Once again, I am catching up with reviews. First up for what felt like a long time is the review of D.O’s solo comeback, Rose. The EXO member previously made his solo debut back in 2019 with the single That’s Okay, which was released the same day he enlisted into the military. Fast forward two years, D.O completed his military enlistment and he has also returned as an EXO member earlier this year with Don’t Fight The Feeling (the single review and the album review). He surprised fans at the end of June with news of completing his first solo mini-album, and subsequently released Empathy a month later, which features the title track Rose.

Rose had this feel-good and no nonsense vibe to it, which I found to be enjoyable. It is feel anything else with a song like this. Apart from this vibe, I also really liked the simplicity of the instrumentation. The acoustic guitar was the only instrument in the song, but yet it managed to pack a bit of a punch by giving off such a happy tone and a summery flair, fitting for the current season. D.O vocals are quite substantial and gives off a similar tone as the acoustic guitars. The pairing of the two elements was just so riveting to listen to. I am glad that D.O didn’t go with the cliché ballad route for this release, giving us a bit more colour with this release. Also, Rose just makes me want to smile every time I have listened to the song since its release. But while Rose is quite good in itself and the smile-inducing tone is always nice, I find myself struggling to put in the effort of searching up the song itself. It is for a different reason than usual, however. I pretty much like the track, but I feel it has the potential to become boring. I think consistency is the key here. Consistency is good, as I always say. But if something is a bit too consistent, multiple listens would put the song at risk of draining whatever effect it had on me. I am more than happy to listen to the song if it appears on my playlist or appeared as the next video on YouTube. But I just don’t see myself voluntarily searching up the song anymore, just so I can keep Rose appealing. Overall, Rose is a decent track and presents D.O’s vocals in a really positive manner. I just feel I need to keep my distance from the song to keep it like that.

Whatever headphones D.O is wearing, let me know the brand name and model. I need something like that (i.e. product placement has worked and I am gladly happy to exchange money for those headphones to block out the world). He happily cycles through town with the headphones on, listening to Rose. And he doesn’t stop for anything. Not the burst fire hydrant he just passes, not the school kids (who are always nosy), not the robbery in the cafe, or the exploding garbage truck. Noise-cancelling must be really effective with those headphones! But that is aside from the actual plot of the video. The real plot of the video portrays the aftereffects of falling in love, which puts him in a good mood and gives him some good luck at the same time. It also fits the bill and compliments the cheerful nature of the song. I also like the sketchy effects added post-production, which gives the video some extra detail and depth.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8/10