Making their comeback two weeks ago was NMIXX, with the single Party O’Clock and the group’s third single album A Midsummer NMIXX’s Dream. Again, apologies for how long it has taken me to write this review. Party O’Clock comes after the group’s earlier 2023 comeback with Love Me Like This (which you all know I really enjoyed). Also on A Midsummer NMIXX’s Dream is the pre-release single Roller Coaster, which I will return to review in the near-future.

To me, Party O’Clock is a solid pop dance track. Nothing more, nothing less. While it does sound like something positive to say about the track, that is all I can really positively say about the track. Party O’Clock was unfortunately pretty forgettable (hence why it has taken me two weeks to turn my mind to reviewing the track). As a bit of a teaser for my review of Roller Coaster in a future post, that song had some impact, whereas I don’t feel the same way about Party O’Clock. This song felt restricted, which prevents its from going anywhere or doing anything bold. For example, while I do like the fact that Party O’Clock gives the group opportunity to show off their vocals (which are charming), I was hoping that the members buildup their vocals with some tenacity or flair. The producers rely a lot on the sing-talk motif in the verses, but it sadly didn’t deliver much of a boost to the song. I also felt the chill beat instrumental was a bit linear and didn’t provide that opportunity to go that extra mile. That being said, there were some appreciable moments and elements in the song,. Melody-wise, I thought Party O’Clock had a comforting and inviting fun nature to it. Not entirely sure if that is the intention, but that was the vibe I got from the song. Also, I continuous appreciate the step away from the mash-up territory that the group debuted with. The closest we do get is the hip-hop switch up in the bridge, but that was not as jarring as previous switch-ups we have heard from the band. Overall, Party O’Clock was a decent track, but it felt held back at the same time, which was a pity as we all know what the group is capable of.

I am going to say the same thing about the music video. It was a bit of a bore and I don’t find much reason to come back to the video. There are a few different styles within the music video, most of which do work in harmony with one another. But there were two that I felt was clashing with one another, and made that mashup concept that the group is known for come to the forefront of my mind (which isn’t the case when I listen to the song). The first look that clashed was that urban look the members had going on at the start of the video (i.e., when one of the member step into chewing gum). It was the producers/directors way of addressing that hip-hop sequence in the bridge, which I do get. But I felt it was too different to the rest of the video, particularly the fairy-like styling in the forest that was more so the dominant style of the video. I wished more thought was put in to make everything look more harmonious. Apart from that however, the members do look good elsewhere in the video, which works well with the more fresh styling you expect from a Summer concept and embraces the group’s youthfulness.

The choreography is okay. It fits well with the song, but it has a very lackluster feeling which I don’t find engaging to rewatch. It seems like the instrumentation really confines it and doesn’t give NMIXX much of an opportunity to showcase their performance capabilities.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 6/10