With over 3,000 songs on my iPhone’s “K-Pop Singles” playlist, I thought it would be fun to add a bit of unpredictability to my song review posts. So as a result, we have the “Random Shuffle Review” feature.
The rules are simple. I fire up my playlist, press “shuffle,” and whatever song plays first gets the full Bias List treatment!
Year Released: 2013
Sometimes it takes a K-pop rookie a few comebacks before settling on their signature sound. VIXX debuted in 2012, and released two decent — if generic — singles. But, with the arrival of 2013’s excellent On And On, their hard-hitting, high concept electro pop began to pull into form. This set the stage for Hyde, which helped catapult them to superstardom. And with a song this strong, that boost in popularity was well-earned.
Here’s the thing about a track like Hyde. It has that dark, edgy angst coveted by so many boy groups. But, it’s still a blazing dance track, energetic and exciting. “Moody” doesn’t need to be synonymous with “dull.” “Edgy” doesn’t need to mean “noisy.” I wish more K-pop agencies would understand this.
Hyde thrives on its tense atmosphere. Its crunchy instrumental skitters this way and that, forward-moving but elusive in the most satisfying way. It comes together during the chorus, where slabs of synth give the track a hulking punch. This mirrors Hyde’s melody, which vacillates between drawn-out notes and slinkier bits of rhythm. In this way, much of the song feels like a call and response, with more robust refrains echoed by anxious, stream-of-conscious asides. This gives Hyde a refreshing spontaneity.
Even though the track is tightly structured, the melody feels as if it may swerve off the rails at any moment. Thankfully, that sledgehammer chorus anchors everything. Its trumpeting waves have a sound that’s almost celebratory, at odds with the darkness churning throughout the song. Contrast like this works so well when paired with a “dark” K-pop concept.
| Hooks | 9 |
| Production | 10 |
| Longevity | 10 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 9.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Dear God I miss them so much it’s not even funny.
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should be a 10 tbh! also am I the only one who likes Rock Ur Body? it’s the song that got me into VIXX and it will always have a special place in my heart.
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A bop and a half! Always puts me in a good mood.
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Oh I love their songs like Rock Ur Body, G.R.8.U and Superhero even if they are technically their weakest songs. Just shows what a great discography they have.
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Just dropping by to gently point out that G.R.8.U is actually one of their *strongest* songs 😉
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Popping by to say I love Rock Ur Body. Superhero was forgettable, but Rock Ur Body is up there with VIXX’s best work, including Hyde.
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I technically watched Rock Ur Body in 2012, but Hyde was my proper introduction to my ult group, and that included listening to Hyde over and over again for a week. What a song.
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What I would do for even a crumb of VIXX these days. One of my favourite groups of all time. They knew how to do a concept while still making a song out of it. Their level will be unmatched.
Hyde is one of those songs where the chorus is just so damn catchy even though it’s a “dark concept” song.
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“They knew how to do a concept while still making a song out of it.”
I love this line.
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I only got into kpop in a serious way in the last year, so I don’t have the nostalgia factor going that some fans do, but oh man, no one is doing it like VIXX. Hyde wasn’t one that stood out when I first got into them but it quickly grew on me and is probably top three on my list along with On and On and Voodoo Doll. It might be my favorite of their live stages – I really wanted someone to cover them on KINGDOM, but alas.
Am I correct in thinking that between enlistments, solo careers, label changes, and scandals, they’re probably done?
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It would have been cool to see it on Kingdom, but at the same time, it would lose its 2nd gen spark. It would be 4th gen-ified / kingdom-ified… which can either go really well or really not.
I’m really up to date about their news or whereabouts, but for some reason in my head, I always thought that they weren’t over over yet. But I guess they are kinda done huh? 😦
It’s so cool and interesting to see how many people are getting into kpop recently 😀 ; i’m glad people like you are also checking out the older content too. It always kinda baffles me when people don’t know that vixx or even snsd existed.
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**NOT up to date
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They might do like what 2PM is doing right now and have a comeback after 5 years or whatever. They’re not broken up and they met up for a little anniversary thing last month (Ken couldn’t join them since he’s living on a military base), but they’re all doing individual stuff. Two members are serving right now and Ravi has to enlist soon, so it’ll be a while before they can have a proper comeback.
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I got into kpop in 2010 and I was 7. At the time, I listened to a lot of 2nd gen but for some reason, 11 years later I look back and realize how much I still missed out on. It’s official, I’m adding VIXX to my list of groups to re-check out (on top of Sistar, AOA, After School, SNSD, Shinee, Block B, Girls Day, 4minute, and more). I really miss this era of kpop. Like someone said above, no one is doing it like VIXX. I love these features, always helps me check out music I missed and probably would have never heard 😀 (unless Seungkwan plays it in a vlive, bless that man).
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C’mon, man. Hyde is a 10. 😛
Seriously, this song is just so much fun. Loooove the use of chromaticism in the melodies.
Even though Error is my all-time favorite and was love on first listen, this is the track that made me decide that VIXX was actually worth my attention and had me looking into all their other stuff. To be honest I haven’t really enjoyed much of their latter-day material, but early VIXX just checks all my boxes.
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