Song Review: NCT Wish – Ode To Love

NCT Wish debuted just over two years ago but have already beaten many of their 2023-24 peers to the punch when it comes to releasing a full album. SM Entertainment is usually pretty generous with their full albums, and I wonder if that’s because the agency’s genesis came at a time when full albums were the norm in idol promotions. Wish teased this release with their hip-hop meets bossa nova Sticky last week and are now back with (literal) title track Ode To Love.

SM Entertainment lost a lot when producer/creative genius Yoo Young-Jin parted ways with the agency. The biggest of those losses may have been his rich way of layering vocals. SM vocals always sounded expensive and expansive. The lack of this texture has been one of my challenges with post-Youngjin NCT releases. The thickness of the arrangement just isn’t there, too often feeling tinny and small instead. For me, Wish’s production often gets bogged down in this — as if their vocals are run through some weird compression. This mars Ode To Love as well, though its instrumental counters with a more satisfying fullness.

This song is framed around a sample from 90s band The Cranberries. SM has been very successful with 90s samples before, but this one feels tacked on and obvious. It’s an easy, familiar hook and sticks out like a sore thumb within the track’s soft UK garage sound. In this muted era of K-pop, I supposed you’d call Ode To Love a dance song, but it’s too reserved to ignite many sparks. It’s for bobbing along in your car rather than letting it all out on the dancefloor — music to hold close during monotony and hum absentmindedly as you go about your day. In that regard, Ode To Love is serviceable. However, at its best K-pop is far more than serviceable.

Grade: C+