ONEUS went from strength to strength in 2021, but this streak kicked off inauspiciously with the blustery No Diggity. That song grew on me, but still feels like an overly generic use of the group’s skills. New single Bring It On (덤벼) comes across as No Diggity’s older brother, dipping its toes in a ton of different sounds without fully committing to any of them.

That description actually makes Bring It On sound more exciting than it is. Though it’s quite varied, every moment feels ripped from songs we’ve heard before. Like 90% of their peers, ONEUS are pulling from the same limited sound palette. K-pop wrung everything it could from these beats long ago. Now, a song like Bring It On comes across as a copy of a copy.

This isn’t to say ONEUS don’t give it their all. As usual, they commit to the track’s wild energy, shouting and “ra ta tahing” with the best of them. And when distorted guitar comes in to bolster the arrangement, the producers have some fun as well. There’s no doubt Bring It On is well-arranged. Even its madcap, post-chorus breakdown feels pretty seamless. But without an engaging melody at the heart of the track, this feels like another case of great sound and fury, signifying very little. Had it been released back in 2015 or 2016 when this style was just gaining a foothold, Bring It On might have carved out a nice, notable place for itself. In 2022, it stands as a lesser ONEUS single, far from the best their 2021 had to offer.