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The BOYNEXTDOOR release that I promised I would review one day is the single Serenade, the third and final single from their single album WHO!. Today is the day I fulfil the promises I made in their One & Only and But I Like You reviews. Serenade was later featured as part of the group’s first mini-album released in October, Why.., and an album review for Why.. will be published soon.

Of the three debut singles BOYNEXTDOOR had, Serenade offers a more melodic focus. If you know me, I do like tracks that more vocal or melody forward, compared to rapping. And while the melodies in Serenade are quite pleasant and the vocal work we do hear from BOYNEXTDOOR does have some potential (the bridge is the best example of this potential), I wished that the producers of Serenade reeled the song in a bit. The group keeps to their youthful and playful charms in this song, something that they really made sure to emphasise in their both One & Only and But I Like You already. I don’t have an issue with the producers and the group maintaining this energy (as that is their concept), but it does make Serenade feel a bit ‘too much’. Some of the vocals and rapping feels a bit over-the-top and shouty, which detracts from the melodic focus that I mentioned at the start. Elsewhere in Serenade, I really liked how the song ends (though the “I’ll get along with your dad, for you” line makes me laugh), and I thought the various detailing in the instrumental keeps the track charming and on its toes.

The group chases after the person they have a crush on in the music video. And that is the music video in a nutshell. They follow her on the streets, to the place where she hangs out with friends (i.e., the recurring diner) and to her home. Not in a creepy sense, but in a ‘boy next door’ type of fashion that you see in American TV shows, where one party is upstairs and the other party is outside throwing rocks at the window to get the other’s attention. Holding speakers over the top of one’s head whilst outside of another’s home is similar I liked how the dad opens the door at the very end, and the group is taken aback with the presence of the dad. It gives context to the final line of the song mentioned above.

The performance was fun and playful, which works with their image. I really liked the crab walk move they do as a group in the first chorus  

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.9/10