I remember dragging SF9’s “Enough” last year because of its mismatch with the group’s newfound attention thanks to Chani’s involvement in SKY Castle and in all fairness, the mid-tier success of “Now or Never”. It also didn’t help that “RPM”, their other comeback track for 2019, was bland as hell. Seriously, I was all in for Now or Never because it’s a sound not a lot of boy groups dare to explore but then they follow it up with not one…but two tracks that pull them back to generic bg territory…I can’t!

Fast forward to their newest comeback “Good Guy” and what do we get? Highest views in 24 hours? Check. All tracks charting on Melon? Check. Highest first day sales? Check. First win? Check.

UPDATE: Second win!!! Well, it seems like good guys do not finish last, they finish bad. Not bad meaning bad but bad meaning good, you know!

I guess a huge part of this success is due to good, good, good marketing. I mean, the bigger K-Pop acts are set to come back by February so this month is a good time to promote if we wanna get some wins. This may sound harsh, but netizens usually call this “robbing an empty house” for smaller groups but I will have to disagree especially for SF9’s case. They’re not just some struggling group – they have regular comebacks, sell well enough, and even get to do small tours here and there. Lastly, Red Velvet, though inactive, is right up there in the charts along with other huge K-Pop songs from last year.

It’s just that winning a music show is a great leap for a group who wants to hit it big. Therefore, it’s not robbing an empty house, it’s just a well-executed comeback.

It also helps that Good Guy is packaged with a ton of budget. The MV looks good, the boys look dapper as hell (despite doing sports in suits), and the song sounds lush. It’s not a surprise that it gives major Now or Never vibes because it was produced by the same team. And while I do understand now that FNC wants the group to be quite versatile, it is safe to say that they have found their niche in songs like these two so they better stick to it!!!

Now, would they be getting those wins earlier had they promoted this instead of Enough last year,? Probably. Chani was raking a lot of views from a fancam alone so a consistent sound would really work on their favor. Maybe not because Enough was released a little late to ride with the post-SKY Castle hype. Good Guy’s success, at the end of the day, is another testament to the fact that success in K-Pop is sometimes really about timing.

Oh well, I guess I’m back on board the SF9 train and their followup will make me decide if I have to stan for good or hop whenever I feel like they deliver. Remember AOA hitting daebak with Miniskirt and they made the sexier concept their bread and butter? Will we be getting the same for SF9? I wouldn’t mind, personally but a little throwback to their Mamma Mia era or Easy Love sound has quite a nice ring too.

Mamma Mia is one of SF9’s finest moments which is also one of their most overlooked.

What about you? Let me know on the comments below.

P.S: The rest of the album is pretty good in a sense that it keeps up with the chic sound of Good Guy. Current faves are “Am I The Only One” and “Dance With Us”.

Stream First Collection below: