Song Review:: V01D: 01- Tug of War {Debut}

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  • Release date: 2026 March 11
  • Album tracklist: Tug of War, ROCKROCK, The One, LUNA, Tug of War - Instrumental, ROCKROCK - Instrumental, The One - Instrumental, LUNA
  • Album runtime: 26 minutes

 They're now officially a March debut, and you know what that means! I'm probably going to love them. Also, we got some updated birth years, at least, from the ones missing, and I'm pleased to confirm that they're not on Underage Protocol as hoped, which means that if I like them, and I probably will, that I can happily listen to them to my little heart's content. And every single song on here is over three minutes.

Ooh, that starts out surprisingly mellow. I'm actually a little bit fascinated by the fact that the song gives the different sections so much time before changes happen. We're talking like four bars at a time or more. The beat is actually surprisingly slow overall as well. This feels like a low bpm. But this build is so wonderfully steady. There's no rush to this song. This isn't a debut that hits the ground running, but it isn't a soft-spoken whisp of a song either. There's a good, solid backbone with this instrumental.

A heartbreak song for their debut song? A yearning heartbreak song? That's a choice that I am here for. Well, that explains the instrumental. Less than a minute in and I've already gotten two of my three things that I want from songs: vibrato and harmonizing. Let's see if we can get a belt too, but even if we don't get that third thing, I'm satisfied with this as a song. Starting at about 1:39, we get something that immediately reminded me of Cinema by Seungmin and Lee Know from Stray Kids. There are multiple spots with harmonies. Multiple. And that's not even counting any of the ad-libs. We get a little bit of grit during the line "You only love me when I'm broken", which is perfect. I'm not sure that I heard any full belts, but we got some that are close enough that I'll allow it. Which means this is a three-point song, and I'm adding it to the playlist. I wasn't sure about it from just the instrumental. I'm glad it's moving in at this stage.

I love that we got the list of people who worked on this. Anyway, this is so wonderfully atmospheric with a strong storyline. The vibes are impeccable. We have story.  And all of it using a Dune-flavored apocalypse as a metaphor for a love that is killing them. Yes. Very much a yes here. 


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