Song Review: RIIZE – Get a Guitar

The debut of a new SM group, let alone a new SM boy group, is always a monumental event in the K-pop calendar. As the agency’s first new act since Aespa in 2020 and their first boy group since NCT’s landscape defining introduction back in 2016, RIIZE arrive with a bucket load of expectations, destined to carry the agency’s massive legacy. And while Get a Guitar doesn’t really adhere to the “emotional pop” sound advertised prior to their debut, its funky pop sound does much to delight.

Though I never wrote about it (this might change), I loved RIIZE’s pre-debut track Memories. Its chorus harnessed the kind of towering emotive sound that I tend to love and its potency has only improved with time. Get a Guitar doesn’t quite have any moments as thrilling as that track but what it lacks in immediate standouts, it makes up for with a sense of magnetic consistency. After NCT’s chaotic recent efforts, It’s so refreshing to hear a track that maintains a clear through line all the way through, committing to a vision from the start and committing to the bit all the way through. Sure, this approach has the potential to grow stale and repetitive but when you’re sampling the riff of something as timeless as Another One Bites the Dust, that’s a problem that’s more than taken care of.

The production is bright, melodies tight and performance just right. It doesn’t do much to stretch itself into places it shouldn’t be and coasts alone very nicely on its groovy backbone. In many ways, for better or worse, it recalls the sounds of both SHINee, 2015 era EXO and post 2020 BTS, effectively mixing them into a blender to deliver a harmless pop trifle that grows more and more addicting the longer it goes on. The first part of the chorus is especially exciting, buoyed by a breezy melody and some delicious harmonies that are just oh so satisfying.

But when compared to the long line of iconic SM debuts, ala Hug, Into The New World, Replay, Mama (to name a few), does Get a Guitar really compare? Well, while I don’t think Get a Guitar poses the kind of immediate magnetism as some of those iconic efforts, its streamlined production, gorgeous harmonies and potent performance more than amount to a more than solid debut effort. One that introduces a wonderfully buoyant and exciting soundscape that not only poses well for the boys currently, but shines a bright light on any future ventures. I’m more than excited about these boys going forward.

Verses: 8

Chorus: 9

Production: 9

Performance: 8

Final Rating:  8.5 / 10