In 2020, AAA’s SKY-HI formed his company BMSG and since then he’s debuted a constant surge of new acts. The vast majority of this music has not been for me, as it often favors the type of clanging, shout-heavy hip-hop that I dislike in K-pop as well. Still, I appreciate his ambition and most of these acts have quickly found great success in Japan.
Despite my misgivings, upcoming group STARGLOW’s name intrigued me and I’m happy that I checked out their pre-debut single Moonchaser. From what I can tell, this is set to be a more vocal-heavy dance act and the surging EDM of this track feels like a great template for them. Moonchaser is refreshingly old school, from its long runtime (almost four minutes!) to its straightforward, boppy dance beat. Even better, the guys seem to be excellent performers. There’s real presence in both their vocals and rap, compelling through their sheer polish.
If I have any quibble about Moonchaser, it’s that the song is quite generic in its execution. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing since I love the specific approach the song takes, but a slightly more idiosyncratic twist could have easily pushed this into the “9s.” Even so, Moonchaser never puts a foot wrong and its propulsive power keeps me engaged. I’m really excited to see where these guys go next because this is a very promising sneak peek.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.75 |
