As time has gone on, any enthusiasm I mustered around ENHYPEN’s recent title track Bad Desire (With or Without You) has fizzled. The music just feels so undeveloped, trussed up with overly dramatic visuals that only serve to highlight how threadbare the actual sound is. This extends to their newest album, which is getting a second shot of promotion with follow-up track Outside.

I like this even less than Bad Desire, though it feels like the more intentional track of the two. I see what they’re going for here, even if it’s not for me at all. This style of heavy trap posturing is nothing new in global music and fits a group who is more performance-focused. But even if the genre isn’t my thing, a good song should still have some sort of hook and sense of development, right? Outside passes by in the space of two minutes, coming and going without any high or low points. It’s simply a bunch of guys grumbling over a trap beat with the occasional slurred autotune dragging down an already lethargic energy.

What amazes me most is the level of budget that went into promoting such a whiff of music. The accompanying video looks like a set piece from a huge movie, promising equally dynamic sounds. If only HYBE would spread the finances more equitably between elements of ENHYPEN’s comebacks. After all, K-pop is still a music business first and foremost. or at least, I thought that’s what it was supposed to be. We may have crossed that rubicon years ago, in which case this post-apocalyptic rumble of nothingness provides a fitting soundtrack.

Hooks 6  Production 6  Longevity 6  Bias 5  RATING 5.75 Grade: F
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