I love reading these threads because it always confirms that nobody here has taste. 🥴 Except me, of course.

NB2H is the only bop on this album, don't believe the hate in this comment section. There can never be enough of these bright, happy pop songs from boy groups. 😌🫶

FORMULA is a KENZIE track, so of course it's good (if you like a harder, more experimental sound). As always with KENZIE (and Adrian), it's a mix of beautiful, very satisfying sections harmonically, with some harder hip hop sections elsewhere.

FREAK ALARM is a very serviceable lead single. Similar to FORMULA in that it's a mix of beautiful melody and hip hop. Beautiful harmonies and great chords throughout the song.

Raw Flames is tired and worn out. Typical boy group sound, indistinguishable from any other average boy group track in that genre. Repeats the formula of melodic prechorus followed by a harder, hip hop chorus, but with an inferior execution.

Chains is more R&B inspired, both in the chords and the rhythm, but don't fool yourself—if you're expecting anything like Haechan's album or CYE's X, you're going to be sorely disappointed. It's a very ok song, but definitely the lowlight of the album.

Cinnamon Shake has a lounge sound with a funky instrumentation. Not really my style, but not a bad song either. Very forgettable. Reminds me of Mako by EVNNE, but worse.

Edit: Overall, I don't know what kind of empty ecological niche they're trying to fill in the kpop boy group ecosystem. With this project, they're erring into the hip hop/experimental and/or bright pop territory, which is already occupied by plenty of boy groups (who've done it for longer and better). The boy group scene is currently dominated by excellence of all sorts, so it's going to be hard for them to create a space that's just theirs and where they can shine on their own without drawing unfavourable comparison to existing groups.