Diya Nair, Kochi, Kerala

Cinematic music videos, explosive choreographies, and fashion inspos for days; this is what hooks us onto the title tracks but in the midst of all this; B-sides get overshadowed by their counterparts. Here are 10 B-sides from K-Pop boy groups that you shouldn’t miss!

DAY6’s Afraid

Extending from the general theme of the album ‘The Book of Us: The Demon’; Afraid talks about projecting the tumultuous mental state onto the other person in a relationship. Park Sung-jin mainly penned the lyrics for the song which depicts a normal relationship on the surface but currents of insecurity haunt both of them underneath with the writer worrying if they could bring happiness to their lover. The heartfelt way with which the members render this song portrays how real these insecurities might be to them.

WOODZ’s Accident

The second track from Woodz’s debut album, Accident sets the tone for the title track ‘Love Me, Harder’. Accident is an intense R&B track with heavy vocal influence. The song talks about the dark side of a toxic relationship in which the protagonist is trapped and bears all the mistreatments like it’s an accident. The vocals are performed in a very epic manner that showcases the desperation which suits the twisted concept of the song.

AB6IX’s Heaven

The first thing that you notice about this song is how dreamy it feels! Heaven starts with sweet harmonies of the members and explodes into something more soft and melodic compared to all the other tracks in the album. It compares the person who has been with them together to heaven; how their light helped members to travel through dark times and talks about how if they are together, that place is heaven.

SHINee’s Who Waits for Love

SHINee, in whatever they do never disappoints and it goes the same for the song Who Waits for Love! The song has a light EDM influence with really well-balanced rhythms and grooves, but don’t depend on the song genres to bring light to the concept because it will mislead you, the song is slightly melancholic as it talks about not being able to move on from a relationship and compares the pain to a ‘love flu.’ The only word to describe the song is bold as its slower tempo allows its chorus to shine through.

ATEEZ’s Win

Win is absolutely a ‘no skips song.’ It is high in energy compared to the other tracks in the album. It’s an intense dance hip-hop song with twinges of electronica towards the end of the song. It talks about achieving your goals regardless of whatever comes your way. One of the gold points of this song is its indispensable rap parts performed by members, Kim Hoong-joong and Song Min-gi. The lyrics go along the lines of ‘we are gonna win’ which establishes that Ateez is here to stay and slay!

SEVENTEEN’s Kidult

Coming straight out of Seventeen’s first million-dollar album ‘Heng:garae’ Kidult as the name suggests deals with becoming an adult and all the responsibilities that come with it but also dealing with the kid that is inside all of us. The song’s pop-rock genre makes it perfectly suitable for the bright summer vibes even though its lyrics pack a strong message. The song talks about how it’s okay to embrace all the confusion that comes with this inevitable transition in all of our lives. The rappers of the group also do a pretty commendable job pulling off the melodic rap which contributes to the song’s beauty.

MONSTA X’s Nobody Else

Nobody can deny the fact that Monsta X has been constantly evolving their music ever since their debut in 2015 and ‘Nobody Else’ is a perfect example of their foray into new musical stylings; it can be described as a song with sophisticated pop with hints of synths and grooves. Nobody Else talks about the juxtapositions between a relationship and a perfume where both of them start with fierce fragrance but fade away as time passes. The song does its best job in shining light on all members; be it Shownu’s falsetto midsong or Kihyun’s high note in the end.

THE BOYZ’s Shine Shine

Setting the tone for their Album “CHASE”, Shine Shine starts strong as a chase between the protagonist and the listeners which their title track further follows. The song is heavily influenced by electronic instrumentals and lays the groundwork for The Boyz’s darker tones and moodier sounds. The song is also unique in terms of the fact that it is muck sleek and suave compared to its earlier counterparts. One of the most impressive parts of the song is its last bridge portion which leads to a cinematic climax of the song.

VICTON’s Nightmare

Nightmare starts with an eerily, dark, and Halloween-y like sound that absorbs you right the second the song starts playing, even though Nightmare is a unique spot in Victon’s discography as the members do their best to make the music more like Victon’s and you know what? They succeed right away! Nightmare has a slower rhythm compared to Howling; the magnetic hold of the song is evident from the onset of the first chorus with the main vocalist Kang Seung-sik carrying the chorus with sweet harmonies playing in the background.

GOT7’s Waiting for You

Waiting for You is a song that feels like a warm hug on a bad day. Right off GOT7’s amazing album, Waiting for You is a song on the slower side of the dance genre and a style that is indescribably true to GOT7. The song combines all the good elements of GOT7; honey-like vocals, soft verses, and soulful instruments. This song feels like a fairy tale that you are too afraid to break!

What is your favorite B-side song? Let us know all about it in the comment section below!