In a summer stuffed with second-gen comebacks, it seemed EXO might be left out of the rush. There’s been a ton of legal drama behind the scenes, potentially sidelining their planned return. But according to reports, we’ll be getting a new studio album after almost four years. Before its title track drops in a few weeks, pre-release Let Me In reminds the K-pop world just how lush an EXO song can sound.
EXO’s vocalists will always hold a special place in my heart. There’s no mistaking the sound of an EXO track, and after time away from the industry their unique tone feels especially welcome. With that said, Let Me In is the kind of muted mid-tempo track that rarely does much for me.
It has a gorgeous, dreamy sound and offers ample space for the guys to show off — whether that be the yearning vocals of the chorus or the emphatic rapping during the second verse. I imagine the song will act as a nice palette cleanser within a (hopefully) dynamic album. But if I stack it against other EXO b-sides of a similar style (I’ve written about every single one on this blog), there’s not much that makes Let Me In stand out. I’m glad we have it, but I’m reserving full judgment until the album is released.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 7.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
As someone said about another release last week, like the singing, do not like the song. It sounds to me like a contemporary take on a slow jam without the actual jam.
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I f’ing cried. I hate them. I love them. We Are One.
Perfect Quiet Storm drama made more poignant by awful real life SM crapola.
A jewel of my ongoing jilted boyfriend playlist.
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I’ve found myself appreciating more muted songs recently. Fuck My Life by Seventeen stood out as one I liked a lot as well.
I’m a fan of noise music (NCT) and so maybe its the extreme change in texture but I have a soft spot for songs that feel a bit more restrained. It might just be the audible contrast to me that acts as a bit of relief from the opposite end of my music taste where little is left on the plate but I think, holistically, I like it more because of the other music I like.
That aside, its always nice to see EXO music.
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Usually I am not one to comment on rap but the rap in this song ruined it for me. At first I was thinking that they were lagging behind the instrumental as a stylistic choice but then as it kept on going, it really seemed like they couldn’t control the flow and it sounded quite awkward. When I’ve seen like this sort of rapping attempted in other songs the rappers still feel like they are in control despite being at a different pace from the instrumental but here it is simply not giving.
I don’t mind the rap in exo songs usually. They have never really been bad enough to taint my experience. But I don’t know, the rap made me not want to listen to the song ever again. I don’t even remember anything else in the song besides the rap.
I’ll try to give it a second chance tomorrow.
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Chanyeol’s offbeat rap was fine for me, it added something new and reminded me of K-rnb, but it just did not sound good after Sehun came in doing the same thing. I expected they’d at least ride the beat again after Sehun’s part, but it doesn’t. Really unfortunate to an otherwise good and mellow song that I surprisingly liked grooving along to.
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I loved the song. But, agree on the rap. It was a mellow song and the rap part was more aggressive. It didn’t match the flow. They couldn’t have had them do a smoother rap verse. Similar to Chanyeol in Stay from Goblin. it was rapping but it sounded so majestic.
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I really like it
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It would be interesting to hear the english demo of this song. I feel like the lyricists didn’t do a good job translating/changing the lyrics.
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I like the song, but the promo was such a hot mess…like, sm you’re supposed to release the teasers for the song BEFORE its release, not after. Giving people more than 24 hours notice that a song is coming out is also advised.
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I agree with another commenter that the rap felt like it was dragging, but it didn’t detract from my experience too much.
I think this is a good song to facilitate spacing out and reflecting on things, but that’s maybe not the best thing for a song to be. Their voices are incredible, though, and that elevates this song a lot.
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This type of R&B is what I grew up on. Its most of what I’ve always listened to and this is just a good version of that. Its not what I expected. I guess I thought we’d get a huge “We’re back!!!” single but that’s ok. This is great too. I feel like it’ll grow on me a lot with repeated listens which lets be real its EXO. I’m listening to this a billion times.
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It sounds like a proto-Dean’s song. And like SHINee’s last song, the vocals sound muffled, not as clear as the usual SM standard. Really hope that doesn’t become a trend…
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It’s a pre-release that didn’t make me too excited for the album. It’s calm yet, in a way, too lowkey. I’d probably have it on background, and it’s gonna be a good palate cleanser after more hard-hitting songs as you said.
Kinda baffled how it took 9 writers to write this. Industry, baby.
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Not the kind of sound I thrive on – more the kind of sound I nod off to – so I look forward to something with a bit more oomf. We’ll be getting oomf, right?
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The thing I like about EXO is the make anything sound good. If it had been any other good, this song would have passed me by without noticing. Tbh I feel like I minded more the way it was released than the song itself. It looked like SM were trying to divert attention from their mess. Anyway, for now until until the release of the album, I will be feeding on this song.
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I loved it!! This group has some good talent!❤️
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This song king of gave me goosebumps. I loved the overlapped singing parts a lot; I wish the rap was too…or like the give-and-take they did at the end of the rap, maybe that would’ve made it sound a bit better specially on Sehun’s part. Nonetheless, it gives me a lot of Kai’s new songs and Smile on My Face vibes and I like it. Even though it’s not rly as good n wouldn’t listen to it on loop, I still like it to clear my mind n just chill…almost
Like a meditational song
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This song is 9/10 in my book. Mainly becuse EXO sang it, they sang it so well. i probably wouldnt like it if it was released by someone else. Anyhow, i hope more people listen to it, its definitely one of my fave slow jams now.
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This song showcases how much EXO grown into a mature artists. Most of the members are esteemed successful solo artists and when they’re back together! Baaammmm! This group shown to the world what a quality kpop artists should be.They are the Standard!
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I’m extremely late but hey, it is so nice to hear EXO’s voices again. I didn’t expect it to give me such a strong feeling of comfort.
That said, this isn’t the kind of song I’d return to often. Good for the mellow hours.
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I’m not much of a fan of Exo’s slower songs, I find them kinda boring even though the vocals are good. This was a little better and I agree with previous posts about the rap part being kind of clunky.
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