The disbandment of X1 late last year has got to go down as one of K-pop’s biggest disappointments. After breaking numerous records with their (very good) debut mini album, the group was forced into an unavoidable hiatus before simply being thrown out. Since then, many of the members have returned to their respective companies and re-debuted within other groups or embarked on solo ventures. In light of this newfound popularity, UP10TION’s Kim Wooseok has been pushed as a soloist with debut single Red Moon.
Earlier today I gave my thoughts on another Produce alumni, Park Jihoon’s Wing. That song was an incredibly addictive dance track with some incredible synth work helping to set it apart from the numerous edgy and angst ridden boy group tracks we’ve been getting. Red Moon on the other hand fails to really differentiate itself from the crowd, adhering heavily to the dark, sultry cloud of boy group comebacks. That’s not to say that Red Moon is completely generic but it does come off as more an afterthought than I would have liked. I can appreciate the theatrical approach and quite catchy hook, but other than that nothing about this song really screams ‘Kim Wooseok’. When it comes to solo material and especially debuts, what I’m really looking for is a track that personifies the performer into one track. Red Moon does not do that.
But in even in the context of this concept, Moon is one of the stronger examples harnessing some exciting elements such as electric guitar and operatic backing vocals to really create a sense of drama. Unfortunately most of these elements are either pushed to the back or used far too sparingly to really make an impression. I would have much preferred them to fully embrace the larger than life theatrics of the track but alas it wasn’t meant to be. Red Moon might sell based on name recognition and brand reputation alone but I was really hoping for something more from one of my favourite members of UP10TION and X1.
Verses: 7
Chorus: 7
Production: 7
Performance: 8
Final Rating: 7.25 / 10
KBopped 
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