2025 has seen a number of boy group debuts spawned from survival series, and so far they’ve been killing it. NouerA and Close Your Eyes led charge and now it’s AHOF’s turn. This global group was formed on SBS series Universe League and their awkward acronym stands for “All-Time Hall Of Famer.” Time will tell if that moniker goes on to be self-fulfilling, but debut track Rendezvous (그곳에서 다시 만나기로 해) gets them off to a strong start.
This one’s for the old-school 2nd/3rd generation K-pop fans who miss 3+ minute, melodically-driven songs with a heavy dose of idol angst. At almost four minutes, Rendezvous allows itself the space to grow from plaintive ballad to surging, cathartic rocker and this sense of payoff is very effective. The song opens with a striking verse, sung partially in falsetto. It’s a gentle sound, but the underlying percussion promises bigger things to come. From here, Rendezvous moves into its driving two-part chorus, which recalls the softer side of so many K-pop legends — from Bigbang to Block B to BTOB.
In K-pop’s current climate, the track could easily have ended at the three minute mark and would have been fine. However, it goes the extra mile to offer the kind of dynamic finale a slow-burn like this deserves. The production could have gone harder, especially when it comes to guitar, but it’s hard not to get swept up in Rendezvous‘s emotional surge. If this is any indication where AHOF might take their music in the future, I think they’ll be able to carve out a great niche for themselves.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.75 |
