Song Reviews:: OnlyOneOf: Stay

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  • Release date: 2025 February 05

  • Album tracklist: Stay

  • Album runtime: 4 minutes

 This is one of those groups that I've heard are really good, and that I've heard quite a bit about, but I haven't actively sat down and listened to them or really know anything about them, so it's all hearsay at this point. Because I currently know nothing about them, I do need to double check on ages so I know which of my review writing processes I'm going to be using for this song. Is it a pre-release single? I don't know. If it is, I am very much loving the implications of the entire album with that runtime, but if it's simply a single, then I'm even more pleased by this because that's a proper song length. And fun fact, the maknae was twenty when they debuted, so there's not even lingering guilt. Proper adults. Excellent. Also, they've been around for a while. They're only a little younger than ATEEZ.

We've got some lovely science fiction vibes to this song, specifically of the space subgenre, which is emphasized by certain sustained notes and higher warbling from some of the instruments. But otherwise, it's a pleasant rock song that has moments where it almost sounds like the electric guitar is being played with a bow. It doesn't sound plucked or strummed, it sounds bowed. Fascinating.

I haven't misheard lyrics in a K-Pop song like this in ages. Normally my misheard lyrics involve being unable to tell which language something is being sung in. And while yes, that's part of this (I'm pretty sure part of the phrase I'm mishearing is in Korean, but my ears are hearing English), I'm still impressed by how wrong my ears are. Vocally, this song is softer than the instrumentals suggest the song would be. It also feels a little like this song was written to play it safe. Which is fine. It's a pleasant song, but I do wish it had more bite to it.

Special video this is, which means it's behind the scenes and recordings and all the good stuff that I love that show slice of life for the groups.



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