[Review] ACE continue to impress with unapologetic aggressiveness on “Under Cover”

ACE leapt onto my radar with their “Cactus” debut for their uniqueness if nothing else, and they’ve generally continued to intrigue with their releases. Unfortunately, they didn’t do a whole lot in 2018, primarily due to their participation on survival shows ‘The Unit‘ and ‘MIXNINE’, but they’ve started their 2019 off with a bang on the aggressive “Under Cover“.

For ACE, a rap-rock mashup of genres under a pop banner is honestly perfect for them, and they seem to revel in that fact. “Under Cover” is powerful and intense, but the sound never seems to drown out the performances of ACE, which are well executed and appropriately dramatic throughout.

The pre-chorus is the only moment of reprieve from the energy, with the falsetto delivery towards the end standing out by providing a nice contrast, but even that only serves to amplify the chorus that comes after it. Thankfully, that chorus delivers with a dynamic energy and an immediately addicting hook, sealing “Under Cover” as something worth remembering.

The surprising thing about “Under Cover” is just how easy of a listen it is. Though I prefer rock influences, the harder iterations of the genre don’t make for the most replayable offerings, but ACE strike a nice balance between the aggression and pop sensibilities to create a track that’s addicting and replayable. While ACE are not the most popular boy group, I’m hopeful that their concept of pushing the limits is at least being rewarded with a future in K-pop.

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