NMIXX Slammed With Surprisingly Scathing One-Star Review
Following the successful release of JYP Entertainment girl group NMIXX‘s third EP, Fe3O4: STICK OUT, the popular South Korean music critic site IZM shared a review that has since sparked an intense online discussion.
Rated a one out of five stars, which is rare and surprising—especially for a K-Pop idol track, “See That?” was slammed for “undoing” what “Dash” did for the group.
NMIXX’s color, which seemed to have been established with “DASH,” has become ambiguous once again. Although “See That?” mixes hip-hop with fairytale-like melodies, the result is more like a turbulence and not synergetic combination of their respective strengths. The bass line, reminiscent of Seo Taiji’s “Come Back Home,” creates a predictable framework from the get-go, and the track remains safe within that boundary. This mix-pop track, which should have focused on fresh takes, lost its substance by allowing too much predictability. Unlike their previous work, which fit them like a tailored suit, this release feels unnatural.
— Jung Gi Yeop
Critic Jung Gi Yeop also emphasized that, for the talent of individual NMIXX members, the song was disappointing.
Despite the right direction they had ventured in with last year’s releases, the group seems to have regressed. The debut track, “O.O,” and this new one are similar in a lot of ways, evoking more of a question mark than a pleasant exclamation mark. There’s a certain elegance in the first verse and a lighter tone in the second verse, but one can’t help but wonder if this was the right track to bet on, given the important timing. The track doesn’t quite take off even with the individual talents of NMIXX members, and that is disappointing. What is needed right now is an easier-to-understand approach rather than an obscure one.
— Jung Gi Yeop
The negative review has inevitably started a lot of discussion online. Hundreds of K-Pop and NMIXX fans gathered online to debate the review. Some agreed with the critic’s opinion that “See That?” was a weak release; others disregarded the review and IZM in general as irrelevant.
- “I personally liked ‘O.O’ the best.”
- “I thought ‘See That?’ was really good, though.”
- “It’s a good song.”
- “When I first heard ‘See That?’ I thought it was NMIXX’s worst release yet. But now, I can’t get the melody out of my head. I listen to it first thing whenever I open a streaming app.”
- “Huh? It’s fine.”
- “Yeah… I liked ‘Love Me Like This’ and ‘Dash,’ but this one is so disappointing.”
- “I loved ‘Dash.’ And I think ‘See That?’ is OK. But overall, the new release is kind of boring. Even the choreo is bland.”
- “At first, it had me going ‘???’ but… The more I listened to it, the better it became.”
- “Who is IZM? Not important. ‘See That?’ is getting me the bang for my buck on YouTube Music. LOL. NMIXX came in #13 on the chart of the week after only four days of promotions. They’re doing just fine!”
- “I looked forward to the release because I really liked ‘Dash.’ But this new release isn’t that good…”
- “I only listened to ‘See That?’ once, but I can’t quite agree with what the critic said either. Also, ‘O.O’ is one of the best releases from NMIXX. Jung has no idea what he’s talking about.”
- “I liked Young Posse’s take on ‘Come Back Home.’ I’m not sure about ‘See That?’ to be honest. Haha. I do like ‘Dash’ better.”
- “But it’s better than ‘Dash.'”
- “I agree with the critic. I thought ‘Dash’ was legendary. But ‘See That?’ isn’t that good… I think if ‘See That?’ came out before ‘Dash,’ I would’ve been convinced. But no.”
- “I think it’s good and all, but I wish they would stop with the mix-pop genre. The song keeps switching around, I can’t find the groove.”
- “I just don’t know what JYPE wants to do with NMIXX.”
- “Look… H1-KEY and KISS OF LIFE both did well, but NMIXX struggled. What do you think the reason is? It all comes down to how good the songs really are. Just look at how DAY6’s ‘Happy’ is coming back to the charts.”
- “No one cares about IZM, though. LOL. The critics there don’t have conviction and can’t keep up their standards. Their reviews are only used when K-Pop idols are getting trolled.”
Regardless, NMIXX’s “See That?” music video has gotten over 2M views and continues to charm listeners from all over the world.
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