Favorite B-Sides of 2018
Can you believe it’s the last day of 2018? Where does the time go, really? For the final day of the year, I’m taking a look back at some of my favorite B-side releases of 2018.
“Outro: Tear” - BTS
As a loyal BTS and rap line stan, I’m always looking forward to the next hip-hop driven release from the trio. After not getting one of those on the Her album, I was absolutely ecstatic upon first listen to “Outro: Tear.” The first second I heard RM go off, I knew had found my new favorite track. I’m not sure I’m even able to properly express all the feelings I have for this track or all the things I’ve experienced with each listen. Suga’s verse resonated with me on such a deep level that I still get goosebumps every time I listen to it.
“Maze” - (G)I-DLE
Truth be told, I was pretty blindsided by (G)I-DLE’s debut. I didn’t expect to fall in love with them the way I did, let alone that their debut album would be one of my favorites of the year. “Maze” stuck with me long after their debut promotion period ended, not just for the catchy beat but for the meaning behind the song as well. I always deeply enjoyed the portion of the lyrical story switching from being trapped in someone else’s maze to trapping that someone into your own maze.
“Stay” - JBJ95
2018 has been a wild ride as a JBJ stan, from such an amazing comeback in the beginning of the year, to early disbandment, and to new debuts. JBJ95 is composed of my favorite members, so it’s not surprising that one of their tracks made it onto my favorite list for the year. “Stay” provides another warm and comforting message to go along with title track “Home,” and that really captured my heart. To this day, Kenta’s voice smoothly singing “I’ll just be by your side” is still one of the most comforting things for me to hear.
“Voices” - Stray Kids
Stray Kids is another group that surprised me even before their debut, and it didn’t take long for me to fall in love. They’re willing to tackle some of the harder, emotional subjects, and that really shows through in “Voices.” It’s easy for one to relate to the difficult voices in their head, and having someone personify that feeling and discuss their own struggles really helps others cope. “Voices” is incredible in that aspect, allowing everyone to confront their own darkness and not feel alone in the struggle.
“Favorite” - LOONA
After years of preparing for LOONA’s official debut, I was excited to see what was in store for the full group after all the sub-units had been revealed, especially since the sub-units all had such different sounds musically. “Favorite” really got me hyped, since it had a constant zealous melody that never loses energy. It’s a great introduction to LOONA, and definitely helped to build hype around this emerging girl group.