ZEROBASEONE have always released solid music, but they really found their footing with last year’s Cinema Paradise album. Teaming with K-pop legend Kenzie on title track Good So Bad was an inspired choice, and the group has replicated that success with new single Blue. The song is nostalgic and energizing, buoyed by one of the year’s best choruses.
I always know we’re in for a treat when a song’s chorus is teased frequently before its release. The producers and agency clearly have confidence in this hook and the melodies were already stuck in my head days before the full song was released. As you might expect given this approach, Blue gallops out of the gate with this full-fledged refrain. The vocal blend here is so SHINee-coded, as if it could have sprung from one of their 2018-era albums. I’m sure this is thanks to the Kenzie connection, but ZB1’s powerful vocals also deserve praise. Not every group can deliver this style of song so well.
I’m not sure how I feel about Blue‘s multiple slowdowns (the beginning of verse two could pop a bit more), but when you know its megawatt chorus is lurking around every corner it’s hard to be dissatisfied with the arrangement. The song’s liveliness is a needed balm in the dead of winter, even if Blue feels better suited to the summer months. At their best, its melodies have a soaring, open-hearted sound that makes you want to shout at the top of your lungs. Good So Bad grew on me massively over the months since its release, but Blue is an instant hit.
Hooks
10
Production
8
Longevity
9
Bias
9
RATING
9