New JYP global boy group NEXZ debuted last year but hasn’t yet captured my attention with their music. This is despite watching and enjoying season two of the Nizi Project where the group was formed. Like fellow rookies KickFlip, it feels like JYP has saddled them with lesser material that regurgitates music from the agency’s past. NEXZ have a new album on the horizon, preceded by Simmer. And yet again, I’m struck by this same feeling.
The mood board this time flashes “Stray Kids with a side of NCT.” Simmer‘s instrumental lurches with a combination of squelchy bass and pots-and-pans percussion, incorporating a maelstrom of irritating samples that only clutter the mix. A repeated telephone motif is especially annoying. This approach might have worked if the producers had doubled the tempo, but the production’s leisurely pace feels oddly inert. It’s not fast enough to dance to but not engaging enough to enjoy on its own.
Simmer‘s performance is equally frustrating. Between sing-song melodic scraps and lackadaisical rap, the track plunges into a dull, repetitive hook that feels more like an incantation than a compelling centerpiece. I enjoy the momentum during the pre-choruses where the flow switches up and gains focus, but these are brief moments of fun within a very tiresome song. And like all of NEXZ’s music so far, my central issue remains: Simmer sounds like a retread rather than a convincing attempt to develop their own style.
Hooks
6
Production
7
Longevity
7
Bias
7
RATING
6.75