You know, it’s 2:00am and I was going to go to sleep but I realised that i kind of have to talk about this song. After being forced to go MIA for around 2 weeks because of my own idiocy (spilt coffee on mac and as a result didn’t have a laptop btw), I’ve decided to come back with an absolute blitz of posts over the coming days. And that includes the many songs that came out during my hiatus. And what better track to start with than ONF’s incredible dance number, Beautiful Beautiful.
While ONF have long proved themselves to be conveyers of brisk, high octane dance pop with tracks like the sensational Complete and explosive Original, it should be noted that a song like Beautiful Beautiful comes around once in a very long time. Over the past week, i’ve seen nothing but positives and critical reception surrounding this track, a rarity in the ever toxic k-pop landscape. In fact, this even led to the groups very first music show win! And after living with the track for a while, I can confidently say that I agree with the voices of many. This is just stunning from start to finish, harnessing the groups buoyant pop sound for a track that grabs you by the collar almost instantly and just refuses to let go. Its opening hook that’s oft repeated after every chorus is one of the years most addictive and sets the tone almost instnatly. It’s rare you get a modern K-pop track lay out its strongest asset from its opening seconds but Beautiful Beautiful revels in its unflagging energy and sense of confidence. And I’m here for it.
Much of this is due to the near flawless instrumental, which pulses forward on an immensly groovy ‘Electro-funk’ soundscape that makes sure you remain entertained throughout its run time. I adore the commitment to a strong groove and great melody writing and after the rather underwhelming Sukhumvit Swimming (by their standards), this was a brilliant return to form for Hwang Hyun and the boys. Hyojin is one of my favourite vocalists working right now an his powerful vocals along with the groups unique vocal blends lend the track an added sense of character which helps elevate almost every single second of the song. This all culminates in a stunner of a bridge which transitions effortless from an anthmeic ascending melody line to an incredibly smooth choral like acappella before exploding into an immense final chorus. This is what pop dreams are made of and who else better to deliver than ONF.
Verses: 9
Chorus: 10
Production: 10
Performance: 9
Final Rating: 9.5 / 10
KBopped 
Certainly a modern K-Pop masterpiece. Just a bit weaker than New World and Complete, at the moment.
Looking forward to your post blitz! Sad to hear about the laptop.
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