Constant artist/producer pairings usually are not practically as widespread as they was once in Okay-pop, however followers are so used to see ONF and composer Hwang Hyun work collectively that there was mass outrage when final November’s mini album didn’t function him in any respect. However now that the group has moved to a brand new company, they’re again with their standard crew to lastly ship half two of the total album they started in early 2025.

As ecstatic as I’m to have Hwang Hyun again within the fold, this additionally units up lofty expectations. That is the man that’s given us classics like Full, Lovely Lovely and New World, in spite of everything! I count on the unattainable from him as a result of I do know he can do it, so it’s a bit disappointing that Open The Door settles for being a stable — however very secure — rock observe. Rock has had a second in Okay-pop this yr, so I’m not stunned ONF would journey down this route, however for such an essential comeback I had hoped for an actual throwing down of the gauntlet.

As a substitute, Open The Door is a really nice mid-tempo with a powerful refrain. I’m not a hundred percent offered on the “open the door” hook, however the first half of the refrain has a welcome sense of drama. Even higher is the track’s ornate bridge, which pulses with the form of out-of-the-box association I count on from ONF and Hwang Hyun. Nonetheless, stacked towards the group’s many triumphs Open The Door is relentlessly “good.” And on this Okay-pop economic system, I’m craving for way more than “good.”

Grade: B