We rarely hear K-pop groups promote ballads anymore, usually making them a pre-release (if they’re released at all). A.C.E have a history of this approach with their excellent 2020 track Stand By You. They definitely have the vocal firepower to pull it off, and special single Anymore takes advantage of this skill.
Rather than Stand By You‘s anthemic heft, Anymore opts for a sparse arrangement. The song is little more than acoustic guitar and vocal, performed mostly in English. And when you compare it to the robust tradition of Korean OSTs, Anymore shares more in common with pop music you might hear on the radio in Western countries. The track has a specific aim and executes that well, but for me to fall in love with a stripped back sound like this, I need either an incredible, novel melody, affecting lyrics or a uniquely compelling performance. Anymore plays things pretty safe, though it’s a nice showcase for a more subdued version of A.C.E.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 7 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
The vocal performance is so clean and clear, easily breezily supported by the simple guitar.
To be sure, there still are touches of autotune in here, but it is just nicely done. My mind kept going to certain HYBE groups, how this would be a showcase soft fan service song, but HYBE would over hype it with overwrought production.
Kpop and K-OST don’t really do this sort of song. I can hear it more as an American OST or CF in verse -ong snips, over some romantic set piece in a glancing light filled rural idyll.
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Nick will you bring back the A-Z feature? I’ve been really enjoying SHINee’s Runaway lately, and I would love to read a review.
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I’ve been thinking about it here and there, but it’s such a huge commitment — especially with a discography as big as SHINee’s. So, my totally noncommittal answer is: I’d like to do it but I have no firm plans at the moment 🙂
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I don’t tend to love slow songs or ballads, but I actually really liked this. As much as I love earlier, bombastic A.C.E, this was quite nice, with a relaxing sonic landscape that didn’t bore me despite its simplicity.
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I’m wondering if they might be rebranding themselves as more of a vocal group…one of the standouts on their recent tour was their cover of Benson Boone’s Beautiful Things. This song nicely showcases that all of them can sing, not just the three powerhouse vocalists.
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They are labelmates with Forestella so it does make sense to stress more on the singing prowess than the hyper-coordinated dance.
If ACE pivot successfully, there is the potential for a longer career as singers in the Korean music world for OST and variety shows and such. Kpop is only about a third of Korean music industry.
This gives me the opportunity to share Forestella with another person! This is the glorious four hour loop, the reupload as the original had several million views before it was mysteriously taken down by KBS. Fortunately, they put it back up.
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