Tag: ONF

It has only been a couple of months since Adrenaline and ATEEZ’s 13th mini album, Golden Hour: Part 4. But yesterday, ATEEZ returned with the next instalment of their Golden Hour series (Part 5) and its lead single, BAD.

BAD incorporates Brazilian Funk to infuse some fun and to pull in current trends into ATEEZ’s discography. After all, it is summer, and such energy (when done right) can make the song feel synonymous with the hot season. The start is ear-catching thanks to the Brazilian Funk. But the song then barely barely moves on from its beginning, keeping BAD‘s instrumental similar throughout its verses and choruses. As a result, BAD feels empty and dull. BAD only steps it up in the final chorus, adding more bass to make the ending feel more pronounced. While appreciated, it is too late in the song to spark much excitement. As for the chorus, the monotonous repetition of the song’s title only adds to BAD‘s dullness. There have been times where the delivery works, but with BAD‘s already empty feeling, the monotone and repetition didn’t help as much. The members’ delivery was good, overall. Their rapping was decent, and the vocal moments, when they finally appeared in the bridge, had potential. Again, it was a pity we had to wait that long to get to something appealing.

Unlike the song, I enjoyed the music video. It sees the members confront their lover, who appears to have played multiple people (including the ATEEZ members) in the past, making them fall in love with her. Her finger is full of wedding rings, and we see some members on dates with her, while other members catch on or discover her scheme. Later on, she uses her charm on other people to hypnotise them into helping defend her, rivalling the members in the courtroom. We see a great montage of everyone (including the accused lover herself) performing ATEEZ’s choreography, before walking out of the courtroom with a ‘not guilty’ verdict. But in an unexpected twist, an epilogue video uploaded after the music video dropped, shows WOOYOUNG succumbing to the hypnosis, just like everyone else who defended the accused lover. Assuming Part 5 follows the same promotional agenda as their past releases, we might get treated to a second music video for a follow-up single from the mini-album to connect to the broader Golden Hour lore.

The choreography for this comeback is on par with their other routines. There is definitely a sensual vibe in the routine, especially the chest pops at the end. There is also a subtle, powerful quality that works well with ATEEZ’s alluring performance style and makes the routine even better.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.4/10

Welcome to the latest Weekly KPOP Chart post for Week 2 of June 2026, covering 14 to 20 June 2026. Not much to update you on again, so let’s get right to the usual segments!

What else have I been listening to?

Each week, I spotlight a song not on the Weekly KPOP Charts that I’ve been listening to. This week was a SPICA-filled week, so I have to link my favourite SPICA song from their discography, Tonight.

Non-Korean Song of the Week

Each week, the top-ranked non-Korean Song on the Weekly KPOP Chart is spotlighted (as this is an area I haven’t been focusing on as much on my blog lately). The non-Korean song from the past week is JACOB’s (from THE BOYZ) SLOW DANCING.

The Chart

ONF’s Open The Door claimed the top spot on the charts this past week. Congratulations to ONF!

Back in February 2025, ONF made their comeback with Part 1 of their second studio album, ONF: MY IDENTITY, led by the single The Stranger. Pitching a Part 1 usually means there would be a subsequent part. But when it came to their November 2025 comeback, ONF return with a completely different sound to usual in Put It Back, and with their 9th mini-album, UNBROKEN, confusing everyone as we were expecting Part 2 of their second studio album. The sound change was due to ONF’s long-term producer, Hwang Hyun, being absent from production. But upon departing WM Entertainment earlier this year, the group has rejoined forces with Hwang Hyun under KI Entertainment to release Part 2 of ONF: My Identity and the title track Open The Door.

With ONF working with Monotree (Hwang Hyun) again, you know that they are in safe hands. And this is evident in their new song, particularly when it comes to its chorus, melodies and the familiarity of the members’ vocals. It all feels perfect for ONF and feels like a solid addition to their discography. Open The Door sees ONF bring in some rock intensity into the fold and the producers cleverly use it to their advantage to intensify parts of the track (like in the intro, outro and chorus). If I wanted anything more to Open The Door, it would to just hit it harder with the rock sound. The use of the “Door Door Door” echo as part of the instrumental in the intro and outro was quite interesting. I also enjoyed the simplicity of the “Open the Door” hook, which was quite memorable for me. The Latin in the bridge was a surprise, but served as a nice vocal interlude from all the members. And talking about vocals, we have to acknowledge the amazing outro, which literally ends with a high note from the members. Open The Door was a definite return to form for ONF, and like most ONF songs, I liked this one, as well.

