The Boyz Are Back With Their New Fun-Loving Track ‘Thrill Ride’

The Boyz are back and better than ever in their most recent comeback THRILL-ING. This is the group’s sixth mini-album and was released on August 9, nearly a year after their last album, CHASE, came out. Since then, the group has been working on major projects, including their first full Japanese album Breaking Dawn, collaboration with the K-pop platform Universe for their single “Drink It,” and the continuation of Mnet’s competition series Kingdom. As The Boyz steadily increases their presence in the K-pop industry, they are becoming increasingly occupied with external projects—including their OST for the new Korean drama Racket Boys. 

This is the first time The Boyz have ever released a summer-themed comeback, but instead of the typical bubbly beach vibe, they turned to a catchy, hip-hop-inspired track. “Thrill Ride” begins with an addicting hook that immediately draws listeners into its leading melody. The song is a fun-loving and upbeat track that is accompanied by a “thrill-ing” choreography.

Not only does the song take inspiration from hip-hop elements, but the choreography takes iconic dance moves and reinvents them into a masterpiece. The Boyz are jam-packed with talented dancers such as Q, Juyeon, Jacob, and Hyunjae. Even the vocalists tackle the choreography well enough to become completely synchronized. However, what makes the group unique is that despite their well-known synchronization, each member has their own style, displaying how each artist interprets the music.

(영훈) 으아아!! 더비뿐이다 일로와 !! 🤗🤗 pic.twitter.com/cRkWCkUdkQ

— THE BOYZ (더보이즈) (@WE_THE_BOYZ) August 17, 2021

The Boyz’s music constantly fluctuates, never delivering a storyline concept, unlike other groups like Stray Kids and TOMORROW X TOGETHER. However, since The Boyz comes from a smaller company, their music is directed to gain popular attention. Although this can prove to be a disadvantage, it allows the group to experiment with new concepts. They can also find which type of music appeals to the members and becomes popular in the public eye.

After disappearing from the scene due to other schedules, this comeback was crucial for the group to make a true impact and set the scene for future projects. The group is well-rounded and has members that can excel in any category. Chae Chan Hee and Lee Sang Yeon are two of the best vocalists, while Eric and Kim Sun Woo add flair to each of their rap sections. With such a wide range of talents, The Boyz are guaranteed to be able to pull off any concept and genre. 

Like every amazing comeback, there are also a few drawbacks that fans picked up on. This is the first time the group attempted a summer comeback; the song was slightly underwhelming to fans, who have been spoiled by the group’s darker and more serious concepts. On top of this, the group had not released an official comeback for so long, appearing as a rebound album for the boys until next time. Nevertheless, the group was brave enough to come out with music completely unrelated to anything they have ever tackled before.

In the overall scheme of things, “Thrill Ride” was a smart choice for the group. Instead of sticking to the music that they have been piggybacking off of for so long, refreshing themes were just what the boys needed to rebrand. After gaining domestic and international popularity, their comeback was a chance to try something new and see how well it would stick. Fortunately, a few critics will not stop the group’s success after reaching over twenty million views in a span of a few days—breaking the group’s record. Nearly a week after the EP dropped, the group secured their first win for “Thrill Ride” on The Show. 

THE BOYZ 1st win for ‘Thrill Ride’

> The Show encore stage: changed some lyrics to ‘deobis’ 🥺💜 #ThrillRide1stwin
@WE_THE_BOYZ pic.twitter.com/aMRmnhbM3y

— 친✨ (@tbzwangdeuls) August 17, 2021

In addition to the EP’s title track, there are five other songs titled “Out of Control,” “Dancing Till We Drop,” “Nightmares,” “Merry Bad Ending,” “B.O.Y (Bet On You),” which each display different sides to The Boyz discography. Each is strong b-sides that give justice to the summer vibe that “Thrill Ride” clearly omits. “Dancing Till We Drop” is built from a groovy melody with layered smooth vocals that make any listener move to the beat exactly as the title implies. Meanwhile, “Nightmares” is a chilling yet intriguing song that is reminiscent of their previous comebacks, such as “Reveal.”

Finally, both “Merry Bad Ending” and “B.O.Y (Bet On You)” are fan favorites. While “Merry Bad Ending” is a calmer, beat-driven song, “B.O.Y (Bet On You)” omits a somewhat summer-nostalgic feeling that one encounters while looking back on past memories. In fact, the latter track is a perfect closing to the summer as we transition from relaxation back into reality.

The Boyz have appeared on every major platform to flaunt “Thrill Ride” and promote the track across streaming services and the Korean charts. Many The B—The Boyz’s fanbase—have gone to social media claiming that it was their first comeback with the group. Now that they have achieved their first win thus far, it is only a matter of time before this comeback surpasses the others. As the number of The B increase, they hopefully will also become one of the fourth-generation powerhouses, alongside TXT and ATEEZ, who have also been at the top of their game for the past year as well.

Fourth-generation K-pop as a whole has been on an upward spiral, coming out with new and improved releases every comeback season. TXT, ONF, and CIX have also dropped new music and are planning to sweep the charts. August has proven to be competition season for many Korean acts, but K-pop fans are lucky to have so many wonderful hits reach streaming services just in time for the school year. The Boyz are constantly interacting with fans on their Instagram and Twitter accounts. Follow them on these platforms for more content on their catchy THRILL-ING EP.