DRIPPIN is one of the most underrated 4th generation boy groups. Their streak of title tracks have been for the most part, stellar. From ‘Nostalgia’, to ‘Young Blood’, to ‘Villain’, to ‘ZERO’, to ‘THE ONE’, all of them have been hits. I even made an artist spotlight which reviews some of their best songs (which you could check out here). ‘Seven Sins’ was a slight miss, but is not a bad song by any means. However, their album sales have been declining from comeback to comeback. Thankfully, it seems that they have hit a new milestone with their somewhat recent comeback leading with the title track, ‘Beautiful MAZE’. I was honestly getting worried that they were well on their way to disbandment, being one of the most consistent K-pop groups music-wise within the last few years. If you are new to them, I highly recommend checking out their discography.
Moving on the review, ‘Beautiful MAZE’ is DRIPPIN’s return to form, not only success-wise, but also quality-wise.
Its production is quite consistent. From the verses to the chorus, its driving beat remains constant. This could either work for or against the song’s favor. In the case of ‘Beautiful Maze’, it works. This is because the song’s foundations lies in its emotionally charged melodies backed up with a nostalgia-inducing vocal delivery. This becomes especially apparent in the chorus, where the opening line’s last word is sang in falsetto as the melody ascends in pitch, as if climbing towards something- only to lose it. Overall, this imparts a sense of loss, which becomes a consistent theme as the song goes on, be it via its melodies, vocal delivery, and overall atmosphere. I have a bias towards songs that do this, which means that it isn’t too surprising that the song is a hit for me. Going back to the production, if the production switched up too much, it wouldn’t give the same impression of trying to hold on to something that you don’t want to lose- right until the very end. I highly appreciate it as an artistic choice. While it doesn’t do much innovation-wise, it knew its vision and went for it.
The DRIPPIN members have a particular type of vocal tone that could be an acquired taste, and sometimes doesn’t always work for their songs. However, the vocal directing often makes up for it, and it is shown clearly in ‘Beautiful MAZE’. The producers milked Junho’s voice by placing in the chorus almost every time. This is significant because his voice is arguably the most pleasant and easily digestible voice in the group. Personally, it’s one of my favorites in the industry. Anyway, the vocal director gave parts that very much suited every member and made the song overall stronger.
Altogether, ‘Beautiful MAZE’ is something worth a listen especially if you are into emotionally-driven pop songs. It doesn’t break boundaries, but boundaries don’t always have to be broken- especially if the song clearly intended not to.
Hooks – 9
Production – 9
Vocal Delivery – 9
Overall – 9
K-pop Evaluated 
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