Song Review:: WHIB: ROCK THE NATION- ROCK THE NATION

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  • Release date: 2026 January 29
  • Album tracklist: WHO'S THE NEXT, ROCK THE NATION, DDANG, ELEVATE, NO SHINE
  • Album runtime: 13 minutes

 I was almost really excited about the run time, and then I did the math correctly and was saddened. There's only one song on here that's over three minutes, half of the remaining four are under two and a half. I was so hopeful only a few hours ago. Oh, well. I have found songs by them that I like from their discography, and the title of this song is giving me hope that this is also a rock song. There have been a lot of them lately across the groups.

That is not what I was expecting. I know you can't see my expression, but I had to pause the song and I'm sitting here with my eyes wide and eyebrows raised. Okay. I think I've reset my expectations. There is a lot going on. This is the most street music song I've heard in a very long time. I'm not sure I know what to do with this song. I keep having to pause it. It does, briefly, soften at about 1:45, for reasons I'm going to be going into in the next paragraph, but there's a lot happening here and I'm not sure it was long enough. The ending is a lot, but then it weirdly kind of withers at the very end, which undercuts the entire rest of the song. It's a bold choice, and I applaud that, but I don't think it's effective. If you're looking for a song that's in the "noise" genre, this is exactly what you're looking for.

I cannot even begin to try to guess what this choreography is going to look like. There's a lot of the group shouting. Most of the song is rapping when it isn't doing the shouting. But the point when the song briefly softened, the vocalists really take advantage of the limited amount of time they have, which, especially in a song this short, is so vital. They sound so good, and they are singing like rent and student loans are due. It does also mean that the old trick of using quiet to make the following loud extra loud is used to full effect.

The music video very much fits the song. It's like something out of Lord of the Rings, but science fiction instead of fantasy. Okay, I haven't seen or read Dune, but this feels like what I think that one is about. 

Despite the lack of knowing how I feel about this song, congrats on the mini album! I'll be checking out the rest of it! I'd be willing to bet that I'll like ELEVATE. Which I do (though not as much as NO SHINE), even if the instrumental reminds me a bit like Dangonronpa, but the vocals are strong here.

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