Earlier this year, it was announced that ONEUS would be leaving RBW Entertainment this month and that the group would have one more comeback under the label. That comeback, Grenade, occurred 2 weeks ago, and the group continues to promote as a four-member lineup, as SEOHO is currently completing his military enlistment (having enlisted prior to their last comeback, X). However, it was recently revealed that all five members had signed with B-WAVE Entertainment, and the group would continue their promotions together.

Grenade strives to be an edgy, hip-hop dance song. But it ultimately underwhelms and feels flat in pretty much all regards. The foundation was okay, with the instrumental opting for a bouncy and percussive production. This is probably the only thing Grenade has going for it, but even that was lacking. It needed much more to make Grenade feel a lot more appealing. There wasn’t anything to give it some oomph or detailing to make the instrumental exciting. The backing just felt stuck in neutral gear and stayed the same from start to finish. It doesn’t help that the members were pretty much the same in Grenade. Their delivery, whilst consistent with past tracks, just felt hollow here. Grenade doesn’t offer much in terms of hooks, opting for a spoken repetition of the song title as the primary hook. It is rhythmic, but that is more so the result of the instrumental than the hook. Melody-wise, nothing really stuck out for me. It really pains me to write such comments for ONEUS, especially since we know what they are capable of. That standard was just forgotten in Grenade.

The music video is okay. It fits the brief of being dark and edgy, just like the song. There just wasn’t much in the video to comment on. The most I can speak of are their outfits (which had a traditional Korean influence that felt like a callback to ONEUS’ peak eras of Lit and LUNA), some dynamic camerawork, and the post-production effects at the end (LEEDO turning to dust and HWANWOONG catching fire). The latter adds a mysterious vibe to the video.

The choreography for Grenade exudes a tough, edgy vibe. It also plays into the song’s rhythmic side. But because of the song, I just didn’t find the routine to be that exciting. There was definitely potential, just held back by the music itself.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 6.5/10