ONF (or 온앤오프) stands for “ON & OFF”, and their six members—–Hyojin, E-Tion, Seungjun, Wyatt, Minkyun [MK], and Yuto [U]—-are divided into two teams of the same names. They were formed in 2017 by WM Entertainment* (alongside a seventh member, Laun, who departed in 2019) but left the company to self-manage in early 2026.

*which also created Oh My Girl, XLOV, and B1A4

Here are my credentials: So, cards on the table: I know next to nothing about ONF. I’ve heard a total of two songs by them, at most, and I can’t say I know much about the members either. ONF first came on my radar when the video of them all together in the military dancing to New Jeans went viral, and they’ve been on my list to cover since. So, let’s get into it.

EP #1: ON / OFF

Like I said before, I really knew the bare minimum about ONF before starting this deep dive, so I didn’t know what to expect from ON / OFF. It came out in 2017 (as is made abundantly clear from the…interesting outfit choices and the side swept hair), but its light tropical pop feels more emblematic of the early Pandemic-era trends than anything else. Though I wish it had more of a hook than it does, I did end up liking it. The chorus seems sparse on first listen, but it worms its way in.

From the EP, I really liked the classic summer sound of Difficult, which I feel like would have made a more impactful single. Shockingly, no one asked me.

EP #2: You Complete Me

ONF’s first comeback, Complete builds off of what ON / OFF started, with a light tropical base and a sunny disposition, but right from the start, it feels far less restrained. With a great build up from the first note, Complete blends solid synths with a touch of strings and a delightfully odd jazzy hook that seems to come out of nowhere, yet somehow works. The final chorus especially is great, made stronger by the little fade-out fade-in section. My one complaint is: what in the ever-loving hell are those marshmallow penicillin pink sailor boy outfits? Who approved this? I just wanna talk, WM. I just wanna talk.

From the EP, I thought 86400’s vocals were especially lovely. I’m sure the number holds some kind of significance to ONF that I’m unaware of, so any FUSE reading are welcome to let me know!

EP #3: We Must Love

Compared to the sunny, youthful sounds of both ON / OFF and Complete, 사랑하게 될 거야 (Saranghagae dwil geoya) or We Must Love seems to aim for a mature, elegant style that’s more like the sound I’ve heard from them before. It’s pretty common for kpop groups to “mature” their sound, but it’s often hit or miss for me, and I’m happy to say that this is the former! We Must Love isn’t so much of a departure that it feels like a completely different group, but at the same time it’s enough to feel like an evolution, a hard balance to strike. Its stop-and-start chorus won’t be for everyone—I’m still not sure on my own feelings—but there’s no denying that it’s unique, and it doesn’t succumb to the all-too-common catchphrase chorus. Overall, this is a bit of an odd song, but I think I’m here for it.

From the EP, I enjoyed the mix of classical music and Latin Pop in Yayaya.

EP #4: GO LIVE

If I had to categorize, I’d say that Why is similar to We Must Love in that it’s clearly the sound of a group in transition, experimenting with style and sound. There’s still the tropical pop and synth sounds from the beginning, but here they’re paired with a heavy EDM in the chorus that propels the song forward, a pairing that is interesting but sometimes doesn’t quite meld. When I first listened to the song, I had the feeling that Why was more of a performance than a song made to stand on its own feet. Watching the music video, which seems to be some kind of across-the-world parallel-universe thing a la Tenet, I think that’s probably apt. That’s not to say that Why isn’t a good song, but you kind of need the full package to appreciate it, so I don’t know if I’d ever listen to it on its own.

From the EP, I had a clear hidden gem in Moscow Moscow. Not only are the vocals gorgeous, but the smooth jazz sound is so elegant and felt like the soundtrack to a dramatic dance scene in a ballroom.

EP #5: SPIN OFF

As a kpop fan, I’ve gotten used to kpop titles being fairly simple; they’re often one or two English words, catchy, easy to remember, and so on. 스쿰빗스위밍, or Sukhumvit Swimming, is not that. Named for a major highway in Bangkok, Thailand, Sukhumvit Swimming is a slow burn of a song, that melds ONF’s now-signature tropical pop with hints of reggae, synth, a dash of cyberpunk, and a chant-heavy chorus that wormed its way into my head. The MV, meanwhile, delves into post-apocalyptic, steampunk, and alt-Western aesthetics (along with perhaps the world’s ugliest beret) for an interesting mix of styles that reminded me a lot of ATEEZ’s songs from their “WORLD” trilogy (read about that here).

I’m not entirely sure what the title has to do with the rest of the song, though I read some FUSE saying online that the MV was supposed to be shot in Bangkok, but the pandemic put a stop to that, so perhaps it would’ve made more sense then.

From the EP, I enjoyed the fast pace of Geppetto and the chorus of New World.

*Note: as you’ll see in the next photos, member Laun left between this EP and the first album, making ONF a six-piece*

Album #1: CITY OF ONF

As the only ONF song I knew before this deep dive, I was interested to see how Beautiful Beautiful would fit into the rest of the songs I’ve heard so far. A queer anthem for a reason, it wastes no time setting off, combining the cyberpunk / video game aesthetic ONF are so fond of with a juggernaut of a chorus that may be simple but it’s damn effective. Each rendition adds to the power, and I couldn’t help but smile when the final chorus hit with an explosion of color. Hell yeah, I’m beautiful beautiful. 

With Ugly Dance we return again to the intriguing titles. Literally picking up where Beautiful Beautiful left off (its first notes are BB’s chorus), it goes for a more typical “boy group” sound for its time: a chanty hook, an EDM-led pre-chorus, and a bit of an anti-drop. Now, I’m on record as not usually being a fan of anti-drops, so I admit that Ugly Dance doesn’t quite reach Beautiful Beautiful heights for me, but it’s a good song in its own right. I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to listen to it, but it has its moments.

From the album, though I enjoyed the vocals in I Think I Love You (and the very abrupt “THIS IS WYATT” in My Name), I had an easy hidden gem in The Realist. It’s such a great song, and also a great example of why certain songs have to be over two and a half minutes. Were it cut down, it would feel rushed and be much less effective. As is, it’s got a beautiful build, and reminded me a lot of ATEEZ’ Cyberpunk.

(Edit: after I published this review, I watched the My Name Is music video and while I still laughed at “THIS IS WYATT”, I found the whole thing undeniably adorable. Credit where it’s due)

Next time, we’re onto Part 2. Tschüss, 안녕!, and Goodbye!