“Woo! Ah!” is the sound I desperately want to make after listening to a new K-pop track. But more often than not, those exclamation marks have been replaced with angry face emojis this year. Seriously… this is getting old. Just a day after Secret Number’s by-the-numbers boredom of Doomchita, we have another aural assault from the occasionally-great woo!ah!. It’s danger, indeed.

Kudos to anyone who enjoys a song like this. You’ve got more fortitude than me. Danger (단거) opens in decent fashion, underlined by a bouncy percussion loop that grows more off-kilter as the verse goes on. There isn’t much melody to be found here, but the arrangement works reasonably well. Then, the song slows for a predictable pre-chorus. It’s pleasant enough, but fails to build energy the way these structures usually do. However, this is all pop perfection compared to Danger’s chorus.

The first time through, this hook instantly repelled me. The melodies are cloying, the vocals are strained, and the ping-ponging energy goes nowhere. Multiple listens didn’t improve the experience, making Danger a dud. It’s easy to see what the producers were reaching for with this quirky arrangement. Many K-pop groups find success by getting a bit weird with their music. But, these acts tend to bolster their quirk with satisfying songwriting. Remove the instrumental and Danger plays more like an assembly line of vocal asides and affectations. This approach is just not for me.