Boy Next Door was formed by KOZ Entertainment, a HYBE subsidiary created by Block B’s Zico, in May of 2023, two years ago at time of (re-)writing. They have six members: Jaehyun, Riwoo, Taesan, Leehan, Sungho, and Woonhak, who, at time of debut, ranged from 16 to 20. (Cue freakout about how I’m getting old or something).

Here are my credentials: none. I’ve heard of BoyNextDoor, sure, but I can’t name a single member, I don’t know a single album, and I haven’t heard a single song. But one of the big points of this blog is to explore groups I don’t know, and so, in the leadup to their new album, I thought this would be fun. Let’s get into it!

Single #1: But I Like You

But I Like You was their debut, and like every good debut should, firmly puts you in the universe of their music. It’s upbeat and cutesy, but not in a cloying way, as the verses skip along in delight, and the title itself reminds of a child or teenager pouting. Its sunny acoustic guitar and warmhearted lyrics would win almost anyone over, if the music video’s classic kdrama look doesn’t. And classic is the word that describes this song best; it’s timeless in its joy and vulnerability alike. My one gripe is that it’s ridiculously short—two minutes and seventeen seconds!–but I can forgive that.

Single #2: One And Only

One And Only is choppier and more hip-hop inspired than But I Like You, but still firmly pop, and I’m in two minds about it. There are parts I really like, such as the gentle pre-chorus or the bridge, which gives room for their vocals to take the stage. Then there’s the chorus. I’m normally not a fan of anti-drop choruses, but I couldn’t make up my mind about this one. It’s incredibly catchy, and very cute, and to give them credit, they sell it. But while I understand that in such a competitive industry, you sometimes need to sacrifice quality for catchiness, I think One and Only would  be a stronger song without it.

Single #3: Serenade

I originally thought that Serenade  would be my least favorite single, judging by its very forceful opening, but I was wrong; this ended up being my favorite of their first run of singles. It takes its time to get going, to be sure—almost a minute until the chorus—but that time is worth it when the song moves into its hook. It’s such a teenage declaration of love, over-the-top and completely honest, and I’ve always had a fondness for songs that wear their heart on their sleeve. Also, the way that the MV is shot with the camera following them dance around the streets just feels like a musical number in the best way. It’s exactly what a love song should be, and, in my opinion, is k-pop at its best.

EP #1: Why

But Sometimes is the final single in BoyNextDoor’s first run, and has a slightly more rock-pop inspired sound, which should be right up my alley, but for some reason…isn’t? I’m not sure why this is, because I liked several of the parts separately:  I liked the pre-chorus’ energy, I liked the forceful chorus, and I even liked a couple of the raps. But they don’t seem to all work together. Something stops this from feeling like one complete work, rather than just stitched together pieces.

From the EP, my hidden gem was the  earnest, vulnerable Crying.

EP #2: How?

Earth, Wind, & Fire is breezy and a little off-kilter (in what I think is a good way?), and from its first second, never slows for a second. It’s a little like But I Like You in that way, but where But I Like You in fundamentally a simple song with a good execution, this one is much more complicated. So, I wish that the song had a little more room to breathe in order for me to enjoy all its good parts, but I think that as it is right now, it’s a bit too crammed. Also, randomly, as  someone who’s heard the band Earth Wind & Fire, I couldn’t help comparing this to their music, which gave me some good laughs.

From the EP, I enjoyed the handclapping hook of Our and the campfire song feel of Life Is Cool. My hidden gem was So Let’s Go See The Stars, with its dreamy, synthy sound that had just the right edge of rock.

Single #4: Dangerous

Dangerous is a pre-release for BoyNextDoor’s upcoming album, and I frankly cannot believe that this is the same band from the last few songs. Besides the much darker tone in general, gone are the lovely melodies or the warmhearted vulnerability and in their place are a trappy, soul-crushing instrumental and lyrics about being rebellious and going against your parents. Sigh. There’s some good humor in the music video, between the warning to not let your parents overhear at the beginning to the repeated references to social media, but that’s about all the nice things I can say about it. There’s good ideas here, but god that execution was bad.

