Throwback Thursday: November Comebacks
November has finally arrived, and while the nights are now dark, cold, and gloomy, the K-Pop industry continues to shine bright as November is one of K-Pop’s most popular months for comebacks and new releases. This November, fans can look forward to exciting and highly anticipated comebacks from the likes of The Boyz, Super Junior-D&E, GOT7’s Mark Tuan, and MONSTA X, as well as some debuts from the likes of ASTRO’s MJ and Mystic Story’s new girl group Billlie. So with all of these new releases prepared for November 2021, for this week's Throwback Thursday, let’s take a look at some previous comebacks that have taken place in November over the last five years of K-Pop.
“Pray (I’ll be your man)” - BTOB
On November 6, 2016, BTOB made a comeback with “Pray (I’ll be your man),” the title track from the group's ninth mini-album, NEW MEN. “Pray (I’ll be your man)” marked BTOB’s return to a more uptempo dance concept accompanied by haunting ballad-style vocals and intense rapping, with a cinematically dark music video showing the members praying in war-torn streets and religious settings, starring Elkie of BTOB’s sister group CLC, as the members’ love interest.
Those unfamiliar with the song may have heard “Pray (I’ll be your man)” more recently as Stray Kids covered the song as part of Mnet’s Kingdom: Legendary War. Check out Stray Kids’ version below.
“You In Me” - KARD
On November 21, 2017, co-ed group KARD made a comeback with “You In Me,” a tropical house and synth-infused EDM title track from YOU & ME, the group’s second mini-album. While the song is typical of KARD’s trademark music style, the music video takes a completely different route from KARD’s previous songs, with the “You In Me” music video showing the members portraying two couples (J.Seph and Jiwoo, BM and Somin) in a sexy yet eerie concept of a dark, twisted love.
“Tempo” - EXO
On November 2, 2018, EXO made a return with the group’s fifth studio album DON’T MESS UP MY TEMPO, and title track “Tempo.” Not only a music comeback, but “Tempo” also marked the return of EXO member Lay, who participated in the Chinese version of the song and made a long-awaited cameo appearance in the Korean version’s music video. With its blend of different music genres, such as synth, R&B, and funk, and its infusion of adlibs, harmonies, and auto-tune effects, “Tempo” is a song that shouldn’t work but it absolutely does, with the EXO boys bringing together the perfect upbeat comeback sound.
“You Calling My Name” - GOT7
On November 4, 2019, GOT7 released their long awaited 10th mini-album Call My Name and a music video for the album’s title track “You Calling My Name.” The music video expresses a sleek and sexy yet dark concept with the GOT7 members dressed in leather suits, surrounded by minimalist backgrounds of white, grey, and black. The song itself takes on a different style from GOT7’s previous music, straying away from the group’s usual upbeat, EDM style to a new hauntingly smooth, funk-inspired track that perfectly highlights both GOT7’s vocal line and rap line.
“Love Killa” - MONSTA X
On November 2, 2020, MONSTA X made a comeback with the music video for “Love Killa,” the group’s title track from their third full-length album Fatal Love; a suave and seductive sound accompanied by a thrilling, cinematic music video. In the music video, each member portrays a role inspired by an iconic Hollywood movie bad boy or villain such as The Dark Knight (JOOHONEY), American Psycho (Minhyuk), Silence of the Lambs (Kihyun) and Fight Club (Hyungwon), although I.M and Shownu’s movie references aren’t as obvious as the others. With the music video showcasing the members talents in acting, the song itself is the perfect blend of pop and rap music, and together with the music video is an example of MONSTA X’s talents as all-rounders within the K-Pop industry.