Amoeba Culture is really a label on the rise. Fueled by the incredible success of Zion.T, they’ve cultivated a stable of artists that are at the forefront of Korean r&b. While not having the same unique character to his vocals as Zion.T, Crush has already proven himself a hitmaker despite being a relatively fresh debut.

Although I came into Don’t Forget without much expectation, I got so excited during the first few bars of the track. Something about the melody and production made me think that this could turn out to be another Eyes, Nose, Lips-caliber kpop super-ballad. Sadly, the rest of the track doesn’t live up to that title, but it does work as a moderately satisfying piece of pop/r&b. The melody is lulling to the point where it threatens to float away without any impact at all, but that pleading chorus anchors it and provides something to sink your teeth into.

The inclusion of Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon feels a bit pointless. She doesn’t leave enough of an impression to warrant her featuring spot. That’s no fault of her own… she’s just simply not given much to do. Lyrically, I understand why they wanted a vocal counterpoint, but the song would have been better served as a full-on duet or simply a solo piece. As is, it feels like little more than an attempt to capitalize on Taeyeon’s popularity. On the plus side, the music video is absolutely gorgeous and I still think Crush is an artist to watch very closely.