Song Review:: AMPERS&ONE: ONE QUESTION- He + She = We

- October 23, 2024

Release date: 2024 October 22
Album tracklist: He + She = We, Calling You Back, Slide, Whip It, Over the Moon, Fly
Album runtime: 17 minutes

I feel like I know which company this group belongs to, but I cannot place it off the top of my head. But I'm also pretty sure that they're a fairly recent debut, so as my standard operating procedure goes, one quick sniff to look at their ages (and to take a look at their company as well as a bonus so that doesn't bother me all day), and I knew I knew which company they were at! They're at FNC with F.T. Island and SF9! Also they all are eighteen or older as of this year! Excellent! On with the program!

The runtime is uncomfy, and there are only two songs which are over three minutes. This does not include the title track.

Okay. We're starting off acapella. That's interesting to hear and not typical. Hello there, energetic funk. I have to say, the trumpet was an excellent addition to the instrumentals. Really lends the song an air of celebration. It's also a little dramatic, in a good way, but that just makes it good for a potential encore song for a concert, or a "fun time" segment in the middle where the members just get to have a blast on stage playing with the fans. There are whoops. There are shouts. This is the first song that isn't from a group I listen to where I've been interested to hear what the fanchant sounds like. It also sounds intensely similar to any number of recent fifth gen comebacks with its bright cheer, and of the couple of fifth gen groups I do semi-regularly listen to, any of them could have done this song. Not that this is a bad sound. I'm just not entirely sure that they've found a schtick yet judging solely by this song. But they're still young with barely a year under their belt. It could take several years for the company and the group and the fans to decide on the sound of the group. In the meantime, I won't say no to more songs like this. They're fun. I like songs that make me happy wiggle just from the vibes alone.

Again, I'm really impressed that they started out the song acapella. It also sounds like they may actually be harmonizing for that part, which is something I'd definitely like to hear more of in general. One of them flashes off skill with his vocal runs that entirely fit the genre of music, and I get a hint of a vibrato from him, but otherwise, I feel like this is yet another example supporting my theory that companies these days train the vibrato out of the vocalists, which is an eternal frustration for me. (I don't have a lot of it myself, I don't think, so when professional singers also don't have it, that frustrates me because they should. There's nothing more delicious sounding than a well-trained, well-controlled, well-used vibrato.) Also, I like the addition of the ad-libs at the end. The higher vocalizations actually added a really good texture to the rest of what was going on, but they also feel like a mistake, or like which ever member is doing them wasn't confident doing them. It's a little concerning, but with this being my only example I've heard of their music, that I know of, I'm not going to bother even looking at the metaphorical doomsday button. If it becomes a trend I notice, then, yes, I might allocate some of my worry points to the group, but for now, I'm just going to let it go. If the member doing the ad-libs doesn't typically do them and this is his first time, then I'm going to congratulate him on taking that step and hope he continues, because, like I said, his voice does add something really good to that part of the song.

The start of the music video is so awkward and adorable and I love it so much. It reminds me of a middle school play. One of the two also has dimples, which is precious, and he looks like Stray Kids's I.N. The entire rest of the music video was absolutely adorable though. It was a little weird, but that made it all the more endearing. And I was not expecting a cat to actually show up. I did genuinely think that was never going to be mentioned again, and yet, here we are. It's adorable. And I really liked that the ending showed them saying bye to the camera as they walked off. Oh, they're an adorable group. Makes me want to see if they can do some sort of a dark concept, but I'm happy to accept what they're giving so far.