To me, new Korean/Japanese boy group KJRGL are most memorable because their name looks like someone smashed their head on a keyboard and wrote down the resulting nonsense. In reality, “KJRGL” is an acronym for “Kind (of) Just Right Good Luck”, which is somehow even more endearing. They’re under Sony Music Entertainment Korea, but debut track Overture ~ The Blue Wave sees them performing in Japanese. Fans may recognize a couple members from Boys Planet and the second season of Japan’s Produce 101.
I’m assuming KJRGL will be the latest group to straddle the line between Japanese and Korean promotions, similar to SM’s NCT Wish. This makes them a little hard to classify, but as long as the music hits I’m not too concerned with language. With that in mind, Overture ~ The Blue Wave shows promise but could use some polish. I like the song’s propulsive synth atmosphere. The production has a satisfying fullness that sweeps you off your feet. An unneeded breakdown in the second verse briefly upends this goodwill, but overall the energy remains high and exciting.
I’m not as convinced by Overture‘s top line. The melodies feel overly busy, often forcing the guys’ voices into awkward phrasing that plays against the swift focus of the instrumental. Despite this, the chorus is instantly catchy and has enough oomph to match the effusive synths. A few small tweaks here and there would make a world of difference, but I’m excited to hear where KJRGL go next.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
unrelated, but have you seen the performance teaser for Road to Kingdom 2? TEMPEST is taking it, easily. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxjvMmb0ZiE
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Debating whether I’ll watch this series or not. I feel like it’s just gonna be the same old tropes over and over again, and most of these teasers point in that direction.
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Oh no doubt about that. I’ll just watch the performances and decide which ones I like for myself.
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if it wasn’t for this blog, this group/song would probably fly under my radar. I think this song’s energy is wonderful to go for a run. I have to see how it sounds while driving (which is usually when I listen to music)
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Again, another group name that is difficult to remember, and that’s a problem.
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Its actually a solid song, horribly produced. The song is fighting against itself in a fashion that serves no artistic or melodic purpose except to have the veneer of “propulsiveness”. There is the skittering drum line to try to add urgency but it just adds clattering and cluttering noise. Its a really noisy song. In jpop fashion, the speed is set faster than most would consider prudent, and it is just too fast. 0.9x is a far better setting, almost sounds normal and like the boys can actually catch their breath. I wonder if it was recorded slower, and the dial turned up in post-production.
But mostly, why does it sound like they are singing in a tin can cave?
The boys themselves are doing well.
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