With Post-Military Single “I’ll Never Love Again,” WOODZ Proves Once Again He Is At the Top of His Game

Soloist and songwriter, Cho Seungyoun, known as WOODZ, is back from his two-year military enlistment hiatus, bolder and more rock than ever with his single release “I’ll Never Love Again” and accompanying track “Smashing Concrete.” “I’ll Never Love Again” is more than a welcome-back; it’s a long-awaited response to his overwhelming, breakout success with “Drowning.” Released in 2023, “Drowning”’s virality only rose to a peak two years after its initial release – during the artist’s military hiatus. As “Drowning” topped Melon Top100, Genie, and Bugs, winning music shows and K-Rock playlists alike, it’s only now, following his return from the military, that WOODZ can freely respond to his explosive success.

True to his desire to evolve, his two answers – “I’ll Never Love Again” and “Smashing Concrete” land every punch with a thwack: sheer rock n’ roll guts. 

“I’ll Never Love Again,” true to its name, lays it all out: rock, angst, despair, gospel-choir backing tracks. Above it all, WOODZ’s trademark soaring, sharp vocals lament “I felt I was dying / My world collapsed again” and “I’ll Never Love / It Burns Me Down.” And burn it does in the music video, as he stands against the burning ruins of the song’s eponymous letters on a billboard: “I’ll Never Love Again.” The obscene heartbreak, jagged edges, and cresting vocal lines of “I’ll Never Love Again” again deliver the tear-stricken ballad rock that puts him on the map. Yet, this song is neither complacent nor stale; it provides the same sheer agony of a track like “Drowning”, but the forceful, punchy instrumentals make it its own catharsis: one track (“I’ll Never Love Again”), heaving sobs, the other (“Drowning”), a profound, empty numbness.

“Smashing Concrete,” initially released on YouTube as a visualizer one week after his return from enlistment, leans into a ‘90s grunge rock sound and processed, shouty vocals, reminiscent of his prior tracks “HIJACK” or “Who Knows.” The title says it all: doggedly breaking down barriers, rebelling and ignoring futility, WOODZ again and again smashes concrete. This tenacity reflects his creative process too, recently revealing in an interview with Teen Vogue that, despite nearing completion on his next album, he’s opted to scrap the project, to achieve a more authentic, creatively defined result in 2026, rather than rush something lackluster just to capitalize on his current momentum. I’ll Never Love Again will just have to tide everyone over until he’s satisfied.