavily processed shout-talk-chant fare makes sense in a way. And, I’m sure there’s some recipe to funnel it into exciting product. However, simply grumbling “Knife knife knife knife” during the chorus is not that recipe.
The thing is, Knife might actually be decent if developed further. Its production has a mechanized rhythm that lurches with intention, casting a stronger groove than I’d expected. Buoy this with a nice melodic centerpiece, ease up on the incessant vocal effects and the result wouldn’t be too dissimilar from what senior groups like EXO made their name on. Sadly, Knife sacrifices drama for swagger, getting by on repetition rather than telling a full story with payoff. It feels designed to clip into twenty-second soundbites for the TikTok generation and probably works best in that context.
Hooks
6
Production
8
Longevity
7
Bias
6
RATING
6.75
Grade: D+
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