Song Review: TIOT – Five Hours in Pieces

Thus far, TIOT’s career has been somewhat inscrutible. Rather than develop and expand upon a signature sound, they’ve waffled greatly between extremes. One moment they’re shouty bad boys, the next they’re sentimental balladeers. New single Five Hours In Pieces (다섯시간의 조각들) leans toward the latter with added rock heft. Somewhere along the way, this driving rock sound became an established trope for K-pop’s new generation of boy groups. It used to be quite uncommon — especially for title tracks. Now, I feel like I could compile an entire album’s worth of this style from just 2026. This makes it difficult for a song like Five Hours In Pieces to stand out. It doesn’t attempt anything unique, which means its fortunes rely on the strength of its melodies and performance. Both of these aspects are perfectly fine but never unique enough to stand out. The guys have nice voices and the track surges in all the places you’d expect. There’s really nothing bad I can say about it. Yet, when the song is over I don’t feel much of anything. No melody or moment calls me back for more and I’m simply reminded of other music in this genre that I enjoy more. Hooks 7 Production 8 Longevity 8 Bias 7 RATING ...