CRAVITY have had a very mixed discography, and that’s putting it mildly. There are some title tracks I find borderline unlistenable, but they’ve also got big highlights like Adrenaline. Luckily, this year has seen them veer toward lighter sounds, embracing the more upbeat side of boygroupdom. Party Rock is their most explosive joy bomb yet, bounding forward on bright, youthful energy.

This is a good match for CRAVITY’s charm. It’s also the sound I’d expected them to pursue when the members were first revealed on the Produce franchise. Party Rock doesn’t do anything new. It’s boilerplate boy group funk pop. But, it’s a sturdy example of the genre — punchy and shiny and pretty hard to resist. The underlying beat reminds me strongly of Golden Child’s 2020 track Pump It Up, though the track lacks the unique vocal touches of that single. Instead, Party Rock gets by on sheer verve. It never slows or strays from its core goal. Even the requisite second-verse-breakdown maintains enough upbeat elements to keep the energy aloft.

Melodically, Party Rock plays as you’d expect it to. I’m not sure how the chorus will age, but I felt the same thing about Tempest’s Can’t Stop Shining and that’s grown into a real highlight for me. If nothing else, I appreciate the bigness of Party Rock‘s sound. The song hits you over the head with one catchy hook after another. It ain’t subtle! And regardless of its long-term fate on my playlist, this is a boy group style that’s closely tailored to my personal taste.