The video makes perfect sense in the context of the song and its lyrics, and I also liked the encouraging messages it seeks to convey. The lyrics of Open The Door encourages listeners to ‘open the door’ and embrace the unknown beyond the door in our minds, particularly when you are in a dark place. The music video sees the members suffering from their inner demons and being confined by their own minds, before seeking to open the door to discover what sits on the other side. In the process, they escape and are able to destroy their inner demons.

The intense rock moments in Open The Door lends well for the performance, with the members able to show off with some intense choreography in the intro, pre-choruses, choruses and outro. I really liked the domino effect at the start of the routine and there are subtle door references to look out for in the routine, such as knocking and turning the door knob moves. Very relevant!

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

Another mid-November comeback that I have yet to review (until today) is ONF’s Put It Back, the lead single off their 9th mini-album, UNBROKEN. Put It Back follows the release of the first part of their 2nd studio album, ONF: My Identity, and its title track, The Stranger.

Put It Back is good, but not great compared to ONF’s past hits. There are some elements that I really like that have me coming back to Put It Back. The super funky instrumental was the first thing that really jumped out at me. The concentration of prolific guitar twang and plucks makes Put It Back super cool and groovy. The hip-hop elements were also nicely handled throughout the song. Clear vocals and rapping are also present. The biggest problem I have with Put It Back is the lack of that really memorable hook and/or melody that becomes a defining feature of the song, as per their past hits. The “Put It Back” line that opens the chorus and its repetition as the post-chorus hook just doesn’t have that same ONF feel and boldness to stick with you, even after the song ends. This is most likely the result of decoupling ONF from Hwang Hyun, a long-term collaborator with ONF who has been behind many of ONF’s past songs.

The music video for this comeback was fairly straightforward, which I suspect is because budgets were cut back. For the most part, it featured close-up shots of the members, with the camera very close to them, as well as choreography shots around the stadium. The former offers what felt like a direct, unfiltered view of the members, which is a cool aesthetic. At the same time, with the latter, I appreciated how the production team used lighting, post-production and the outfits to give off different vibes and make it seem like entirely different locations.

ONF’s synchronisation and the smoothness of the ‘Put It Back‘ moves at the start of the chorus were the standout elements of their performance. Both were very cool to watch and appreciate.

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

Returning after their first comeback since their amazing Bye My Monster and Beautiful Shadow mini-album last year is ONF. Their new release is the first part of their 2nd studio album ONF: My Identity, which dropped yesterday. It is led by the single The Stranger – the focus of this post.

The Stranger brings us back to 2021, with ONF’s mammoth year of releases. It all began with Beautiful Beautiful, which I described as ‘wonderfully energetic and [having an] exciting retro profile’. The Stranger follows that description, channelling a funky flair from the get-go and throughout the song’s entire length. The momentum that The Stranger builds up is exciting, making the chorus one to look forward to. And with their powerful vocals in play, ONF does not disappoint! Particularly in the central aspect of the song, their excellent vocal work gives The Stranger some extra punch and weight. But that isn’t the song’s best part. That honour goes to the post-chorus hook (i.e., the “Stoop-di-bap…“). Short and brief, but it caught my attention and is so catchy. The bridge is probably The Stranger’s most questionable segment. I enjoyed the first half, where the song levelled up through the harsher instrumental. But the second half, where the background to WYATT’s rap was ‘stripped away’, feels like a lull in the song’s dynamic momentum. But aside from that minor moment, The Stranger is still a top-notch song for ONF.

The music video shows the members investigating the bright figure we see at the start of the video. As the video progresses, we are given hints of who this figure might be. But unsurprisingly, it turns out to be the members themselves. I wished there was a plot twist to the mystery rather than something predictable. I also want the video to be bolder and present a wow factor. Something like the futuristic world setting in the Beautiful Beautiful/Ugly Dance/Goosebumps series could have done the job.

I like the handguns and the swinging arms that make up the choruses’ choreography. The changes in formation keeps it fresh. I also really enjoyed the cascading move alongside the second pre-chorus. Overall, the routine is not as dynamic as I hoped to really complement the funky flair and energy. But the constriction does allow them to showcase their stable live vocals.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.4/10

ONF makes their comeback today with their latest single Bye My Monster and their 8th mini-album, Beautiful Shadow. This is ONF’s first comeback since their Love Effect comeback in October of last year.

