It’s been a long wait for Infinite fans. I’ve made no excuses for my bias towards them and their music, and I had totally pumped myself up for a July comeback only to hear that it would be postponed to late summer or fall. Luckily, they’ve thrown us a bone in the form of That Summer (Second Story) (그 해 여름 (두 번째 이야기)) — previously known to many fans as Hey, Hello. The song is a promotional release to highlight their upcoming stint of August concerts, but it’s also a song that’s been floating around for a while, both as a hidden acoustic track on their Season 2 album and an interstitial in previous That Summer concerts. Regardless of its age, it’s a real treat to have Infinite back in one form or another.

Fans (myself included) have long been requesting that Infinite return to their light Sweetune sound for their next title track, and although it’s more acoustic-based and midtempo, That Summer was indeed composed by the genius duo of Han Jae-ho and Kim Seung-soo. Their touch is evident in the breezy, poppy melody and note-perfect production style. What could have been a simple throwaway track shimmers with life and personality. Each member gets a moment to shine, but when they come together the sound is expectedly goosebump inducing. I’m thinking specifically of the moment after Dongwoo’s rap where Sungkyu takes the lead, backed by a choir of his band members. There’s a certain style of vocal production that suits a group like Infinite perfectly, and Sweetune really knows how to make that work.

That Summer is a nice holdover while we wait for the group’s true comeback. It’s not going to set the world on fire, but that’s not its intention. What it does do is remind music listeners why Infinite is so special. Few groups can squeeze so much from a track this simple. Their new album can’t come quickly enough.