Late on the Hype Train
With a lot of songs or artists, many people fall in love with them upon first release whereas I have been known to become obsessed with songs or artists many months, or even years, after the song has received a lot of hype and attention from fans and everyone has already moved on to the next release. For example, I became obsessed with B.I's "BTBT" many months after the song dropped and Jackson Wang's "Titanic" two or three years after its release, and I still have both of these songs on repeat today! So for this week's B-Sides, I thought I'd share some other artists or songs that I have happily grown to enjoy and obsess over way later than everyone else.
“The Leaders” - ATEEZ
While I love ATEEZ today, I am ashamed to say that I didn't become an ATINY until a few years after their debut, but I'm so glad I did! They have so many great B-Sides to choose from but “The Leaders” from their 2021 album ZERO : FEVER Part.2 is truly one of my favorite songs from ATEEZ.
I am obsessed with the whispered pre-chorus and the flow in which Wooyoung sings his lines here. “The Leaders” is just such an energetic and exciting track, with its heavy hip-hop beat and powerful rap and vocal sections, making it the perfect track to listen to at any moment you want to feel hyped up and energized. Watch ATEEZ perform “The Leaders,” along with two of their other incredible B-Side tracks “Good Lil Boy” and “TO THE BEAT,” below at KCON 2022 Saudi Arabia.
“DON'T FORGET” - iKON
While I had heard and enjoyed some of iKON's music in the past, I didn't fully get into this group until their participation on Mnet's survival show Kingdom: Legendary War in 2021 (I know, I'm sorry iKONICs). Since then, I have fallen for both their old and new sounds. They have so many great B-Sides to listen to, but "DON'T FORGET," the eighth track from their 2018 album Return, is one of my favorites B-Sides from them.
iKON are great at doing any style of music, but "DON'T FORGET" is a song that truly shows iKON's strength at performing emotional ballads. It's a beautifully written and performed song that will have you in your feels as you listen to the raw emotions shown through each member's vocals. If you want a song that will give you goosebumps, send shivers down your spine, or make you feel emotions, then "DON'T FORGET" is the song for you.
“Evanesce” - Super Junior
“Lo Siento,” featuring American singer Leslie Grace, was my first introduction to Super Junior. Since I first heard that song, I'm not ashamed to admit that I went back to the very start of Super Junior’s career, listened to a lot of old Super Junior songs, and watched most, if not all, of their variety show appearances, from their early years to today.
From their extensive discography, “Evanesce,” the third track and B-Side from their seventh album MAMACITA, became my ultimate favorite song from Super Junior. A ballad with a slight hip-hop beat, “Evanesce” perfectly highlights the members' vocals and their vocal chemistry, showcasing great falsettos (even with Eunhyuk, the groups main rapper) and harmonies throughout, but especially in the chorus. It’s a beautiful song, with an incredibly cinematic and must-watch music video, that deserves a lot more attention than it currently has.
Edited by Deshalia Murray