Best B-Sides of July 2023
The K-Pop industry had been treating us well again last month, with so many great songs released by full groups and their sub-units. With so many great songs to listen to, here is a look at just some of my favorite B-sides from last month.
“Let Me In” - EXO
Released as a pre-release single for their latest album EXIST, EXO’s “Let Me In” has quickly become one of my favorite ever songs to exist (no pun intended) in and outside of K-Pop. This beautifully composed ballad is one of many EXO tracks to solidify the members’ positions as “vocal kings,” showcasing their flawless vocal chemistry, exceptional voices, and effortless harmonies. I wouldn’t even consider myself a full-on EXO-L, as I don’t regularly listen to or keep up with EXO, but I truly do believe that EXO is one of the world’s best music acts who deserve a lot more recognition and praise from global markets than they are given.
It’s hard to find the exact words to describe the feelings that I get from listening to “Let Me In,” but each time this R&B-pop ballad track plays, my attention immediately focuses on the song and everything it consists of: the raps, the melody, the way in which the members’ vocals beautifully synchronize together while simultaneously standing out individually, receiving their own spotlight. “Let Me In” is a song that does not disappoint and makes me want to go back and dive into all of their existing discography.
“Get Up” - NewJeans
It feels like a K-Pop crime that NewJeans's single "Get Up" (from their latest and same titled EP) has not been released as a full track. The song only plays for a duration of 36 seconds! But, in a short amount of time, the girls make a massive impact with this song encapsulating a dreamlike nature with NewJeans’s angelic and breathy vocals over the track’s melancholic beat.
Two weeks ago, NewJeans released a music video for fellow B-side track “Cool With You” that also plays as a music video for “Get Up” with the song featured at the end. But let us all keep our fingers and toes crossed that NewJeans will treat us to a full version of “Get Up” one day in the future.
“MOVE” - TREASURE (T5)
The fourth track from their second full album REBOOT, TREASURE’s B-side “MOVE” screams late-‘90s to mid-2000s boy band pop. This pre-release track delivers a sound that instantly made me think of the British boyband Five, carrying a nostalgic yet groovy sound that Five would have released back in the day. In a strange coincidence, “MOVE” is performed by five of TREASURE’s members (JIHOON, JUNKYU, JAEHYUK, DOYOUNG, and JUNGHWAN) released by the group’s new sub-unit, T5.
Written by JUNKYU, “MOVE” is a catchy track that will grab your attention as soon as you hear it. I am personally obsessed with JIHOON’s delivery of the line, “When I walk in the walk in the walk in the street,’’* as this line adds a cool, hip-hop feel to an already slick track, delivered in a fun and addictive way.
*lyrics taken from the music video