Best of February

February saw a lot of great comebacks from artists across K-Pop, K-Hip-Hop, and K-R&B, from some familiar artists and some not-so-familiar artists, allowing me to expand on my music listening with some new tunes. So, let's take a look at some of my favorite B-Sides from last month.

"T4ke" - PURPLE K!SS

The third song from PURPLE K!SS’ EP CABIN FEVER. From the offset, "T4ke" carries a haunted vibe through both the vocals and the song's instrumentation. "T4ke" opens with a creepy tone similar to a musical jewelry box sound and a scream effect, mixed with a melodic, rock meets R&B backdrop. The members’ vocal delivery is unique and strong with their vocal runs also adding to the song's eerie nature. Check out their live performance of "T4ke" below.

"Diamond Life" - The Boyz

From their eighth mini-album, BE AWAKE, The Boyz's single "Diamond Life" will catch your attention from the offset. The song contains a great contrast between the members’ smooth vocals and the energetic, electronic beat. The opening verse contains echoed vocal effects on the end of the words “beautiful,” “hole,” and “fall,” which I really like, and there are a lot of other vocal plays and experiments that I think really add something special to the song. My favorite part is the bridge, particularly the incredible vocal delivery and vocal runs from Sangyeon. "Diamond Life" carries a sound that's perfect for—and reminiscent of—the songs released for League of Legends, carrying a similar vibe and delivery to the music K/DA released. 

"Hey"- SOOVI

R&B soloist SOOVI delivers UK Garage vibes in her track "Hey," taken from her 2023 EP a tempo. Her soft vocals sing over a garage-style beat that you can imagine playing at any UK nightclub and UK radio stations, especially Capital FM. "Hey" is both catchy, calming, and dreamy, being the perfect song to listen to when traveling and wanting to enjoy your own peace and surroundings, like SOOVI in the "Hey" visual film below.

"Dive" - PARK WOOJIN

The fourth track from AB6IX member PARK WOOJIN's debut solo EP oWn. "Dive" uses a downtempo beat against his smooth yet gritty singing vocals and intense rap style. The opening of a melodic acoustic guitar before the rap and downtempo hip-hop beat kicks in catches you off guard but in the best way possible. This effect makes it so you don't know what vibe the song is heading for, so you keep listening, getting pulled into the chill yet intense sounds of "Dive" and PARK WOO JIN's vocals.

Edited by Deshalia Murray