RIIZE’s debut feels like a breath of fresh air for long-time K-pop fans. It’s been a good seven years since we’ve had the privilege of witnessing the debut of a new boyband from SM Entertainment, especially after nearly a decade of nonstop and ever-evolving NCT sub-units and projects.
While the seven-piece are still connected to the complicated web that is NCT – Shotaro and Sungchan were formerly from NCT, and they’re joined newcomers Anton, Seunghan, Wonbin, Sohee and Eunseok – but the real challenge lies with forging a unique identity that sets them apart from their labelmates, as well as others in the industry.
Their debut single album consists of two simple tracks, ‘Get A Guitar’ and ‘Memories’, the latter of which was released a number of weeks ago as a precursor to their much-anticipated debut. Unfortunately, the song gives the (relatively) fresh faces of RIIZE just a little too much to work with. The fractured and whiplash-inducing structure of ‘Memories’ clearly borrows elements from the NCT school of experimental production, and struggles to marry the vocal-heavy portions and the edgy, rap-focused verses..
That being said, ‘Memories’ creeps up on you with its masterpiece of a chorus. Heavily reliant on a catchy guitar rhythm masterfully meshed with twinkling retro synthesisers, the track comes alive when the band’s layered, sprightly vocal harmonies come together. RIIZE’s vocal performance is crisp and fits the richness of the instrumental to the tee.
But its title track ‘Get A Guitar’ that truly characterises their RIIZE’s spirit and personality. As the title suggests, guitars play a big role on the song, but it’s the youthful exuberance the septet showcase that really shines. ‘Get A Guitar’ is surprisingly down-to-earth and ridiculously groovy, with pop elements that give it the perfect modern twist. The song paves a sonic landscape that is both delightfully nostalgic and exhilaratingly contemporary, allowing RIIZE to stand out from the crowd.
As with ‘Memories’, RIIZE’s versatile vocal performances and smooth harmonies – which showcase a remarkable amount of range – imbue the song with such depth and texture that it firmly plants ‘Get A Guitar’ as one of the year’s standout debut tracks in the K-pop scene.
With their debut, RIIZE have successfully highlighted their ability to craft a distinctive sound and establish themselves as emerging talents worth keeping an eye on. The question that lingers is whether they have the capacity to sustain this momentum and live up to the elevated expectations they’ve set for themselves.
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