Despite not being technically ‘K-pop’, from the moment I reviewed their excellent release, ‘Firework‘, I have decided to commit to reviewing every single &TEAM single on this blog (I will be reviewing those I missed in the near future). The latter had been my favourite boy group song of 2023 by far, and was also HYBE’s strongest release from their wide array of groups. There have been talks among fans that songs from HYBE boy groups sounding quite similar, but even as an ENHYPEN fan, I have to admit that &TEAM, especially when looking at their entire discography so far, seem to be getting the best of the HYBE basket. &TEAM seems to synergise the best with HYBE-isms which their other groups tend to get criticised for- vocal processing, a corporate polish, among others, all of which can lead to their songs appearing ‘soulless’. Amidst these factors which should be working against them, &TEAM seems to not only be able to maintain their authenticity and group identity in their sound, but to also produce some of the best output. Their last comeback, Samidare, while somewhat unassuming, has only grown stronger from my initial review. While I had criticised the ‘stickiness’ of the latter’s melodies, their latest pre-release single, ‘Koegawari’, will face no such issue.
Koegawari has &TEAM’s strongest chorus in their entire discography, at least in terms of instant catchiness. This was the first time where I listened to an &TEAM song and instantly remembered the chorus after the song had finished playing. Instantly-catchy choruses usually either spell doom or wonders for a song’s longevity. It can be hard to balance between being generic and novel when trying to create effective hooks in pop-music. However, I don’t fear for Koegawari’s longevity in the slightest because there are distinct qualities that keep it from being generic. For one, ‘I am not a kid anymore’ doesn’t appear to be a lyric/hook that should work on paper, but because of the carefully crafted rhythm of the production that chooses to emphasize certain beats, it adds a playful and bouncy quality that feels fresh with every repetition. Not to mention, the concept of the song is essentially the members going throw puberty and voice changes, yet the hint of playfulness seems to juxtapose what they are saying, indicating the transitive nature of this stage in their life. I don’t usually comment on the meaning of songs in my blog unless it adds to the overall effect of the music, but in this case, it does so splendidly.
Speaking of voice changes, ‘Koegawari’ is the most mature and settled their voices have ever sounded. There is this sleek quality to it that was not quite present in their previous tracks, most apparent in main vocalist Maki’s voice. In generally, the members aren’t placing their voices as much in their nose as they did before, and it is doing wonders for their overall sound. It makes the song, paired with its concept, just a lot more convincing. I really have to give then credit here.
The production in this song feels smooth in polished- but not to the extent of some of their previous tracks. Their true voices are able to shine here a lot more than usual, which is simply fitting given the song’s concept. A musical element which I particularly liked was how the time signature changes in the pre-chorus, yet the transition of it was so smooth that it didn’t feel disruptive at all. There was not a single moment in the song which felt out of place or unneeded.
If there is anything I wish could have been a bit different, I didn’t feel Nicholas’ rap in the bridge was either executed well or had a weird flow that somewhat disrupted my listening experience. I don’t know much about rap, but I am sensitive to rhythm, and I didn’t think that the flow rode with the beat properly. You can take my opinion with a grain of salt.
All in all, ‘Koegawari’ stands as another stellar example of &TEAM’s high-quality releases that only seems to be improving with time. When all is said and done, I believe they will leave a strong legacy.
Hooks – 10
Production – 9
Vocal Delivery – 10
Rap Delivery – 8
Overall – 9.25
K-pop Evaluated 
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