It is time to review a release from earlier in the year – ONEUS’s IKUK. You may recognise IKUK, as it is a rearranged version of their I KNOW YOU KNOW single that they performed as part of the Road To Kingdom: Ace of Ace series from 2024. IKUK was re-released in mid-January as part of their special Dear. M album. As I had never reviewed that series, I thought I would pick up IKUK for a review. Since the release, SEOHO has enlisted into the military and ONEUS is currently promoting as a quartet.

Unfortunately, I didn’t pay much attention to the release of IKUK as I was on holiday then. Listening back for this review, it is a pity that I didn’t pay attention, as it is a strong showing from the group. I like the funky and groovy nature of the song, which feels quite refreshing coming from ONEUS. I enjoyed the punchiness of the beat in this version and the subtle hip-hop presence behind the rap sequence in the second verse. I wish the bass was more profound, particularly during the hooks when the rest of the instrumentation was stripped away. Bass is present in IKUK in its current form, but I think more could have made IKUK uber funky. I also enjoyed the crispness of their vocals and rapping, which made IKUK stronger and more alluring. And the song’s primary hook, the ‘I know, you know, I love you‘, was catchy. However, IKUK is far from perfect. More could have been done to make IKUK feel less repetitive than it was. I also want various parts of IKUK, such as LEEDO’s rap in the outro and the chorus around it, to not feel as abrupt as they did. It felt like they were slapped in, hindering IKUK from feeling cohesive. Perhaps constraining IKUK to be as short as possible was not ideal, as a few extra seconds to facilitate proper transitions and additional segments to relieve IKUK from its repetitiveness would have boosted it in my books.

I really enjoyed how theatrical the music video felt. When ONEUS goes down that path, you know the music video will be top-notch. While the regal look was very cool (both members and dancers looked awesome throughout the video) and gave off vampire vibes, I wish they explored the theme a little more, mainly since the music video supposedly explored the “deadly allure of vampires” (taken from Soompi). I also wish they had chosen a better location to shoot the video (or designed a whole castle-like set). Exposed air vents detracted slightly from the potential of the regal and vampire vibes. However, these flaws are made up by retaining the wowing elements from the Road To Kingdom: ACE OF ACE stage, such as the KEONHEE emerging from the tables and SEOHO hanging upside down.

The accompanying routine that ONEUS performed on the weekly shows was an adaptation of the routine from the original stage and music video, without some of those aforementioned wow moments. It probably doesn’t sound as exciting anymore, but they retained enough to make it a performance that is still worth watching. I liked how the routine continued to feature a sophisticated and elegant side, which they emphasised during the dance break (and was my favourite part of the routine).

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.8/10