No matter what concept they’ve come back with, I’ve always found JJCC’s songs to be pretty middling. Maybe it’s their connection with Jackie Chan (hardly a music taste maker), but I’ve never been able to take them very seriously as a kpop group. That said, the Duble Sidekick-composed ToDay is a big step in the right direction.

ToDay is your standard kpop fare, all power pop synths and spunky hip-hop, and could have probably been delivered by any number of groups. Fortunately, its sprightly tempo and energy sell the otherwise generic tropes. As opposed to their more aggressive singles up to this point, the song follows current boy group trends and goes light. This is naturally going to lean more to my taste, but it’s the track’s hook that seals the deal.

The two-pronged chorus has a great momentum that keeps things punching forward. It’s where the production really shines, amping up the density of the beat and actually making the simple hook sound bigger and more important than it is. Assisted by some smartly placed backing chants, the melody sticks and becomes the rightful centerpiece of the track. Now, don’t get me wrong. It’s still very generic and doesn’t do anything to position the group at a unique point in the world of kpop. But, maybe that comes next. They’ve found themselves a strong pop song, and that gives them something to build on.