Review: Riize – "Riizing"

As their label makes headlines for all the wrong reasons, SM Entertainment's new group Riize attempts to break out from the boyband pack of Stray Kids, Ateez, and NCT with their debut EP, Riizing.

Beginning with the title track, "Boom Boom Bass," an infectious up-tempo single with a bass track that propels the song through, similar to their debut hit, "Get a Guitar." It’s as lyrically uninspired as the title suggests, but the bass is so good the words don’t even matter. It won’t upend the K-pop world, but it reminds the listener how good Riize is with a bassline backing them.

Pre-debut release, "Siren," comes up next. It's a bombastic performance track that allows Riize to show off their dance skills in a live performance, but as a stand-alone song, it’s only effective as a palette cleanser of sorts between the styles of the two main singles.

The second single, "Impossible," is the strongest song on the album. It has captured the attention of K-pop fans and shown them in a different light to recent SM groups such as NCT 127, NCT Dream, and WayV. It has a light synth track that allows the group's understated vocals to rise confidently to imbue the song with an experience that is simultaneously relaxing and invigorating.

The summer vibes continue with "9 Days," which transitions effortlessly from "Impossible" and continues the upbeat track with youthful lyrics of aspiration and ambition. The two songs back-to-back are so refreshing, sweet, and summery that I kept waiting to turn around and see one of the members handing me a Sprite. Alas, I had to buy that myself.

The next song "Honestly" continues the light synth track trend, but offers more meaningful lyrics of post-break-up defiance. Juxtaposed statements of “All I need is me” and “You were my angel” convey a tortured heartbreak, made all the more powerful through Riize’s sophisticated delivery.

But any notion of solemness is dismissed with "One Kiss," which is the type of youthful exasperation that has been missing from much of Kpop, which has trended younger artists towards more mature concepts before they are ready. Here, Riize reminded me of early Got7 and their songs of teenage boyhood in the best way possible, even though the song doesn't have as much impact as the tunes that preceded it.

Now for "Talk Saxy." What is there to say about this song? The album's clear lowlight comes in the form of an NCT cast-off that starts with a turgid electric saxophone sound and somehow gets worse. The peak of this awful is when Riize actually uses the phrase “talk saxy” in the chorus as if this is meant to be some jaw-dropping moment of masculine seduction.

Mercifully, when “Talk Saxy” ends, “Love 119” begins. For a group that has become so promoted with the concept of new and fresh, this song is an effective throwback in the style of the classic boyband sound. While there was no music video of singing in the rain while wearing all white, the traditional sound of “Love 119” showcases how the group's vocal ability plays in harmony with each other.

While the album never elevates to the greatness of debuts such as NewJeans or iKon, it works as a blueprint for where Riize can go. In an era where the pendulum has swung from heavy electronica to understated dreampop, Riize offers the possibility of a welcome return to a pop standard, if their label can get out of the way first.

Rating: 2.5/5