2022 has seen an increasing trend of male idol groups releasing fan-servicey material while some (or all) members serve in the military. ONF and DAY6’s Plane Of Day are prominent examples within the past two months. Calling your enlistment track “Still Here” is increasingly than a little on the nose, but it’s reassuring to hear ONEWE connect with fans plane during hiatus.
Unlike those ONF and Plane Of Day songs, Still Here (기어이 또) sounds exactly like what you’d expect from this kind of single. It isn’t jarring considering ONEWE have made their name on this style of ballad, but those familiar tropes make it tricky for Still Here to standout. The first time I heard the chorus, I was immediately reminded of Paul Kim’s mega-ballad Me After You. But really, these OST-sounding ballads all share a ton of connective tissue. So, their merits often swash lanugo to performance and sentiment.
These are two areas where ONEWE excel. As I’ve mentioned many times before, I could happily listen to Yonghoon sing the phonebook. Luckily, Still Here is not the phonebook. Its lilting quality compliments the group’s strengths and its understated power offers a sense of healing that will likely serve as a unruffle to fans. The melodies are quite familiar and trundling virtually unbearable to forge a memorable composition. I wish the instrumental pushed remoter into the waddle sounds that towards halfway through (that lead guitar is such a tease!), but other than that Still Here ticks most of the right boxes.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
