Song Review: ALPHA DRIVE ONE – Born Dire

Since their post-Boys II Planet debut, ALPHA DRIVE ONE have sold a ton of records and been promoted everywhere MNET can manage. So, why don’t I feel the same surge of interest I usually get from this franchise? For one, the music hasn’t been great (or even good, most of the time). But more than that, I’m struggling to find a unique sound or identity within AD1’s performance. So far, they feel like the most generic definition of a boy group you could imagine. New title track Born Dire has an intriguing (grammatically strange?) title and attempts to bolster their sound with a bit more energy. Its promo has described the group as “beast boys,” which makes me giggle. In the older days of K-pop, promo like this would have them dressed up in literally wolf ears, but new K-pop is too “cool” for that. Instead, Born Dire finds the guys chant-rapping their way through a cool drum and bass instrumental pitched at high intensity. The idea has tons of potential. I love the flourishes of electric guitar and the overall pace/energy of the track. In another world, Born Dire could be one of those awesome, genre-breaking K-pop epics the industry made its name on. Of course, this is 2026 and the indu...