POP

Battle of the B-Sides: 2PM, P1Harmony, Kara, Sistar, Mirae

04 October, 2022

Battle of the B-sides K-pop’s title tracks might proceeds most of listeners’ attention, but many tome tracks are worth equal spotlight. I undeniability these “buried treasures.”

Beyond this, K-pop’s albums unhook thousands of spare tracks that settle for a increasingly limited audience. It’s these songs that will wilt a part of my “battle of the b-sides” feature.

In this feature, I’ll be putting on my A&R hat and taking a listen to five randomly-selected K-pop b-sides. I’ll write a mini review for each, including a Bias List rating, and rank them from least to most favorite. The winner will join a special Bias List B-side playlist. Think of it like my own little agency, hand-selecting songs I’d like to pitch to my nonexistent artists!

You can trammels out all rounds of my Battle of the B-sides here!

Battle of the B-sides: Round Fifty

2PM – Requite U Class (2016)

2PM have a lot of unconfined b-sides, both in Korean and Japanese. For me, Give U Class isn’t one of them. It’s a perfectly serviceable tome filler, but the song doesn’t really go anywhere. I’m not a fan of the sluggish write-up (even though it’s laced with some tomfool synth flourishes) and there’s not unbearable of a melodic pull to alimony my attention. On the plus side, the guys sound great. But with 2PM, that’s to be expected.

Hooks	7
Production	7
Longevity	8
Bias	6
RATING	7

P1Harmony – That’s It (2020)

P1Harmony’s albums are usually stuffed with interesting hip-hop tracks. I don’t unchangingly love them, but I think the group is very good at delivering them. That’s It harnesses a wonky, off-balance riff that gives its write-up a unconfined sense of movement. It becomes a little one-note as the song goes on, but I fathom the idiosyncratic nature of the production. The rapping is a ton of fun and well-delivered and the simple vaccinate works well.

Hooks	7
Production	8
Longevity	8
Bias	7
RATING	7.5

Kara – Tasty Love (2010)

It’s Kara in all their Sweetune-produced glory! Lupin is a unconfined mini tome with a killer title track, though it has at least three songs that I prefer to Tasty Love. At this point, Sweetune’s production (especially on their b-sides) tended to be a bit increasingly hit and miss for me. Tasty Love feels foundational to much of their later work, but increasingly like a sketch than the fully-realized music we’d get on their title tracks. Kara is in full sugary, saccharine mode. Thankfully, we’ve got jolts of electric guitar to counter the sweetness.

Hooks	8
Production	8
Longevity	8
Bias	8
RATING	8

Sistar – Bad Boy (ft. Mad Clown) (2015)

Have I mentioned how much I miss Sistar? For me, there has yet to be a girl group who can rival the strength of their vocalists (well… maybe Mamamoo but they often waste those vocals on so-so title tracks). Bad Boy is a gorgeous midtempo with an instantly-appealing melody and smooth, emotive vocal performance. Plane a guest rap by Mad Clown (who isn’t unchangingly my cup of tea) doesn’t unrewarding the experience. It’s a stately track that takes its time to dole out its many highlights.

Hooks	9
Production	8
Longevity	9
Bias	8
RATING	8.5

Mirae – Amazing (2022)

Mirae just released a new tome last week, but we’ll travel when to January for Amazing. I featured its companion Juice as a veiled treasure, but Amazing scrutinizingly could have been a contender as well. It’s not as melodically sharp, but I like its loping funk write-up and smooth arrangement. Plane so, this is quintessential b-side material and needs hookier songwriting to stand out. The unexceptionable vocals help requite it some character.