Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
After a series of scattershot singles, IMFACT hit pay dirt with last year’s “NANANA“. It worked within a now-familiar genre (deep house), but inverted the structure just enough to simultaneously make it interesting and draw on the guys’ impressive vocals. Thankfully, new single “Only U” follows the same general sound, even if it feels more generic and less impactful (or is that … imfactful?) than its predecessor.
Despite its overuse, I’m not quite past the breaking point with deep house. I feel it coming soon, but for now the style can still elicit a few sparks. The familiar beat of “Only U” is augmented with a sticky guitar loop and an EDM template of rising and falling intensity. This is still pretty par for the course, but the song never relies too heavily on its instrumental. Instead, we get a full-throated chorus, skirting between punchy exclamations of the song’s title. The vocal combo of Jeup and Taeho gives off a vibe remarkably similar to old BEAST/HIGHLIGHT tracks, and helps generate a refreshing sense of nostalgia.
Unlike “NANANA”, “Only U” amps up big time for its climax. The instrumental gains dramatic steam with a quintessential EDM build, joined by a chant-heavy rendition of the chorus that sends the song out on a high. This is all pretty satisfying, but I wish the producers would have tugged a bit stronger on the track’s unique elements. There’s a lot to be explored in the anthemic backing vocals that pepper the choruses, and the hints of guitar also feel underused. A more adventurous spirit might have taken “Only U” from a super-solid dance track to an absolute knockout.
