After a lengthy hiatus, girl group Elris reconfigured as “Alice” earlier this year. The rebrand was devoid of fanfare, as the group emerged with a barely-promoted ballad. It turns out this was just a teaser for their true comeback. New single Dance On re-introduces the girls with a bang, drawing upon K-pop’s retro trends for a crackling dance track.
From the first teasers, I’ve been looking forward to this one. The vocal arrangement during the chorus promised to delivery Kara-era Sweetune vibes – a sound I’ve missed in girl group K-pop for years. And while the rest of the song isn’t quite as towering, Dance On is a big standout. Its giddy energy continues where IVE’s After Like left off, delivering a similar sense of excitement. Alice are more than up for the challenge. They sound fantastic – full of confidence and spirit after what must have been a difficult couple of years for the group. Dance On is the kind of K-pop joy bomb that can turn any situation around.
The song’s second verse gives me pause, as it threatens to devolve into the heavily-affected sing talk plaguing so many groups. But, this diversion is brief and Dance On quickly rights itself. And when we’re talking about the merits of this track, we must begin and end with its chorus. This segment is a thing of beauty — a neon punch to the gut. It puts vocal and melody up front, assured in its ability to thrill without trendy flourishes or instrumental tricks. Welcome back, Alice! Your song has single-handedly revitalized this dull month in K-pop.
Hooks 9 Production 9 Longevity 9 Bias 10 RATING 9.25
