SONG REVIEW: No diggity – ONEUS

If there’s anything that I’ve come to love about ONEUS over the past 2 years, it’s that they’re remarkably consistent. They’re a group who love to experiment both musically and conceptually and while their material might not always hit the mark, every one of their comebacks is sure to excite in one way or another. And while the teasers for the oddly titled No diggity were kind of concerning, I’m pleased to say that the final product is another slam dunk for boys.

ONEUS have dabbled in more rock guitar based sounds before, with their last mini album being heavily indebted to such sounds. And with No diggity, they’ve finally incorporated such elements into a title track, taking equal influence from the A.C.E esque hip hop Rock hybrid template to create a real standout.

Now given the tracks relentless bluster, there’s a lot going on at all times. And as such the first listen can seem rather intimidating. No diggity goes from one soundscape to another without missing a beat and this daring sense of structure is pretty great to see in a month that has seen many soundalike tracks that harbour rather bland textures. The textures here however are immensely satisfying, helping elevate even the tracks more downbeat moments, most notably the opening verse which incorporates a rather sparse percussion led soundscape before the crunchy guitars come roaring in. It’s an exciting arrangement that only gets more daring as the track continues.

This leads to the pre-chorus, which incorporates more anthemic shots of melody before the tracks jackhammer hook hits you over the head. It’s a little underwhelming initially but the instrumental madness of the post chorus does well to compensate. However, No diggity truly explodes during its standout climax, which introduces an added percussion led instrumental breakdown that increases the bpm to create a suitably dynamic and theatrical finale. It’s a listening experience not to be taken lightly and I’m glad that Oneus have come back with a daring musical experience that actually works.

Verses: 9

Chorus: 8

Production: 9

Performance: 9

Final Rating: 8.75 / 10