Fresh off the massive success of last year’s Blue Valentine, NMIXX are gearing up for its follow-up album. That album is set to release next month, but they’ve started its campaign early with Crescendo. JYP groups have been absolutely prolific at the moment, with multiple acts from the agency promoting at the same time. I don’t think NMIXX are planning to perform this song on music shows just yet, and that makes sense as it feels more like a buzz track than a major bid for chart dominance.
It’s been rewarding to watch NMIXX grow from their mixxpop beginnings toward a more vocally-centered approach. They’ve made ‘strong vocals’ their brand, and we don’t see nearly enough of that in K-pop these days. But as always, any branding lives or dies on the success of the song itself. Even with all its twists and turns and moments of experimental surprise, Crescendo doesn’t do much for me. Its chorus feels very indebted to Western pop sounds I don’t often enjoy and the song’s energy gets stuck at “plodding” throughout most of its runtime.
Crescendo‘s verses offer the most bang for your buck. There are some fascinating tempo and structural shifts here. Even if the melodies aren’t hitting me, the experience is fun to listen to. Unfortunately, the chanted chorus doesn’t continue this same freewheeling vibe. It’s not a “bad” hook, but its declarative nature has a way of stopping the song in its tracks. I’m just not a fan of this style of chorus, which makes Crescendo a tricky proposition.
Hooks
7
Production
8
Longevity
8
Bias
7
RATING
7.5