Oneus’ ‘Light Us’ isn't lit and show the band have a long way to go [Music Review]
Oneus are one of the latest K-pop bands to break out in 2019 as they release their debut mini-album Light Us – which shows there is a lot of room for growth for the six-piece outfit.
The clipped-synth Intro: Light Us fuses raspy rap verses and R’n’B beats with piano ballad pre-choruses and simple refrains, “I promise you/I’m still with you”, but the track is so brief – even for an intro – that it’s pretty pointless.
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Valkyrie changes the mood up, aiming for a stereotypical summer sun, tropical-pop track. However, this momentum is lost with a lazy attempt at ham-fisting in a needless trap section. Hero follows the same trajectory, and feels like something heard on Jess Glynne’s latest album, as does Eye Contact, which is mainly Clean Bandit keyboard parts over some deep house.
There are decent moments, too. Zig Zag is a turbo-charged techno banger, while Red Thread shows the boys mastering the tear-jerker EDM choruses, while relatively keeping the track upbeat. Crazy & Crazy shows Oneus diving head first into the moody midnight trap arena, and committing to it. The vocals serve the song perfectly. It’s just a shame it takes them the whole album to really hit the mark.