2025 has been the year of rookie boy groups spawned from survival series. NouerA, AHOF and Close Your Eyes have led the charge, each delivering great music that feels unique to them. Next up is SEVENTOEIGHT, emerging from SBS’s series SCOOL, which concluded late last year. Confusingly, there are six members of this new group, making their name a simple… counting upward from that number? I guess we should just be thankful it’s not another acronym.
More importantly, debut single DRIP&DROP is quite ear-catching. They’ve opted for a high-octane dance sound different from their contemporaries. In a few reviews before this one, I’ve voiced my excitement for higher tempos in K-pop coupled with my frustration that these dance sounds almost always feature spoken-rather-than-sung choruses. That frustration persists with DRIP&DROP, as we’re subjected to yet another catchphrasey hook over bouncy club beat. K-pop agencies: you know your idols can sing, right? Please let them!
This is where tempo and energy come in. I can forgive a subpar hook if there’s enough bombast distracting me. DRIP&DROP works best when it lets its dance beat do the talking and stumbles when it veers from this approach (that brief post-chorus breakdown is a major buzzkill). And even at under three minutes, the song wears out its welcome. All the “drip drop” repetition loses steam by the end, making me realize how awesome this song could have been if the producers had added a secondary (melodic) hook to switch things up.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8 |
