It’s onerous to imagine that SF9 shall be celebrating their tenth (!) anniversary subsequent yr. Their discography has remained remarkably constant, and each as soon as and awhile they’ll pull out a complete stunner. As with lots of their latest releases, Love Race sees their group configuration barely diminished with six out of eight members selling this time round.
Listening to the album’s spotlight medley, it grew to become instantly clear I might get pleasure from a number of b-sides greater than that title monitor. This isn’t a brand new phenomenon with SF9 as they have an inclination to have not less than one standout album monitor on every of their initiatives. However whereas Love Race isn’t all the time my factor, the complete tune is stronger than the teasers recommended. Its worst instincts (the cringy, overdone post-chorus chant) aren’t an enormous a part of the monitor and the general association unveils a extra boisterous sound than anticipated.
After an atmospheric pink herring intro, Love Race swerves right into a guitar-backed verse characterised by slurry melodies perched someplace singing and rap. The instrumental has a grungy 90’s texture that would have been developed into a really distinctive sound. As a substitute, the type is bent to the whims of a extra standard Ok-pop template. Nonetheless, the primary half of every refrain widens the scope of the music in a satisfying manner, including a contact of bombast that works properly. In my thoughts, this tune pairs properly with OnlyOneOf’s equally race-themed seOul drift from two years in the past.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Manufacturing | 8 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8.25 |
Grade: B