Mnet loves wringing as a lot as doable from its survival collection, so along with ALPHA DRIVE ONE, Boys II Planet provides us a derivative group. MODYSSEY is comprised of Chinese language members who didn’t fairly make the lower, selling in Korea with a tune by Stray Youngsters’ 3racha. This can be a set-up for fast success, however is the music any good?

Given its creators, it’s exhausting to separate Hook from Stray Youngsters. I can hear how that group would carry out it, making MODYSSEY really feel extra like a tribute act at this level. Hook throws in a bit extra electro-funk than anticipated, hinging on a pleasant bassline throughout its refrain. I chuckled when this refrain frames itself across the lyric “don’t cease the melody” since Okay-pop hasn’t began the rattling melody in fairly a while. Hook boasts fragments of melodic success, however a lot of the monitor is construct on extra staccato punches (ie: “hook! hook! hook!”). This method tempers a few of its contemporary attraction and makes the monitor really feel overly busy moderately than slick and satisfying.

Nonetheless, Hook has sufficient tips in its utility belt to keep up curiosity. The bar is so low it’s in hell, so MODYSSEY must do with faint reward for now, however I’m just a little charmed by Hook‘s need to strive issues out and hold issues transferring. None of its hooks work fully for me, however there are sufficient of them that my mind by no means has the prospect to linger on anybody second. It’s assembly-line Okay-pop at its best.

Grade: B-