In the past month, Oh My Girl has gifted their fans with their latest five-track project, Nonstop. For a K-Pop stan, Nonstop doesn’t heavily distinguishes itself from other albums in the same genre, as it’s infused with cutesy vocal artistry—termed as “aegyo” in K-Pop culture—and energetic instrumentals to accompany a dance practice. However, for newer listeners, it is not hard to love the compilation; every track has strengths that makes them stand out from each other.
Among the tracks, the mini-album opener, “Nonstop”, is easily the most engaging track and possesses all the desirable qualities of a single, as the vocalists repeatedly chant “saljjak solleosseo nan” (in English: “My heart fluttered a little”). Its pre-chorus sounds similar to BLACKPINK’s “BOOMBAYAH”. Not only that, the rap verse instrumentals can also be resembled to TWICE Dahyun’s verse in “Fancy”. Sonically, it can be judged as a generic K-Pop track which is both a boon-and-bane—appealing to the public yet compromising uniqueness.
“Dolphin” and “Krystal”, the second and last songs respectively, are the most creative tracks. In “Dolphin”, its chilling pre-choruses saved the song. The first pre-chorus’ instrumental mimics a ticking clock while the second mixes layers of bass and percussion which really energizes the song. Similarly, “Krystal” has an outstanding pre-chorus but this one is dominated by the vocal line, most especially Jiho’s soothing lead vocals and Hyojung’s powerful high note.
Overall, this album is fair enough but not exceptionally crafted. The lyrics are pretty straightforward, not metaphorical or symbolical at all. What is especially strong on the album are the soothing pre-choruses but even they sometimes lack musical uniqueness to stand out from other albums in the genre.
Rating: 7.2/10
