After a lengthy hiatus, RIIZE are gearing up for their first full album in a few weeks’ time. Teasers have promised a strong visual component and that kicks off with today’s pre-release single Bag Bad Back. Though RIIZE’s music has been high-quality across the board so far, their sound hasn’t embraced just one style. This genre experimentation continues as the guys try their hand at hip-hop.
My favorite RIIZE tracks have harnessed strong melody over production that could be described as funk, house or anthemic pop. I find them less successful (or maybe just less unique) in the hip-hop realm, with tracks like Talk Saxy and Siren feeling like they could have been released by so many of their peers to similar effect. Most of all, I’m eager for them to differentiate themselves from the NCT sound that has defined SM Entertainment’s boy groups for so long. Bag Bad Back‘s verses attempt to do this, but its repetitive, one-note chorus brings us right back to the agency’s worst instincts.
From choral accents to lumbering bass, Bag Bad Back‘s first verse opens with promise. The melodic pre-chorus is even better, adding a sense of drama to the track. The choral vocals return for a standout bridge that goes hard in a way we’re not used to from a song like this. This potential makes Bag Bad Back‘s lack of a satisfying chorus even more glaring. It’s as if the songwriters just shrugged their shoulders and gave up when it was time to reach the song’s centerpiece. “Just throw in a bunch of ‘bag bags’ and no one will care.” But songwriters… *I* care! When you’ve got a group with as much potential as RIIZE, you have to give them your all. Half of Bag Bad Back seems to understand this, but its limp hook spoils the party.
Hooks
6
Production
9
Longevity
8
Bias
8
RATING
7.75