Review: ONF - Popping

ONF have established themselves as arguably the greatest of 4th generation K-Pop groups with a stunning discography. Their 2021 undoubtedly peaked with the fantastic Beautiful Beautiful back in February, still a monumental moment in their musical journey. It was great on first listen and has only gotten better with time.

Popping opens with an A-Cappella segment, which is quite fantastic. Then, we get a light flute (played by Hwang Hyun himself) throwing us into the first verse. The first verse does not do too much, having a pleasant pop beat with just enough flourishes to make sure the song functions properly.

However, the song really takes off with the pre-chorus. The melody is highly reminiscent of BTS's 2019 mega-hit Boy With Luv, but a few key tricks with the production (such as the stomping percussion) create a unique, Hwang Hyun-esque feel.

Then, we reach the chorus. The flute tune once enters, adding a funky background for the song to play around in. It is fun and upbeat, even if the screams of "popping popping" don't have their intended fun effect.

For the second verse, the song basically improves the structure of the first verse with a few additional tweaks. MK followed by Wyatt works surprisingly well, and the production gets some supporting beats for the pre-chorus and subsequent chorus.

For the bridge, the song plays by the expected notes, before we explode with a key change and the chorus beat merging with the A-Capella tune from the beginning of the song. The revamped tune explodes with finality, bringing the song to a proper close, even if the final few seconds fail to maintain the magic.

Overall, Popping is not the greatest ONF song, but that is a ridiculous bar to cross. Popping reignites the magic for ONF, reaffirming their status as one of the best musical artists globally for the last past 5 years.

Rating: 9/10

Image Source: The Bias List