Throughout their consistently great, three-year career, Boys Republic have attempted nearly every style of kpop and still managed to go mostly unnoticed. It’s a shame, because this constant strive to elevate their status has forced them to become a group of multiple identities. Yes, all those identities have been pretty awesome in their own right, but it would be nice if they found a concept that stuck.

Watching the teasers for their new single, I was concerned with the direction the group seemed to be going. I dreaded another rap-heavy, no-chorus boyband comeback, and that colored my expectations somewhat. But while Get Down is certainly of this genre, at least it’s a strong example of it. The track opens with an aggressive, jarring chant before filtering into the expected rap verses over squiggly synths. At this point, I was definitely concerned that the production would take over and drown out any sense of melody.

Luckily, when the chorus does come in, it hits like a sledgehammer. “Melodic” probably wouldn’t be the word I’d use to describe it, but it is powerful. The processing and layering of the vocals gives a goosebump-inducing, triumphant feel to what could have been a weak hook. In fact, the transitions between production elements are particularly strong throughout, setting up and paying off with a real sense of panache. That moment when the music drops out at the end of the last chorus is absolutely divine. Could’ve done without the decapitated heads in the music video, though…