Compared to other HYBE groups, I’ve had a harder time getting into the groove of ENHYPEN’s discography. Each time they release a song that I love, they’ll follow it with two or three that leave me cold. That track record doesn’t exactly build confidence in new material, but I recognize how popular the group has become. They must be doing something right, even if that something isn’t often for me. New single Bad Desire (With Or Without You) feels like one step forward and two steps back, which is a frustrating place to be.
Within this song we find a few of HYBE’s worst instincts: a veritable army of composers and an ultra-short runtime that leaves no room for musical development. Vocal effects are used not to smooth out imperfections but to add deliberate texture. This choice will likely be polarizing. I feel the production overplays its hand by smothering the vast majority of the track with these vocal effects. In this case, a little would have gone a long way. A lot makes the group sound dangerously close to AI’s uncanny valley. ENHYPEN have never staked their claim on a ton of vocal flavor anyway (they’re more notable for their dancing and image), but the effects-heavy production here turns them into robots.
At the same time, Bad Desire boasts some of the group’s most engaging melodies in awhile. The chorus unveils a nice flourish of drama that has potential to expand toward greater heights. It’s a pity that these melodies are dragged down by leaden production that squanders all the passion we know K-pop can bring. I enjoy the Timbaland-style beats in the verses, but the arrangement of the chorus needs to do something different to vault the song to another level. It simply sits there, spinning its wheels. Since K-pop is currently so obsessed with 2000’s nostalgia, someone needs to go back and listen to songs like the Timbaland-produced Cry Me A River that effectively infuse their stuttering midtempo with true dynamism and scope.
Hooks
9
Production
7
Longevity
8
Bias
7
RATING
7.75