Riize is SM Leisure’s first new, non-NCT boy group since 2016. That’s a fairly large deal. They share connective tissue with the NCT universe, as members Shotaro and Sungchan have been beforehand included in NCT tasks. However general, this appears like an essential step ahead for the company.

In my thoughts, this essential step might be most profitable if Riize can rapidly forge an id and sound that’s all their very own. SM artists are likely to play inside the similar sonic sandbox, however after years of each NCT unit mixing collectively it will be thrilling to listen to one thing fully out of left area. Pre-debut single Recollections doesn’t totally decide to that temporary, nevertheless it affords hints at the place the group could go subsequent.

My favourite facet of Recollections is its refrain. Its synth-heavy sing-along doesn’t reinvent the wheel, however sounds completely different from what we’ve come to anticipate from NCT. The propulsive percussion and nice, layered vocal efficiency add a brisk sense of motion that works properly for the tune. The melody is easy and efficient, cresting with big-hearted optimism. Is that this the “emotional pop” SM has been promoting? In that case, Riize ought to actually lean into the sound.

Sadly, the tune’s verses don’t match this hook. Its bridge is pulled straight from the pots-and-pans-percussion faculty of manufacturing, whereas verse one would possibly as properly have been copied from an NCT b-side. The second verse is extra fascinating, providing stomping percussion that fits Recollections‘ dramatic centerpiece. Finally, I anticipate the tune’s strengths to easy over its disappointments, however I can’t assist however think about how glorious this may have been if it had totally dedicated to the melodic heft of its refrain.

Grade: B