Throwback Thursday: 2015 Battle of the Bands
With much of the Korean music industry dominated by K-Pop, it can sometimes feel like some of the rock bands get overlooked. While it’s hard to not get caught up in the glitz and glamor of the idol industry, sometimes it’s nice to just kick it back with an old-fashioned electric guitar, some bass, and heavy drums. That’s why, for this week’s Throwback Thursday, we’re going back to 2015, and we’re focusing on the bands.
“Congratulations” - DAY6
Between their Youth world tour and their win for “Band Music Award” at the Genie Music Awards, DAY6 has been hitting it pretty big nowadays. Back in 2015, however, the then six-member group from JYP Entertainment had only just made their debut with “Congratulations,” a forlorn song about lost love filled with a certain post-breakup bitterness we can all relate to. Even now, three years later, there’s nothing that hits as hard as that final chorus.
“기가 막혀 (Awesome)” - N.Flying
Debuting in Korea just months before DAY6 was rap-rock fusion band N.Flying with their single “기가 막혀 (Awesome).” While the track is pretty simple in its construction and mixing, it’s nearly impossible to listen to the song and not get the guitar hook stuck in your head. It’s not a good rock song unless there’s a good hook, so it’s safe to say N.Flying delivered with this one.
“Cinderella” - CNBLUE
Perhaps the most well-known band in Korea, CNBLUE released their song “Cinderella” in 2015 as the title track off their second studio album 2gether. Similar to some other songs in their discography, the track has a groovy, electronic feel that’s almost reminiscent of disco. Between the catchy chorus and Yonghwa’s soaring vocals, it can’t get any better, right? Wrong. Watch the music video below.