From the very first listen, I was already blown away with Bye My Monster. For me, it was the crafting of the two sound profiles, at first sounds distinct, but comes together so well in the end to create a stunner. The first verse gave me Moscow Moscow vibes (an infamous song from ONF’s arsenal), thanks to the presence of the Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No.2 sample. And that same vibe re-emerges each time the classical sounds reappear in the song. The chorus introduces a hint of rock to the mix, which helps makes the choruses feel explosive and gripping. All throughout these two distinct sound profiles, the group showcases their vocals so well. The timing of their vocal delivery was really complementary to the style of music in that moment and helped heighten the associated feelings you get from the two styles. Bye My Monster very quickly peaks when the two sound profiles of classical and band/rock join forces in the bridge. This combination isn’t anything new, but Bye My Monster found the sweet spot between the two to give us that intensity. Hyojin and E-Tion’s high note was incredible. Following the rush of intensity, the group pans between each other to give us a softer side, with falsettos and the re-emergence of the classical touch. The only other thing I have yet to mention is the rapping. That step-up in the second verse was rather interesting. To me, it feels a little mismatch for this song, but I don’t hate it. Maybe a few more listens to Bye My Monster will help warm me up to it. But overall, another top-notch piece.

Just like the song, the music video for Bye My Monster is a stunner, as well. The visuals and post-production in this video is at its A-game. The scene that made me go wow was the explosion clouds o on the tall building in the background during the choreography shots for the second chorus of the song. The song itself warns that love, in this instance, had created a monster within the members. We see the members realize what has become of them. Wyatt’s eyes and the acting by some of the other members portrayed this well. Hyojin’s character is surrounded by a dark cloud that I presume signifies the transition to a monster. Through the other scenes involving the other members (and the choreography shots), we see the members observes their angelic forms (white suits). But they know deep down that their monster form (black suits) is the end result. While the ending was a little cryptic and could be open ended, I think Hyojin hold hands with his angelic form in the dark clouds, which backs my theory they knew they were always going to be monsters – that they were always one. That’s my theory – I would like hear what yours is.

The performance for this comeback (FYI – the group has already performed the track at their recent concert, so I watched a few fancams for this section) finds a balance between the gracefulness of the classical music and the more hard-hitting moments of the song. And this balance makes for a great performance. The verses were the more interesting moments in the choreography. In the music video, they looked quite cool, so I can’t wait to see them better through the weekly music shows.

Song – 9.5/10
Music Video – 10/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.6/10

Time to make a start on the new releases of the week. And first up is ONF’s grand return with Love Effect, the title of both of the lead single and their 7th mini-album. This is the group’s first comeback since their Goosebumps release in 2021 and their military enlistment. The group (sans U, who is Japanese) all enlisted around the same time and was discharged from the military around the same time this year, eager to return to the stage as a whole group for their fans to release new music. ONF had also released a special mini-album last year with Your Song and Storage of ONF.

The more I listen to Love Effect, the more I find myself falling for the track. I will admit that I wasn’t completely won over when I first heard Love Effect yesterday upon its release, simply because the track didn’t feel concentrated enough when you compare it to their previous dance tracks they promoted with. But Love Effect was clever, drawing upon elements of their previous title tracks (Complete and Beautiful Beautiful springs to mind instantly during my first listen) to form this new song. And this very much got me coming back for more. In addition to the nostalgia above, Love Effect adds in more of a funky undertone throughout the rest of the track and a jazzy backing to Wyatt’s rapping. I also enjoyed the piano flourishes that appears in the background. Other than that, the upbeat instrumentation exudes a bright and poppy energy that makes me instantly smile. Their vocals and rapping does the exact same, with the melodies and hooks all fun and lighthearted. The best part of the song, for me, has to be in the bridge and at the end of Love Effect, when the members sing together in a simple yet anthemic manner. It is lowkey and straightforward, charming in an easygoing manner. Overall, Love Effect is super positive in terms of energy and output, and a great return for the group!

Matching the brightness of the song is the music video, which was quite vibrant and colourful. I found the editing and cinematography of the video to be a super cool aspect of the video, along with the inclusion of the special effects (which takes you back to their virtual world era). Even the start had flashes of scenery from their Beautiful Beautiful and Ugly Dance videos! And the members look like they are all glad to be back, which makes the smiles and energy from the music video even more convincing.

In addition to being a fun and playful routine, I like how the choreography felt quite substantial and isn’t too lighthearted or wispy. While nothing stands out like (compared to their past performances), I would still say the whole routine is still quite robust and the energy the members put into the dance made it one to still watch.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.8/10