Identical to NewJeans’ gentle, frivolously experimental sound went on to affect years of lady group releases of their wake, I worry we’re about to see the identical with Cortis’s success. Hopefully, this can be extra REDRED than Acai, however both manner I’m apprehensive this implies even much less melody/theatricality/singing and shorter songs for Okay-pop within the coming years. An early indication of this shift could come within the type of new multinational group WAYF BOYS.

The fellows have debuted with their tackle a sparsely-produced shout-along hip-hop observe. Their expertise is straight away obvious, particularly throughout the music’s vocally-led moments. In one other world, these skills could be utilized in service of a killer R&B observe or a extra fleshed-out hip-hop banger with scale and scope. As a substitute, WAYF BOYS DO locations them firmly inside Gen-Z traits. We’re speaking entice beats, repetitive chant-along hooks and the identical rattling phrasing seemingly utilized in each one in every of these tracks.

To their credit score, the fellows deliver a ton of character to the combo and their English-language lyrics are certain to lift some eyebrows. And refreshingly, their vocals aren’t smothered in tons of pointless results. Nonetheless — and that is in all probability my bias speaking — this simply doesn’t sound like Okay-pop to me. I fear that, with mainstream music in the bathroom proper now across the globe, an business that was once its personal dynamic factor is slowly morphing into mid slop I can already discover within the States (amongst many different locations). I hope WAYF BOYS have extra musical ambition than that.

Grade: C-