Officially making their debut yesterday was ZEROBASEONE, the new male group formed via the Boys Planet survival show that aired earlier this year. The final lineup of the group consist of Kim Ji-woong, Zhang Hao, Sung Han-bin, Seok Matthew, Kim Tae-rae, Ricky, Kim Gyu-vin, Park Gun-wook and Han Yu-jin. It has also been confirmed that the group will be active for 2.5 years. But for now, let’s focus on their debut with In Bloom and their first mini-album, Youth In The Shade. ZEROBASEONE is already setting records with this first mini-album, which earns the group the title of million-album seller already within one day of its release and sets a new record for the most pre-ordered and sold debut album in Korea.

In Bloom is a pleasant dance track to debut with. And for the most part, I think it is a strong effort from the group. The instrumental for In Bloom earns a big tick of approval from me. The recognisable and iconic synth line of Take On Me by a-ha adds such a bright pop to the song, while the beat and other instrumentation of In Bloom mordernises the song towards the 2020s trends It also enables a fast paced atmosphere that in turns allows for an upbeat choreography (more on this in the last part of the review). Altogether, In Bloom feels quite fresh (even though the song does feel safe) and is quite vibrant without doing too much. It helps that the vocals and melodies keeps the song from going overboard, with the aforementioned pleasant side of In Bloom coming through these elements. The members do infuse a youthfulness to the song and I do like the flow of both vocals and rapping. This creates an harmonious approach with the instrumentation, which in turn gives off that bright and energetic atmosphere that I found to be enjoyable. I did think more could have been done to make the song more memorable and potentially punchy like the song it pays homage to, such as stronger hooks and melodies that really stay with you after the song finishes. At the moment, In Bloom doesn’t really pull me back in via this department when the song ends. And as already mentioned, there is also a relatively feeling of safeness to In Bloom which I cannot seem to shake despite the couple of listens I have given the song so far. But as a debut track, I think the new group has done a great job as putting In Bloom as a foot forward into the industry, which they will undoubtedly soar in.

For the music video, I quite enjoyed their concept. The song is about the group’s “determination to sprint toward “you” as they take their first meaningful step toward an inevitable end”, and I quite liked how the producers introduced a gaming concept to bring that to life. The members are searching for flowers individually that are required for them to progress onto the next stage of the game. We see the members work together to clear the first stage, while the second stage is a bit harder given they have to work alone. In the end. all the members arrive at the final door, completing the second stage of the game. There was also a brief moment in which the members “left the game”. Not sure what the significance of this part of the video is, but I guess it could be that the members had the option to explore a different world, but chose to go back towards that “inevitable end” with “you”. Overall, a well concepted video that works nicely with the pleasant side of the song.

As for the choreography, it feels energetic and youthful – all of which suits ZEROBASEONE at this stage of their careers. The group has good chemistry with one another and there was a vibrant element to the choreography that made it enjoyable to watch.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.8/10