Rookie group YOUNITE had my attention early with their pre-release Everybody. They’ve yet to reach the heights of that fun, retro hip-hop track. And judging by the trajectory established with new single Aviator, I’m not sure they ever will. The song’s heart is in the right place, but it tries to do too much at once and buckles under its own weight.

Honestly, this is a mess, made more painful by the moments of potential peeking through the clouds. Aviator’s verses have the fun swagger that made Everybody such a treat, and I enjoy the old-school breakbeats that fuse with the percussion. But, this goodwill is neutered by a downright ugly chorus. What is up with the mixing during this segment? Aviator is more processed than the HYBEist of HYBE tracks, and that’s saying something. The melody itself is unremarkable — made borderline unlistenable by the distorted nature of the production. Do K-pop producers have a button on their laptop called “make vocals sound awful”? They’ve certainly been using it a lot lately!

The skies clear briefly during the bridge, giving the guys’ voices room to soar. Unfortunately, this is an exception within yet another “noise music” boy group track that favors shouting over singing. From start to finish, Aviator fails to build a definitive through-line. Moments of momentum collapse as soon as they’ve formed, causing the track to stumble. Even in the best of times, I’m not a big fan of flying. This is one trip I’ll definitely skip.