EP #3: Nice Guy

Where Dangerous felt like a completely different group, Nice Guy feels like an evolution of BoyNextDoor’s sound. It’s still saccharine and all, but in a smoothly confident way that reminds me a bit of RIIZE’s Boom Boom Bass. To be honest, I like this track less than most of the others, simply because I think it’s one that almost any boy group could do or has done: hip-hop and pop based, with some interesting brassy interpolations, where their usual style is just more unique. But it’s still a good song. I have to say I’m a little confused about why we’re over here flirting with men in the MV if the song says “girl”, but I suppose it’s kind of par for the course in k-pop.

From the EP, I enjoyed the pulsing beat of Gonna Be A Rock, the fun of spoken-word Skit, and the laid-back sound of Call Me.

Single #5: I Love You

My first thought upon seeing the title of “I Love You” was “damn, they’re not beating around the bush this time, I guess.” My second was “wow, this is a long intro.” But the moment the song itself started, I forget about that. While their previous songs seemed tailor-made for spring and summer, this is a winter love song if ever there was one, and I’m kind of surprised it didn’t come out around Valentines’ Day. Its chorus doesn’t quite reach the heights of Serenade—few do—but I really appreciated how sprawling it felt, and how full the song was in general. No instrumental bridges or half-assed hooks here; we get a solid three+ minutes of pop perfection. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t smiling like an idiot by then.

EP #4: No Genre

I Feel Good has a great pulsing beat from the start, though it leans more into hip-hop and pop-rock than their past singles. You might think it’d feel out of place in what’s a pop-to-the-core discography, but it really doesn’t; it feels like a fairly natural progression from their early work, and I was head-bopping along immediately. I think the pre-chorus is a bit stronger than the chorus, but I do appreciate how sprawling the chorus is, despite how simple the central hook of “I feel good, I, I, feel good!” is. I really enjoyed the outro too, and I can already feel the song as a whole growing on me. The MV is as fun as ever, striking a solid balance between expressing the members’ personalities and being a good fit for the song.

From the EP, I enjoyed the free-wheeling jazz of 123–78, the light synth rock of Step By Step, and . Overall, this feels like such a winter album, especially with the inclusion of I Love You, and I’m surprised it’s coming out in May, but maybe it was delayed; I have no idea. It reminds me a lot of the special winter albums that 1st, 2nd, and some 3rd gen artists would make in the early years of kpop, more specifically SHINHWA’s Winter Story. I mean this as a compliment; it’s different from your usual 5th gen album, but I think it works well.

EP #5: The Action

Hollywood Action is perhaps the most BoyNextDoor BoyNextDoor has ever gone. With a delightful sense of Old Hollywood drama and a music video to match, it goes for an interesting mix between your typical kpop song and a jazzier, showier sound, capped off with a brassy instrumental hook that I’m sure will be stuck in my head for the next 7-10 business days. I wish the chorus was a bit more sprawling than it is, but I do enjoy the way that it continues to build with each rendition. And with a video this good, I think it’s safe to say that it’ll be growing on me.

From the EP, I enjoyed the jazzy, confident Live In Paris, the gentle, slice-of-life Bathroom (title I’m side-eyeing a bit but okay), and of course, the excellent album closer ballad As Time Goes By.

Verdict: TL;DR

I’m glad I did this! I had a lot more fun with this deep dive than I was expecting. Their music is so lovely and bright, and their behind-the-scenes content is just on the right side of strange and chaotic for me. I watched a couple of their covers too, including Seventeen’s Pretty U and 2NE1’s Lonely, both of which were great. I guess that what I’m saying is, I can consider myself well on the way to becoming a OneDoor.

My Top 5 songs are Serenade, But I Like You, So Let’s Go See The Stars, Our, and Crying with Life Is Cool as an honorable mention. BoyNextDoor gets an 8.5 out of 10 from me. In very few songs, they really won me over. In a genre that’s often dominated by trap and anti-drop laden hip-hop, their music is a warm, sunny spot. I love the way it wears its heart on its sleeve, for better or for worse, and though not every song of theirs is for me, I could never accuse them of being anything less than fully committed to it. I’m looking forward to seeing where they go next!

Next time, we’ll be doing a special review. Tschüss!