Here are my credentials (again): 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.

(Read Part One here)

EP #6: SUMMER POPUP

Kpop is no stranger to a song that has less than nothing to do with its music video, but Popping is truly a breed on its own. As mentioned in Part 1, ONF’s storyline (which I haven’t gone into in depth) seems to be focused on some form of dystopia involving the six members. Popping, meanwhile, is your classic bubbly kpop summer song, a la Red Velvet’s Red Flavor or similar tracks, and to be honest, it’s really good. It has a solid build up, a genuinely excellent through line hook, and a frenetic energy that works well. Unfortunately, it’s really hard to focus on that when I’m over here trying to figure out why ONF is doing choreo in what looks like the frozen planet from Interstellar. I must have watched the MV three times by now attempting to understand what’s going on, but to no avail.

From the EP, I enjoyed the bright, fizzy Summer Poem, and the fun stop-and-start chorus of Dry Ice.

EP #7: GOOSEBUMPS

Goosebumps falls into the surprisingly large category of “song I know I’ve heard / heard of before but cannot quote to save my life”, so I was excited to hear more. A near-complete 180 from the summer sound of Popping, Goosebumps melds a EDM base with a funky edge that feels a lot more suited to ONF’s dystopian storyline than Popping did. It’s a weird song, that’s for damn sure, but there’s something charming about it, and I ended up enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would. The final minute, beginning from that great bridge, is especially strong.

From the EP, I once again had an easy hidden gem in The Show Must Go On. If you know anything about me, you’ll know Sunmi’s Heroine (famous for its hook of “the show must go on!”) is one of my all-time favorite kpop songs, and I’m weak to a cheer of “THE SHOW MUST GO ON!”, so here we are.

I do want to take a second to talk about another b-side, though; TW for mentions of dangerous dieting for this paragraph. Fat and Sugar really rubbed me the wrong way. To get on my soapbox for a minute, dangerous levels of dieting in the Kpop industry aren’t anything new, but it seems almost cruel to make idols (who are almost definitely dieting) sing “I like bad things, fat and sugar”. I don’t know, I’m probably reading too much into it. Full disclosure: I have friends who have / had eating disorders, so this is a topic very important to me. It’s completely possible that I’m projecting, but I wanted to throw it out there anyway.

Album #2: Storage of ONF

With a whistling hook and a light touch of an instrumental, Your Song follows more in the footsteps of Popping than any other song so far. That simplicity ends up being a good thing, though, giving each member’s vocals a chance to shine. But that doesn’t mean that the song doesn’t have substance—rest assured, it does. The chorus especially is a big standout, joyful and bursting with energy. The lyrics are sweet too, promising the listener comfort through the music: “even this page written today, I’ll sing for you tomorrow; I am your song.” All in all, it’s a really lovely track.

I’ve marked “Storage of ONF” as a full album, but technically it’s not. Half of the tracks are remastered versions of songs from their first couple of EPs, which is always something I have mixed thoughts about. They’re usually done in kpop if a member has left, and on the one hand you could argue that they’re a good way of helping the others move on and better reflecting how the songs will now sound in performances. On the other, you could argue that it’s just another way of groups feeling like they cannot under any circumstances even mention former members. I honestly think it’s case by case, and I don’t feel like I know enough about ONF to form a conclusion.

EP #8: Love Effect

Propulsive and bright, Love Effect gets your heart pumping right from the first note. Its blend of synth and little hints of classical reminded me a lot of GFriend’s early music, like Glass Bead and Me Gustas Tu, which of course I’m here for. Other than that, though, I didn’t feel like it stood out that much from the rest of their discography. It also doesn’t help that I kept comparing it to my hidden gem from the EP (more on that in a minute), which precedes it in the track list. That being said, Love Effect is still a good song.

From the EP, my hidden gem was Be Here Now, with its top-notch shout-out chorus. And as mentioned, I couldn’t help comparing the single to it.

EP #9: Beautiful Shadow

With Bye My Monster, we return to full-on drama. It’s a slow burn of a song, very INFINITE in that regard, and starts out quieter than I expected from the concept photos. Rest assured that it doesn’t stay that way long, though, because the song soon grows into a full-on anthem, complete with a great drumline, a strong EDM beat, and some absolutely gorgeous classical flourishes. Like with Goosebumps, Bye My Monster’s most captivating part is its final minute, where all the disparate pieces connect. This is a fantastic song.

From the EP, I enjoyed the beat of Aphrodite, though I have to give an edge to Breath Haze and Shadow, a ballad with excellent vocals that held my attention the entire time.

EP #10: ONF; MY IDENTITY

If you haven’t guessed from the blog name, I am a HUGE SHINee fan. And from the first second of The Stranger, I knew I was going to love it. The flashes of brass, the great synths, the hints of 2nd gen funk, and of course the vocal flourishes are so SHINee in their golden era, especially Sherlock. And just when I thought I couldn’t like it more, the song pulls one more trick out of its back pocket, a short but effective post-chorus in its last seconds that elevates it further. The Stranger feels like it could be the soundtrack to some kind of cyberpunk take on a 1960s thriller, and rest assured I mean that as the highest compliment.

From the EP, I really enjoyed Anti-Hero. *Taylor Swift intensifies in the background*

EP #11: UNBROKEN

With how much I liked The Stranger, I was happy to see that the funk makes a return in Put It Back, here paired more with a light funk / R & B EDM base. While I don’t think it’s as strong as some of their other tracks—-I’m not really a fan of the catchphrase chorus and I think it needs a stronger hook—Put It Back is still quite a good song, and it’s a fun time. I’d consider it a worthy addition to their discography.

From the EP, I enjoyed the chant-out chorus of Moonlight Festa and the soaring I Found You In Heaven.

Verdict: TL;DR

I’m glad I did this! I really knew next-to-nothing about ONF before this deep dive, but I’m happy to say that I’ve changed that. While editing this review, I watched ONF’s performance on Dingo Killing Voice, their My Name Is music video (which was ridiculous but delightful), and the most recent B-T-S video on their channel.

My Top 5 songs are The Realist, The Stranger, Moscow Moscow, Bye My Monster, and Beautiful Beautiful, with the Show Must Go On as an honorable mention. ONF gets an 8.5 out of 10 from me, which is higher than I expected! There’s a lot I really like about their discography, which encompasses synth, funk, ballad, and so much more, but always manages to feel like them. If you’re thinking: “why aren’t they rated higher”, it’s because at the end of the day, I often rate groups higher for an emotional connection, which I don’t really have to any of ONF’s music. Who knows, though; the next time they come back, maybe that will have changed.

Next time, we’re onto a girl group that I’m really excited about covering. Tschüss, 안녕! and Goodbye!