Have you been missing them lately? One of the gems external to the “Big 4” companies, P1Harmony, took a surprising turn recently when they came back with “SAD SONG”, a Latin-pop inspired tune that proves the K-Pop subgenre is still alive and well. Don’t let the title mislead you; the song is a respectably danceable bop, with lyrics moody and eager to dance the blues away.

To be distinct in a refined talent is to have won oneself and the sextet have always been a shiny hot topic for their stand-out charm and unique voices. There isn’t anyone else in the scene who sounds quite like Keeho and Soul especially: meaning they’ve always had their rapping and singing covered, and it birthed their debut-fresh confidence four years ago that continues to this day in the title track.

The EP of the same name as the aforementioned title track packs in five other tunes, and in P1Harmony fashion, it never goes quite where you’re expecting.

The boys have spoken about their love of reggae music in the past, and they finally got to fulfil a wish of theirs to incorporate those influences in the EP, with the irresistible catchiness of “It’s Alright” being attributed to its reggae-like rhythm. Hopping in and out of falsettos is once again made to look easy by the acclaimed vocalists of the group, but there’s one more surprise: it’s one of the songs that was partially composed by a member (Keeho). You can always be sure the music is truly coming from the boys themselves when they’re there for the whole journey.

“Doom Du Doom” nostalgia calls when the guitars in “Last Call” and “Welcome To” arrive, particularly from the latter. K-Pop groups don’t delve as often into rock as Latin pop, so P1Harmony’s occasional sprinkle of riffs in their music is a marvellous way to further distance themselves from cookie-cutter routes.

Often K-Pop albums are made up of a handful of cleanly-composed, vibrant tunes with fairly varied genres. The highest nugget of sentimentality the respective artist can muster is usually thrown in at the end, in the form of a ballad or cheesy closing tune. Once again we’re thrown off with P1Harmony’s ways when the happy-go-lucky, K-Drama end credits-worthy song, “All You”, is second to last, with the bold rap unit track “WASP” closing the record.

It’s an interesting way to end a K-Pop album, sure, but it’s actually quite perfect for the boys. They’ve got this fabulous confidence from being so top-notch and aware of the direction they want to go, that the ego-filled “WASP” taunts any doubters as a final message: “Clear away the food chain / Who dares to eat me, come on, yeah.”

If the K-Pop industry were a play at a theatre, and the scene happened to be a bit dull for a minute, P1Harmony’s the elbow jabbing you in the side to stay awake and enjoy something fun. Indeed, the boys are harmonious in one utmost aspect: they never, ever miss.

P1Harmony can be found on Twitter, Instagram, and all major streaming platforms.