DUH!: The aswer was always obvious

 

Photo: FNC Entertainment

    Eight months after the release of their mini album Sad Song (2024), P1harmony are back with DUH! Consisting of six songs, the EP shows a group that continues to reinvent itself and venture into the world of music. Released on 8 May 2025, this work marks a bold turn in the group's sound, combining influences from 90s/00s hip-hop, afrobeat, and EDM with the vibrant energy of contemporary K-pop.

    The album opens with the single ‘DUH!’, a perfect condensation of the project's essence in just over three minutes. Tense, frantic and sarcastic, the song plays with the meaning of the word ‘duh’, using it as a cheeky response to those who still doubt the group: "Who's that? It's me, Duh!". Throughout the track, metaphors multiply about the stage, fashion and the arduous process of charting a path to stardom. With an aggressive instrumental that mixes striking brass and explosive percussion, the song recalls classic hip-hop, but with the contemporary signature of P1Harmony.

    The second track, ‘Pretty Boy’, turns the narrative of what is expected of masculinity in K-pop upside down. With a reggaeton and afrobeat instrumental, the track combines sensuality and lightness with confidence. For member Soul, it's the song he's most excited to perform, since sensuality is something new in the group, and he believes the fans will like it. The lyrics reconfigure the term ‘pretty boy’, often used in a derogatory way, transforming it into a symbol of self-acceptance and pride (‘Call me pretty/I'm a pretty/Pretty Boy’). The track is refreshing and confident, positioning the group at the forefront of a wider conversation about identity and expression.

    In ‘Murmur’, P1Harmony delve into more irreverent and provocative territory. The track delves into the world of rumours and online hatred, turning criticism into fuel for a firm, unfiltered response. ‘Spreading fake news “shh”/Jealousy is your signature, tell me’. Musically, it evokes the aesthetics of 90s R&B and alternative hip-hop, which matches the rawness and confidence of the message. With lines like ‘Got nothing better to do? / Just busy pulling others down...’ and ‘Started small with dumb stuff / Whispers playing with a life’, the group denounces the snowball effect of digital defamation and directly questions those who feed this cycle. ‘Murmur’ is, above all, an affirmation of identity: there is no room for gratuitous hatred when you have a clear and unwavering vision of who you are.

    ‘Flashy’ brings P1Harmony back to the dance floor with an explosion of confident and provocative EDM pop. Behind the vibrant synthesizers and catchy chorus, the track sarcastically responds to criticism and assumptions about fame: if you shine, it's because you've earned your place. With phrases like ‘stealing your glances’ and ‘you can't touch this paradise,’ the group turns judgement into power. It's a hymn to self-assertion and the right to take centre stage, whether you like it or not. 

    With ‘Over and Over’, the group slows down, going for a more organic instrumental, with jazz-hop beats and soul elements. The song deals with themes such as persistence and their success ‘You can't touch me, you missed your step/Can you even surpass me, how?’. The song summarises the trend of the lyrics of the previous tracks, i.e. how the group won the fight against media attention.

    Closing the EP, ‘Work’ acts as a final manifesto of P1Harmony's unwavering confidence. Produced by Jongseob, the track takes on a more relaxed trap vibe, with spoken vocals, autotune and an almost informal delivery, like someone who no longer needs to prove anything to anyone. ‘That's the difference between me and you,’ they declare, with a controlled disdain for the fact that they're in a league of their own. The energy remains, but now with an air of mission accomplished: the job has been done and the stage is rightfully theirs.   

Rating: 9/10

Portuguese Version: https://www.comumonline.com/2025/05/duh-a-resposta-sempre-foi-obvia/