Since their late-2020 debut, BAE173 have cycled through various boy group tropes — some more successful than others. To me, they’re at their best when revisiting an overwrought, emotional second-gen sound. Tracks like Annoyed and Loved You give them their own niche in the current K-pop landscape, albeit one that’s borrowed from fifteen years ago. Still, what comes around goes around and it’s nice to hear a group tackle the cathartic side of dance pop.
New single Fifty-Fifty splits the difference between BAE173’s various forms. It ties the energy of their hip-hop tracks to a dramatic instrumental and layered vocals that give it a dramatic twist. The beat has a nice kick, especially when the chorus gets going. I love the synth strings during this segment. They give the song a great sense of movement that compensates for some of the lesser melodies. This sense of theatricality has always been an integral part of K-pop and Fifty-Fifty knows when to juice its sound with that extra little oomph.
The song also makes room for that rarest of 2024-era pop structures: a bridge! This is used to build toward a satisfying climax that delivers on the promises the track has set up. There are a few points during the song that break the overall tension, but I imagine this will be a big grower over the next few weeks.
Hooks
8
Production
9
Longevity
9
Bias
9
RATING
8.75