New group alert! BOYNEXTDOOR made their debut back in May with a triple title track situation – But I Live You, One and Only & Serenade. All the tracks come off the group’s first single album, Who!. Good question. BOYNEXTDOOR is a six-member male group from KOZ Entertainment (a subsidiary company of HYBE LABELS) and is produced by famous KPOP producer and Block B member ZICO. The group consists of Sungho, Riwoo, Jaehyun, Taesan, Leehan and Woonhak. This review will focus on their highest charting and what I think is their more recognisable title track, One & Only. But I do have intentions to return to review But I Love You and Serenade in the near future.

I found One & Only to be a cute number. I think it has been a while since I have described a male artist’s release like that, but it does take me back to the cringy days of KPOP when cuteness was the only thing male groups were putting out. One & Only appears to be more refined, without it going into obnoxious territory. I am very appreciative of that. The chorus was a fun little jingle that I cannot get out of my head. It was also playful vibe and suits the youthfulness that BOYNEXTDOOR clearly brings to KPOP. That being said, One & Only is not the perfect KPOP release, let alone a debut release. I don’t remember much from the song other than the chorus jingle, and the members don’t have much opportunity to really showcase their individualistic talents or skills in the song. This is particularly a major problem given that this is one of their first releases, and I don’t see anything that helps differentiate the team from their competition (which I believe will be heating up later this year). Thankfully, the other title tracks do provide this opportunity. But overall, One & Only does enough to attract attention to the group, and serves as a good starting point of the newly debut male group.

Given that the group’s name is BOYNEXTDOOR, I thought it was clever to make a door a recurring element in their music videos. Hopefully, the producers keep this up in future music videos, as this could be a trademark element for the group and it would be intriguing to see how this would be interwoven into future concepts that are not as casual as this one. As for One & Only specifically, the music video feels refreshing and has an exciting energy coming through it. The cuteness comes through as well, and it also isn’t obnoxious from a visual sense. The members look like they are having a fun time, which works well with the joyful and bright energy the group exudes from the song.

While the song doesn’t showcase the members as it should, the performance does a good job of showcasing their cohesiveness. And just like the rest of the comeback, there is a fun and playful vibe coming from the choreography that instantly makes me smile. I like how the door was incorporated into the performance, especially as it helps introduces the members and hides the members throughout the performance. The best part, however, was when one of the members shakes the door to make the others “fall” out.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 7.9/10