Song Review: ZEROBASEONE – In Bloom

In many ways, Korean survival show groups have become their own little genre within the K-pop sphere. With a new survival show coming around almost every other month and a resulting group almost as often, it becomes hard for the average Joe to keep up. ZEROBASEONE however are from a different pedigree of survival show, spawning from the Produce regen series Boys Planet and to immense fan popularity. As such, their debut comes as one of the most anticipated of the year. Pretty hefty expectations for anyone to live upto and surprisingly, In Bloom makes a solid effort.

As someone whose knowledge of Boys Planet comes from brief weekly updates I got from a friend who watched the show, I came into In Bloom with absolutely no expectations or emotional connection. A first for the male variants of the show. I came into both Energetic and Flash with a soft sense of familiarity with the boys and as such, was likely much more predisposed to enjoying those songs (even though they were both killer in their own right). As such, through my more critical lens, In Bloom stands as probably the weakest of the three. Which however makes it far from bad.

In fact, it’s actually pretty great. With a songwriting team responsible for the likes of many of my favourite GFRIEND tracks, In Bloom‘s brighter more buoyant melody speaks right to me. From the Take on Me interpolation to the jubilant vocal performance, there’s so much to grab onto here. The chorus is a bright spark, bouncing forward on a real, chewable melody that while initially kind of slight, really kicks in the more listens you invest into the track. It’s so refreshing to see the boys debut with a concept and track that feels melodic, something which goes against much of what their peers are opting for. The second verse speedup is also an excellent inclusion, giving the track a sense of propulsion and progression that’s perfectly on par with the drum and base production. Sure the pre-chorus slow down is a little disorientating at first but feels easily excusable upon further listens.

If anything, I wish the production were even brighter and more colourful. People have pointed out that despite the overall bright soundscape, it feels oddly muted and held back. A sentiment that I full agree with. It falls oddly flat at times, a characteristic that remains directly at odds with the songs overall intent. Given a fuller more lively production, In Bloom could have really soared to greater heights, easily breaking free from the sense of monotony that it sometimes comes eerily close to. A change that I wish the producers take note of and really push for the groups following releases, which given the right ingredients, could bode very well for them.

Verses: 8

Chorus: 9

Production: 8

Performance: 9

Final Rating:  8.5 / 10