Feature

Every ONF Single Ranked: From Worst to Best

Posted on by 34 Comments

Every ONF Single Ranked - From Worst to BestI’ve listed my “top tens” for many artists, but it’s time to rummage through entire discographies and rank every single from worst to best. This feature will primarily tackle groups who have disbanded or gone on indefinite hiatus. It’s a way for me to re-evaluate my initial thoughts on their singles run. Don’t be surprised if the order has changed from past countdowns. These things are always in flux!

Yes, I know ONF are still together, but their military hiatus seems like the perfect time to take stock of their career so far. Their music certainly deserves the spotlight!

12. Message (2020)

A pleasant synthpop mid-tempo. (original review)

11. My Name Is (2021)

Imagine it as the theme song to ONF’s non-existent sitcom. (original review)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kadudQ3iERs

10. Sukhumvit Swimming (2020)

Not bad at all, but not the sound I turn to ONF for. (original review)

9. Ugly Dance (2021)

ONF can do hip-hop, too? Dang. (original review)

8. Why (2019)

Those tempo shifts will knock you off balance in the best way. (original review)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BodVjFLsi8o

7. Goosebumps (2021)

The hiatus send-off we all deserved. Funky and bristling. (original review)

6. We Must Love (2019)

A dramatic turn that spotlights the group’s dynamic vocals. (original review)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukZ0cnIeMXQ

5. Popping (2021)

Proving yet again that ONF + summer = a match made in heaven. (original review)

4. On/Off (2017)

It may be nostalgia talking, but this 2017 debut packs even more punch today than it did back then. (full review)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQlMI0n10VY

3. New World (2020)

Yeah… this isn’t really a “music video” in the strictest sense, but I just can’t leave this opus off the list. (original review)

2. Beautiful Beautiful (2021)

A rush of positive pop energy. Perfectly calibrated for maximum appeal. (original review)

1. Complete (2018)

Still a high-water mark for propulsive, tropical dance pop. This will never not give me goosebumps. (ridiculously in-depth review)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ka9zaVL28OY

34 thoughts on “Every ONF Single Ranked: From Worst to Best”

  1. 12. Message
    11. Popping
    10. On/Off
    9. My Name Is
    8. Sukhumvit Swimming
    7. Beautiful Beautiful
    6. Ugly Dance
    5. Goosebumps
    4. Why
    3. New World
    2. Complete
    1. We Must Love

    The top 4 was hard as hell to rank. Everything from 1-7 is a personal favorite tho. Anxiously awaiting their return.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  2. 12. Message
    11. Sukhumvit Swimming
    10. My Name Is
    9. Why
    8. We Must Love
    7. Popping
    6. Ugly Dance
    5. On/Off
    4. New World
    3. Beautiful Beautiful
    2. Complete
    1. Goosebumps
    and..
    0. My Genesis (I know it’s not a single, but how do I not talk about it…)

    I feel like they have had by far the best singles run if any 4th gen group. I wish 2023 could come quicker…..

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. 1. We Must Love
    2. Beautiful Beautiful
    3. Ugly Dance
    4. New World
    5. Why

    etc etc etc– those are my favorites. Ugly Dance’s high rank might surprise some people… I really adore that song. Guess it’s just my style. I think New World is like, a cooler and much more complex effort, but Ugly Dance is the one I have on repeat.

    And Popping is way at the bottom for me, I’ll never understand Nick’s love for that one, but of course everyone’s different!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. Beautiful Beautiful and Complete are tied at number 1 for me. Controversial opinion but Sukhumvit Swimming is definitely somewhere at the top for me, I like it even more every time I listen to it.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. My own ranking:

    12. Sukhumvit Swimming
    11. My Name Is
    10. Ugly Dance
    9. Message
    8. On/Off
    7. Goosebumps
    6. We Must Love
    5. Why
    4. Popping
    3. Beautiful Beautiful
    2. New World
    1. Complete

    Wow. What a discography. I miss these boys.

    And that’s to say nothing about some incredible B-sides like The Realist, Original, Ice & Fire, My Genesis…

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  7. How did I miss this post?

