Also making their comeback whilst I was away from the blog is CIX, who returns after 8 months following the likes of Save Me, Kill Me and the mini-album OK Episode 2: I’m OK. Their newest comeback is with their first ever single album 0 or 1 and title track Lovers or Enemies.

Whilst subdued, Lovers or Enemies brings forward vocals, a funky sound to the group, and catchy hooks and melodies. It is honestly quite a fun track, which I have been going back and forth to ever since it was released. I find it very hard to put down. The funky and 80s retro undertones, thanks to the guitar and synth work in Lovers or Enemies, really gives the song such a fun vibe. The way it is kept subdued, however, was quite clever as it allows the group to deliver their vocals in a minimal (and what felt like an) effortless manner. Sure, opting for a more subdued sound in what easily could have been a more upbeat track (I can definitely here the potential for this direction in Lovers or Enemies) can have an opposite effect on the song, and CIX could have definitely been more expressive. But I felt that this technique kept the song interesting for more, and there was some character and personality to their vocals particularly when the song dips in the pre-choruses. Those were interesting and cool parts of Lovers or Enemies. BX’s rapping was very cool in the second verse and I like the contrast he brings to the song with his rapping. My major complaint is how short the song is. I honestly think the producers could have introduced a dance break to give Lover or Enemies some extra few seconds, but also it could serves us with some more oomph, honing right into the funky and retro synth affair that the song has going on. But overall, a really great song from CIX.

I find that the music video can be up for multiple interpretations. My initial thoughts on the video was that the female character was recreating robots of her lover (which, I guess, was a short-lived relationship and have now become enemies) and putting memories into the robots to make it look like they were lovers all this time. The members give her the choice of being lovers or enemies in the song’s lyrics, and she chose the former. I also felt the story could have been told from the perspective of the members, who are robots awaiting instructions from their creator to either be a lover or enemy. That explains a lot of the earlier scenes in the video where she is thinking about what to do with them, and why they it looked like they were still stuck on the manufacturing process.

While the song was subdued, I did like how they kept the choreography for this comeback quite upbeat. It was definitely a strong routine, overall. I also commend the group on how charismatic and alluring they looked and made the choreography looked.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9/10 [Updated on 3 March 2024 due missing music video and overall rating]