B-Sides of a Pentagon

Cube Entertainment’s most recently debuted boy group PENTAGON had their third comeback of the year with “Runaway.” Though only debuting in 2016, the group has already gathered quite a following in the K-Pop community. Luckily for us, their title songs aren’t the only musical gems these boys have to offer.

“멋있게 랩”

It’s no secret that I am a pretty vocal rap line stan in general, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that “멋있게 랩” is one of my favorite PENTAGON songs. “멋있게 랩” is a track that exclusively features the rap line: E’Dawn, Wooseok, and my absolute favorite, Yuto. Every time I hear that signature introductory “Yutoda,” I know I’m about to straight have my wig snatched off. If you’re still unfamiliar with the rap line’s talent, invest some time into “멋있게 랩.”

It’s Over 

Keeping it slow and maintaining the melancholy feel of DEMO_01 title track “Like This,” “It’s Over” is a soft and angsty love song that immediately follows second to the title. Feeling particularly emotional and want to further that outpour of emotions by playing depressing music (because we all do that, don’t even lie)? “It’s Over” is the perfect choice. The vocals are beautiful and rather heart-wrenching along with the melody. Sometimes we all need a good ballad to get emotional over, and PENTAGON delivers.

“Beautiful”

PENTAGON has proven to have two sides to their sound: the high-energy and intense melodies or the soft and sweet melodies, and “Beautiful” is certainly the latter. The song was produced by my fave Ilhoon of BTOB, and I especially appreciate that the song is one of the few K-Pop songs produced in a waltz time signature (and I believe it’s in compound time as well!). The song itself is musically gorgeous—not only for that but also for the stunning key change in the final verse. PENTAGON’s talents really shine through in their delivery of this track. 10 out of 10, A+, my ears are blessed, my BTOB bias is a genius, and PENTAGON is ridiculously talented; thank you for this gift.

“귀 좀 막아줘 (Organic Song)”

Surprise, surprise, we have another rap line song featured. “귀 좀 막아줘 (Organic Song)” comes off debut mini-album PENTAGON. It’s different from “멋있게 랩” significantly because it does not feature that intense, “swagger” sound typically associated with rappers; instead, it’s a soft and warm song that focuses more on letting the verses deliver the feeling of the melody. Leader Hui is also featured on the song along with the rappers.

"Critical Beauty 예뻐죽겠네"

It’s not a B-side, but “Critical Beauty” is getting an honorary mention from me because it may be one of my favorite releases of the year. The song samples legendary artist Elvis and has a distinct 1950s’ pop sound, which I absolutely adore. The concept and sound are equally unique and are truthfully what really got me hooked on PENTAGON.