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OnlyOneOf makes their comeback today with their latest single dOpamine and mini-album Things I Can’t Say Love. It is their first comeback since March’s seOul drift (which was featured on their previous mini-album seOul collectiOn) and their BL drama Bump Up Business (which the entire group was casted in, but was led by Nine and Mill).

What I got out of OnlyOneOf’s latest release was that it puts us back in the previous familiar OnlyOneOf territory. And I am all for that! Right off the bat, the airiness and lightness of the vocals in dOpamine, opposite a drum and bass-like instrumental makes for an aesthetic environment. And we have previously got aesthetic sounds from OnlyOneOf through their more well known tracks like libidO. There are some more interesting parts in dOpamine that I am instantly drawn to more than others. But that doesn’t mean the rest of the song isn’t good enough (though I think some improvements on the production side to really bring the vocals and instrumentation together better would have really helped out, especially during that first verse). Personally, I really liked the pre-chorus, which introduces some guitar work into the mix. Junji’s perfectly executed vocals really adds the cherry on top. The chorus features a really nice concentration in the instrumentation, making the track feel sharper and dynamic, which I found to be a good call. The abruptness and glitchy style of the bridge was also a nice yet welcome change up in momentum, which I felt was needed so that dOpamine doesn’t come off repetitive. Overall, the positives outweighs the weaker parts of dOpamine, which honestly is quite a good song in itself.

Abs galore is the first thing I will say about this music video. I really do like it that OnlyOneOf consistently pushes the boundaries in some form through their releases, and that they do it again by showing off their sexier side. I do hope that it is voluntary and that no member is forced into the concept if they are uncomfortable. Beyond that, the music video is a rather standard formula of close ups (the whole middle portion of the video did feel more so an abs showcase) and choreography scenes. But complementary-wise, the video works well with the song.

The choreography looks good. Nothing stands out on its own, but the entire routine together has impact and boldness, which contrasts with both the entirety and component-level of the aesthetic environment I spoke about earlier.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.5/10