A new week bring new releases. And the one of the many comebacks that start off this week belongs to The Boyz, who dropped THRILL RIDE earlier today. This new track is featured on the group’s sixth mini-album, THRILL-ING. We last saw The Boyz through their The Stealer comeback in September of last year. More recently, we saw the group participate in Kingdom: Legendary War, after receiving a one-way ticket to the show after winning Road To Kingdom. The group has also released a number of singles including Christmassy, Breaking Dawn and Drink It since their last comeback as well. But today, we are hear for a deeper listen to THRILL RIDE.

From the get-go, THRILL RIDE blasts us it with relentless energy. While many groups have done this before, THRILL RIDE has this fun and playful tone within the song which helps makes The Boyz’s delivery in this song actually quite unique. This uniqueness is also prominent when we consider the genre of the song – hip hop. I don’t think I have heard such a fun and playful sounding side of hip-hop in KPOP before (or for a while now, at the very least). That being said, THRILL RIDE had its intense and edgy moments, which are synonymous with most hip-hop releases. But let’s start from the start. The song begins with a very colourful and vibrant instrumentation that features deep autotune repetitions of the song’s title. The members continue the same vibrancy in the verses, with the hip-hop influences coming through quite strongly. THRILL RIDE‘s intensity comes in the form of the song’s pre-chorus, with Juyeon in the first verse and Ju Hakyeon in the second bringing us a concentrated burst of intensity. It is a bit of a curveball, but it is one that allows The Boyz to kick a home run with this song. The chorus opts for a pop melody, but this works really well with the material that The Boyz has created thus far. The second verse and chorus repeats the same techniques, but also maintains the appeal and energy from the first section of the song. The bridge opts for smoother vocals from New and Hyunjae, and a high note courtesy of Sangyeon. Then, Sunwoo and Eric launches us back into the final chorus with a brief whisper-rap sequence. I wished the producers opted for a changeup in the final chorus. I liked the consistency that the final chorus gives to the song in this case, but I think THRILL RIDE could have been more dynamic in its final moments to really bring the song home. But overall, THRILL RIDE is an exceptional Summer track that is vibrant and energetic but also taps into The Boyz’s skills.

I liked that the music video was all about having fun. Set in a hotel resort environment, the members both playing parts of patrons and staff at the resort (lifeguards, receptionist bellboys, waiters, bartenders etc.). I liked how on one end the members seemed professional and friendly. But on the other hand, the members can also be quite wild. The latter was particularly well captured in the scenes where they are in their bathrobes and wearing sunglasses. I feel those scenes really sums up the video is a very succinct manner. There are some edgy scenes, as well. And they did their job fine. Overall, it is a well produced video that works really well with the song.

I really like the energy that the members put into this choreography. It looks like the performance was just continuous and never really stops. In addition to a tiring routine, the members did a really good job of keep me captivated with their facial expressions, which were all smiles and a whole lot of vibrancy. I particularly enjoyed the post-chorus moments, where they repeat the title of the song. The formations were cool and super fun!

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 9.2/10