One strange aspect of the K-pop industry is that it doesn’t really care about endings. Once their cash cow has been fully milked, it’s usually put our to pasture unceremoniously. Often, the only time we get a decent disbandment song is when that disbandment comes unexpectedly and a group’s final comeback ends up being their final song by default. ZEROBASEONE will not buck that trend with LOVEPOCALYPSE, though the track has its moments.
I’m not much into endings myself. I’ve been known to drop dramas or variety series two or three episodes from the end. I’m much more compelled by the building of things, and once that construction is finished I tend to lose interest. Despite their survival series launch, ZEROBASEONE built a relatively stable sound for themselves. There was a time – particularly from mid-2024 to mid-2025 – where exciting foundation was being laid, but everyone knew how the story would end. Contracts are everything in K-pop, and time was ticking away. Early this year, we began the final few steps for the group. This path was laid out as a celebration, but without decent promo and backed by thrown-together visuals, it has felt more like a shrug.
Thankfully, LOVEPOCALYPSE is the strongest of the group’s three farewell songs. Its chorus is legitimately great, backed by a propulsive beat and dramatic guitar. Had the entire track sounded like this, I might be raving about the song. However, the verses trudge forward with inert energy, sacrificing the drive spawned by the chorus. So instead, LOVEPOCALYPSE is half of a great song, as frustrating and haphazard as it is exciting. I’m not quite sure what to do with it, but I guess there’s some solace in the fact that it’s not some dreary disbandment ballad.
Hooks
8
Production
8
Longevity
8
Bias
8
RATING
8
Grade: B-
Tags: k-pop, kpop, rating 7, review, zerobaseone. Bookmark the permalink.