Over the past two years, CRAVITY have adopted a brighter pop style and released the best music of their career. They’ve been on a roll, though pre-release Cheese stalled that momentum a bit. New title track Ready Or Not continues to play with bright boy group sounds, but it’s their most generic title track in a while.
Ready Or Not is solidly constructed and performed. There’s nothing wrong with it, but there’s nothing particularly interesting either. Opening with a catchy guitar riff, the song bursts into a punchy verse that sees the group embracing a freewheeling energy. The pre-chorus slows unnecessarily before percussion returns for the main hook. Unfortunately, this is where Ready Or Not hits some turbulence.
The song’s chorus just doesn’t have the appeal of CRAVITY’s recent triumphs. It feels almost AI-generated — a facsimile of what it means to deliver a K-pop boy group track. From here, Ready Or Not sinks into the dreaded second-verse tempo change before righting itself. Every move feels predictable and safe, which limits the enjoyment of the experience. The song is solid and moderately satisfying, but never pushes beyond that.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8 |
Grade: B-
