Best of October 2025
Photo: NCT Japan Official X
While we may be heading towards the middle of November, the songs of October still hold a lasting impression as so many great tracks were released last month, each one gifting listeners with a mixed selection of sounds that had something for everyone to enjoy. With so much to listen to and choose from, here are some of my favorite October B-side tracks that I can't get enough of.
“When I'm Not Around” - YUTA
Once again, YUTA shows how versatile of an artist he is with the release of his first full-length, Japanese album, PERSONA. Since embarking on his solo career in October 2024, YUTA has truly embodied his inner rockstar and released some exceptional rock material, including one of his most recent singles, “When I'm Not Around.” The opening guitar solo immediately pulls you into the song, followed by the enticing drum beats that prepare you for the exciting journey that YUTA's gritty vocals take you on through the song's electrifying world; one that deserves to have its own music video. Listening to “When I'm Not Around” takes me back to some of my favorite rock songs of the early 2000s with YUTA having an excellent rock presence and sound that I'm so happy to see him embrace in his solo work.
“As Time Goes By” - BOYNEXTDOOR
From their fifth EP, The Action, BOYNEXTDOOR surprised me by rewinding back to the glory days of boy band music with the beautiful R&B ballad “As Time Goes By.” Closing the EP, this song feels as if it has stepped out of a 1990’s boy band playbook with it consisting of strong, nostalgic influences of Boyz II Men (within its melody and composition) and the sweet vocal deliveries of other boybands of that particular music era. Having mostly listened to BOYNEXTDOOR's upbeat and energetic pop songs, I love this soft, emotive, approach that “As Time Goes By” adopts, with this style of song making me curious as to what other genres and musical styles I might find in BOYNEXTDOOR's discography.
“FiRE (My Sweet Misery)” - Xdinary Heroes
Although released back in July as a pre-release single, “FiRE (My Sweet Misery)” remains as my favorite B-side single from Xdinary Heroes’s latest mini-album LXVE to DEATH. With its metalcore influence, “FiRE (My Sweet Misery)” makes me want to hear Xdinary Heroes fully embrace this side of their musicality and release an album that pushes them further into a place of metal and heavy rock. The vocals are excellent and the performance of each individual instrument is sublime. While “FiRE (My Sweet Misery)” is more on the heavier side of K-Rock compared to other rock music heard within the K-Pop realm, the song still holds a unique Xdinary Heroes charm and flair, with each of the tracks offering something for people of all generations to enjoy.
Edited by Cara Musashi