    1) Complete (easily #1)
    small gap
    2) Beautiful Beautiful
    3) Something Swimming
    4) On/Off
    5) We Must Love
    6) Moscow Moscow
    big gap
    7) My Name Is
    8) Fly me to the Moon
    9) Message
    10) Why
    11) New World
    12) Popping (tbh I don’t even own it)

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  8. 10 9+ masterpieces that have aged amazingly, and then there is Message and My Name Is, two songs I constantly forget exist.

    New World tops for me, but Complete, Beautiful Beautiful, and We Must Love are other fantastic singles. Truly one of the best 4th generation discographies so far.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  9. You see, ONF aren’t just a group. They are the legendary successors to B1A4, who are also very cool and legendary themselves. Hwang Hyun and the guys have single-handedly defined what it means to be a K-pop group, from concept to music they have everything.

    12th: My Name is
    ONF do cheesy very well and I like the concept of this but it’s kind of cringe and they have better songs.

    11th: Sukhumvit Swimming
    It’s actually very good, but not the sound I come to when I seek ONF. It’s very un-like them and that’s why it doesn’t rank very high on this list.

    10th: Message
    Love these type of songs, ONF have gorgeous voices and Hwang Hyun picks up gorgeous synths. It’s beautiful. But it lacks that “it” factor which turns ONF tracks up to the level of “absolute banger”.

    9th: Ugly Dance
    The arrangement and performance pops off! It’s extremely catchy, effusive as hell and has such good instrumentation. It still stands as a triumphant showcase of ONF’s insane talent. Just try not getting goosebumps every time that chorus reaches a climax.

    8th: Why
    Fricking amazing track. I didn’t like it much before but after listening to “Lights On”, I appreciate everything about this track. The abrasive production, that intense second verse, seesawing gorgeous synths and cathartic vocals. It takes something very worn down and wins over that trend with its idiosyncrasies.

    7th: On/Off
    I couldn’t think of a more perfect debut for ONF. Aside from that excellent mini, the heralding title teased every great thing about ONF’s future discography. Amazing vocal arrangement, Immense sounds, experimentation and performers dedicated in their conviction. It’s grown on me immensely.

    6th: Popping
    Like Nick said, ONF and summer is just a beautiful combination which works with each other so well. I would’ve hated this so much, threatening itself to be saccharine and cutesy but that’s far from it. Hwang Hyun made sure Popping was packed with sounds, the synths hit hard as ever but that effusive flute hits even harder. But you wanna know what hits the hardest? A killer key change. Oh yeah, this song has it all.

    5th: New World
    This was, by far, the best part about that weird Kingdom series. New World just oozes with drama and theatricality. The arrangement is beautiful, from the very beginning you are whipped into a furious, fast-paced first verse and witness the song’s journey fueled by Hwang Hyun’s vision and ONF’s fantastic vocals. It also has an electrifying climax with some of that sweet, sweet guitar. What’s not to love?

    4th: Goosebumps
    Top-tier send off. It’s not really an approachable song but every part of this stylistic, expertly-produced track galvanizes you with it’s sheer inventiveness and killer hooks. It’s icy and rugged atmosphere is so tense you can cut it with a knife and it goes through like this for most of the song until it just breaks free into this maddening climax. It really shouldn’t work but it does.

    3rd: Complete
    The very definition of anthemic. Complete is perfectly-calibrated, right from the very start of it’s dramatic, effusive introduction to that killer two-part reach-for-the-skies chorus. This was the very first ONF song I heard, and it still holds up to be excellent. The instrumentation is exciting, fueled by heavenly synth textures and playful additions (House piano, chunky bass, combination of guitar and sax). It’s a definite favorite and one of my favorite k-pop songs of all time.

    2nd: We Must Love
    Hwang Hyun and ONF have the ability to take any trend which I hate and twist them into something fantastic. We Must Love has an obstacle working against it, and the energy-killing chorus would’ve been real bad but in this case, It works immensely to the song’s favour. Love is the high water-mark of ONF’s dark concept, it’s structure is dynamic and dramatic. The icy soundscape is wonderful here, especially when assisted with those beautiful vocals and aggressive synths.
    And the pre-chorus? wooh.

