In their short time as a group since debuting, NMIXX have been an interesting group to watch. Interesting in the sense that it seemed like they couldn’t quite get their footing. From their extremely divisive debut single “O.O.” to one of their most recent releases “Young, Dumb, Stupid,” the group just wasn’t giving listeners a full coherent idea of what kind of group they are, or who they could grow to become. However, with their most recent single “Love Me Like That,” that image could change for the better.

Listening to “Love Me Like That” takes me back to the sound of late ‘90s and early 2000s girl groups. It’s an upbeat fusion of pop and R&B with a large focus on harmonies and delivering a spunky attitude; the song is textbook girl group. With that said, the highlight of the song comes in the pre-choruses and the bridge, where we get to hear the powerful vocals the girls in NMIXX have been applauded for. Backed by crashing drum-like synths in the pre-chorus, the build-up is fantastic, only for the chorus to drop the energy completely. The chorus falls into the repetitive sing-songy trap, trying to force that catchiness that many pop songs go for. It doesn’t help the song at all in this case, but again, the pre-chorus is impressive enough that it saves it. The bridge is another fantastic moment where the vocals command center stage, particularly with member Lily’s incredible note at the end. It’s the transcendent moment this track needs.

“Love Me Like This” is a seesaw; there are moments of solid and great potential, immediately followed by lows of sounding too derivative and formulaic. Despite that, this song was a smart move by the group and their management. As mentioned previously, the definitive sound of NMIXX has been hard if not impossible to pin down. By stepping back and “resetting” if you will with a song that is more run-of-the-mill, the group has a chance to show some of their strengths, with the largest being their vocal prowess. “Love Me Like This” has opened the door for NMIXX to pursue sounds that work to their strengths as a group, and to help solidify them as a consistent group, so it will be interesting to see if they step through it.

Featured Image: JYP Entertainment