The future of ZEROBASEONE is unclear. It was announced recently that following their short contract termination, only Seok Matthew, Kim Tae Rae, and Park Gun Wook are confirmed to remain in WAKEONE Entertainment, while those whose original agency was Yuehua Entertainment (Zhang Hao, Ricky, Kim Gyu Vin, and Han Yu Jin) will depart from their temporary co-position under WAKEONE. Sung Han Bin and Kim Ji Woong, two of the groups’ most popular members, are yet to confirm their status. This means that at the very minimum, ZEROBASEONE as we know it will part ways. Whether or not the final two will stay with WAKEONE to continue promoting as a group with their bandmates is yet to be revealed.
We all knew this day would come. The terms were clear; after the nine successfully won hit K-Pop survival show Boys Planet, fans were informed their time as a group would only amount to a short couple of years. In this time, the boys have released hit after hit, exhibiting their soft, youthful vibes and breaking the trends of 5th Gen boy groups. In particular, feel-good groovefest “GOOD SO BAD” was a banger.
RE-FLOW, consisting of three songs, is seemingly their last release before ZEROBASEONE as we know it dissolve. We’re sorry to keep reminding you of the sad news: but hopefully their lovely voices will provide respite from the salty cheeks and sodden pillows. Or possibly intensify them.
“Running to Future” is the principal tearjerker: with an uplifting instrumental, a beat that behaves like a heartbeat, and the boys’ refined vocals (they wouldn’t have won Boys Planet without them), the song is a perfect send-off. The ad-libs, high notes and harmonisations layer beautifully at the track’s end. It’s as sentimental yet optimistic as its title suggests: and Gyu Vin’s line, ‘You and I dazzling back then / We ran across our season to the end’, encapsulates beautifully the feelings of bittersweet nostalgia swimming around the group and their fans right now.
It takes us all the way back to their debut. The album closer of IN BLOOM, Always, had the boys musing things like Zhang Hao’s words in the first chorus: ‘Always, will you walk with me? / Always, in the same step with each other’. In a perfectly full-circle kind of way, the boys have referenced themselves, and stayed true to the narrative they had from the very beginning. We always love a good bit of artistic integrity.
“ROSES” is a bit more excitable, utilising electronic guitar to push more power and spunk into the song. It’s the most optimistic of the bunch in melody, whereas the others tap into flowing emotions a bit more. To a restlessly chipper tune, embellished with a descending guitar riff, the boys encourage us to “Take a look at the sky”.
“LOVEPOCALYPSE”, the final track, takes us back down to Earth. We find that the chorus’ (partially translated) first part, sung flawlessly by Zhang Hao, Tae Rae and Han Bin respectively, is the most addictive part of the song.
You’ll be the end of me
I crash all of me
Cause it’s my destiny
I will not hesitatе
Again, it needs not be said how top class the boys’ vocals truly are. Even if nothing else, such as the production, were beautifully constructed, the boys’ voices alone would be able to convince any listener. For the disbandment of such a rare culmination of talent in K-Pop, it is a sad day. But no matter what the boys of ZEROBASEONE end up doing musically – together or apart – we’ll all be there to enjoy the ride.
ZEROBASEONE are on Instagram and all major streaming platforms. You can listen to RE-FLOW here.