    1st: Beautiful Beautiful
    Perfect. Not even any other word to describe this, It’s perfect. Beautiful Beautiful is the song which made me go on a deepdive in ONF’s wonderful discography and it holds a special place in my heart. This song is basically the encapsulation of the brand of ONF, It’s an instantaneous rush of positive, feel-good energy which utilizes the effusive personality of the guys and the insane songwriting of Hwang Hyun the legend.
    Every hook here is incredible. From introduction to verse to chorus, each hook brings a different dimension to the track which already has a massive wall-to-wall sound. Speaking of which, the production here is amazing as well. Listen to that synth in the verse, it’s so crisp, magnetic and reflects perfectly on the concept. The assistance of rock guitar here is awesome. And the vocal arrangement on the chorus is just so nostalgic and appeals to me.
    And even with all this, the guys still manage to deliver an incredible climax. Electric guitar? Catchy hooks? Harmonic Acapella? My gosh, when the final chorus comes along, It all just feels like a victory lap at this point.

    In Conclusion: ONF is the best new-generation boy group.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  10. As a not dedicated fan of ONF I guess I can lend my own thoughts on this.

    1. We Must Love – I stopped listening to this song a while back because I fumbled a dance presentation using this song. Relistening it now without those memories tainting the song gives me the chills. It’s just amazing. There’s a reason I ended up going with this song last minute for the dance presentation (even if I shouldn’t have haha). The EDM is just perfect for me.

    2. Why – I think after listening to We Must Love for the first time, I tried to approach their other songs and this was the first one and I think it pushed me out of listening to their other material. I don’t know why, this is so good HAHA. Little me was out of his mind for not realizing how good this sequel to WML was.

    3. Complete – I used to not really understand why this song was so good, but then it clicked and it’s really really good. That’s all I can really say about this.

    4. ON/OFF – This song took me by surprise. I hadn’t heard their debut song at all, but damn. What an establishment of your sound. I think this debut can be heard in all of their songs in the future, which is crazy. I think the main synth kind of could be better (the one in the chorus) because the first chorus almost lost me, but then the vocal layering and harmonies kicked in and I was… to say the most SHOOK. I still think the main synth and its chorus melody is just too tinny for me, but the rest of thing song is EXCELLENT. Even the synth gets better at the bridge where it changes melody.

    5. Goosebumps – Cool song. Every part is very cool. It’s just cool. Yeah… I don’t know how else to describe it.

    6. Popping – I like this a lot more than when I first listened to it. As I realize now, I think I know why I didn’t really connect at first. This song would be PERFECT without it haha. The problem is, it’s used again in the bridge and it takes me out of a perfectly great song. Immediately after that section ends, it gets great again. Like everything around it is good except that part. And unlike ON/OFF, I can’t get used to it haha.

    7. Ugly Dance – I appreciate this and it is interesting as hell. I enjoy the song, but I just kinda bop along even though I think it’s excellently crafted as a song. it’s not one that sticks in my brain despite how cool the song is. Maybe it’s because of how chill the hook is. Still very excellent, and caps off the songs I love.

    —

    8. New World – It’s starts extremely well and kinda ends decently. I love the first half of the song to bits with the electronic trance-y synths into the nice rhythmic vocals, but after the first chorus it kind of loses me. I think the rest of the song isn’t as good as that first part, the raps and stuff weren’t as potent to me. The bridge and ending is fine, but I think the New World grammar just throws me off a little.

    9. Message – I’m so sorry that this is above BB, but I enjoy it more. Maybe not to the extent to something like Ugly Dance where I appreciate the craftmanship, but I like the smooth beat and vocals. I don’t feel awkward with the song unlike BB.

    10. Beautiful Beautiful – I think the energy is great, but youthful boy group songs are a hit or miss for me. And this is not necessarily a miss, but not a sound that connected with me? Like Complete is just right, and BB just a bit too much in some way. I think the hook and like the whole tones of the song just doesn’t work for me.

    11. Sukhumvit Something – Not a sound that I particularly enjoy, and not one that’s memorable to me.

    12. My Name Is – Eh. I just don’t like it. Too cheesy and nothing interests me in this song.

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.