Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
With each Great Guys review I write, I feel obligated to repeat how awful I think their group name is. Seriously, it’s gotta be the worst K-pop name out there right now. It felt particularly out of place when coupled with the group’s last single, which took on a darker, theatrical concept similar to acts like VIXX. “Dang!” matches their silly moniker with an equally ridiculous title, and switches their style to something much more upbeat.
Beyond the struggle to overcome its generic leanings, “Dang!” is actually pretty fun. The track borrows heavily from disco and synth pop, surging on a retro beat with bright splashes of electronics. Thankfully, there are no trendy trap breakdowns to be found. The energy stays high throughout, and that’s the song’s biggest selling point. We’ve definitely heard this formula before, and in some ways “Dang!” feels like it belongs as fodder for a group challenge on ‘Produce 101‘. But, we don’t hear this bright, upbeat style from boy groups nearly enough nowadays, so it’s welcome fodder if nothing else.
The melody of “Dang!” is similarly pleasing. This is a solidly constructed pop song, and ticks all the boxes when it comes to execution. The chorus forges multiple hooks into one, resisting the urge to rest on one singular chant-like refrain. Yet like so many under-the-radar groups, Great Guys struggle to distinguish themselves. “Dang!” could have been performed by countless idols and come out sounding roughly the same. This sense of “one size fits all” isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it does limit the song’s overall effect.
