The Singles Jukebox

If you see a faded sign by the side of the road that says [4.14] points to the…

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[4.14]

Jessica Doyle: “Love Shot” feels as if the songwriters gave up after the second draft (and one of the notes for the third draft was, “Fix the way the melody wanders in the bridge”). Give credit where credit is due: Chen has finally been de-mulleted, Xiumin gets some decent close-ups for once, and Slightly Angsty Yet Mostly Stoic 1930s Fighter Pilot D.O. is an excellent idea that SM should pursue further. And after “Tempo” (and “Gravity“, for that matter) it’s not like Exo has to prove themselves. But haven’t these guys worked hard enough to get to release two solid singles in a row?
[4]

Alfred Soto: Rather heavy-handed about its electro-dub for listeners who heard “Underneath It All” in the CVS food aisle that morning.
[4]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: Sheesh, at least “Ko Ko Bop” had some spring in its step. That song’s reggae elements added something interesting to the song, here they just contribute to the overall drabness. The lazy “na na na” hook doesn’t help either, and the rap verses reveal how frustratingly lethargic this wants to be.
[2]

Crystal Leww: Remember that period immediately following EDM pop 1.0 when K-pop was taking it to its maximalist extreme? What about when K-pop was doing pop house or future bass? Well, “Love Shot” is Exo doing their worst Twenty One Pilots. Congrats! Someone call the Suicide Squad soundtrack guys.
[4]

Katie Gill: I see that the US pop trend of replacing a chorus with a drop isn’t just a US exclusive. Yes, the chorus technically has words (even if they’re just “na na na na”), but the structure fundamentally remains the same. At the end of the day, this is just a middle of the road, slightly boring, nothing-to-write-home-about song that the boy band can’t even muster up excitement for. Never have I heard the phrase “it’s the love shot,” a phrase which sounds like it has so much potential to be fun and exciting, be delivered so blandly.
[5]

Nicholas Donohoue: More an anesthetic shot, which I guess is a type of love shot. “Na na na’s” can get you pretty far, but this is an apathetic use of my beloved nonsense syllables.
[4]

Alex Clifton: Exo’s good at turning the mundane into something dramatic; think about the rush of emotion in “Call Me Baby” where it’s the sugariest high, or the melodrama of “Monster.” “Love Shot” is the closest I’ve heard them in a while get to something more in line with that, but there are a few moments when it falls a little flat. It’s really catchy and guaranteed to be stuck in my head for a few days, but I’m not stuck on this song the way I can get with K-pop — which is to say, it’s a good song but not a great one.
[6]