Last week, I lamented that it had been three months since I had rated a K-pop boy group title track higher than 8.25. This got me thinking about which act could be the one to break this unenviable streak. It turns out, the long-awaited champion was waiting right around the corner. After a fifteen-month hiatus, IMFACT have returned with Lie (거짓말이야). It’s not quite a slam dunk perfect track, but my god, I’ll take it!
Lie manages to harness the ever-popular sense of boy group moodiness without feeling overly glum. This is thanks to a sprightly instrumental that fuses percolating electronics to a deep house frame. The track opens in an uninspiring way, built upon the kind of atmospheric synths we’ve heard a million times before. But, the tempo quickly gathers steam, supporting the verses with a satisfying drive. Lie unveils an effective build, drawing out the best from IMFACT’s supremely underrated vocalists.
On first listen, Lie’s repetitive hook gave me pause. I’m tired of big dance tracks slowing down for their chorus in an anti-drop approach that only serves to stall momentum. But, this turns out to be a red herring, as the chorus’s subdued opening lays the groundwork for a far more impactful second half. This push and pull structure works wonders, giving the track a real sense of dynamics and emotion. Main vocal Jeup is used brilliantly here. He’s got such a pleasant tone, and offers the perfect balance between power and restraint. If I had my way, Lie would ditch its buzzkill, post-chorus trap rap breakdown and add a big, soaring vocal crescendo during its climax, but this is easily the most satisfying boy group release I’ve heard in some time.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.75 |
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The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
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This song has its charms. The piano, the prominent bass line. Yeah, I bought it. I also buy any kind of pasta I see in the grocery store these days, and any kind of basic bread brand too, because it is at hand and will do.
This song also shares a shed-load of styling from recent BTS songs. You can sing the chorus of “Boy With Luv” fairly easily over the chorus of this one. Go on, try it!
The vocal style has that light falsetto boy band timbre that is very Jin-Jimin-Jungkook style. Also it has that ridiculously high falsetto in the climax that they really don’t hit well at all, but fans seem to think so. (Morten Harket they are not.)
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I think this fits right in with their last singles and I enjoyed it a lot. They’re having an actual comeback with a mini album next week, I hope it’s even better than this🤞
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Wow this is great! I haven’t been this satisfied with a release in a while! The chorus here is so simple yet so effective and fun while the vocals keep the sad and personal tone of the rest of the track, The verses are also really good but the rapping could have been implemented better. This whole song is an example of what boy groups should be doing nowadays, putting their own spin on tired trends or ditching the trends altogether. I honestly can’t fault the song that much and I really hope IMFACT keep up the deep house influences because they pull it off effortlessly.
🙂
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I love what these guys have been putting out – everything since NANANA has been effortlessly buoyant. Now, if they’ll just pick up the pace a bit… we need this right now!
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I like this a lot. It has more of the punch of a B-Side but I think it’s refreshing after what’s been out this year.
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