Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
K-pop groups have been going to Japan for decades now, but in recent years more Japanese idols than ever before have been crossing the seas the other way. Now, NiziU are one of the first (can’t think of many others) to come over as whole group, which does make sense since they are under JYP Entertainment. It’s been almost three years since they debuted, and now with “HEARTRIS” they’ve begun in Korea.
There is stuff to like here, as the video game concept that includes almost chiptune effects at times are a nice touch, and the production promises to deliver an upbeat pure pop track. Unfortunately, it’s otherwise a surprisingly flat effort for something that’s supposed to be an overload of pep, with even the chanting sections coming off as confusingly reserved. Part of the reason for that are the vocals, which at times sound like a lesser imitation of TWICE, and the melodies themselves aren’t particularly strong. But for the most part, “HEARTRIS” and NiziU just lack the bare minimum of energy that a song like this absolutely needs to thrive.
