BEST NEW K-POP: BID GOODBYE TO MAY ON A HAPPY K-POP NOTE

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The wait is over; the kings of K-pop have returned and how? BTS’s long-awaited single, after the mega-hit “Dynamite”, “Butter”, has received 220 million views within five days since its release. We badly needed that dose of ‘Butter’ to soothe our minds and feel happy in these trying times. We are also thrilled about the dashing return of B.I., the former leader of IKON, with his new album – Waterfall, scheduled to release on June 1. He has been dropping track films one after another, giving a sneak peek into the music he created and keeping the fans on toes. Overall, it has been an exciting week for K-pop fans across the world. Let’s not delay any further and get right into it.

BTS – BUTTER

The boys have changed their hair colours again, but the colour of their music still stays the same – vibrant. Contrary to their usual style, this summery song shuttles between black and white and color while showcasing their styles immensely. This long-awaited dance-pop number is lively with 80s inspired drums, a catchy bassline, and fun lyrics. Did I mention it’s an English song? The vocalists deliver their lines with overflowing zest and the intermittent backing vocals emphasize on the exciting nature of the track and music video. The instrumental also contains old-school synths that make the listener want to boogie down. The pre-chorus features dreamy vocals from the vocalists. The chorus booms with banging drums and enticing synth lines. The rappers come on near the end of the song with classic flows and great delivery. Truly a powerhouse song from a powerhouse group.

ENHYPEN – FEVER

“FEVER” was a fan favorite from ENHYPEN’s 2nd mini-album, BORDER: CARNIVAL and many fans have desired a music video for it and what a music video they got! The video is adorned with gorgeous visuals featuring all the members in spectacular outfits and picturesque scenes. This track features a melodic bass synth with electric guitar fills appearing once in a while. A guitar bassline is also playing throughout. The percussion is handled by reverbed drums and they stay consistent throughout the track. The production is spacey with dreamy vocals reciting incredibly catchy lines about the shackles of love and its effects on a human. The song has a drunk and blurred vibe, perfectly suited for the tracklist of the mini-album, considering the first single, “DRUNK-DAZED”.

HEIZE – HAPPEN (WITH SONG JOONG GI)

If you get to have Song Joong Gi in your music video, half the job is done. He romances Heize in this beautiful MV and sweeps us off our feet. The track begins with a mellow acoustic guitar fill behind the song’s hook. Then, it moves onto the catchy verse, HEIZE’s soulful vocals shining through every section of the song. The verse has a groovy bassline and a soft kick drum beat. The track then moves to the chorus where the snare and hi-hats are introduced with a rhythmic electric guitar strumming. The track is minimalistic with the focus on the melodies that HEIZE croons sweetly. The bridge features HEIZE’s emotional lines with whole-note finger-snaps and a finger-style acoustic guitar part with angelic backing vocals. The last chorus has HEIZE adlibbing over the repeated hook.

EVERGLOW – FIRST

They are spellbindingly beautiful, dark, eccentric and aggressive. They perform with such abandon that you cannot help but fall in love with them. The video does a great job to capture the amazing spirit and unconventional ways of the everglowing girls. This comeback single is powerful, keeping on-brand with the band’s style. With a great hip hop beat and cutting production, this track shows off the members’ vocals and rapping ability. The track starts off mellow with a building string section, then the track shows off hefty trap drums with a prominent horn plug-in throughout the song. The instrumental completely explodes in the chorus with a syncopating bass synth pattern, strong 808s and a reverbed snare. The vocalists express their parts charismatically and the rappers shine as this beat is perfect for their style.

TO1 – SON OF BEAST

The ten-member group has released their first song after rebranding to a new name. This re-debut is sure to bring in new fans as this is a great, fun song with unforgettable catchiness. The song features a groovy bassline with a prominent kickdrum and snare. The pre-chorus features dreamy piano fills with eloquent vocals. The track is a dance-pop number with sufficient groove to make a whole parade dance in joy. The rappers have captivating and hard-hitting verses with memorable parts such as J.YOU’s “Right?” The vocalists offer the same amount of zest and the chorus is an earworm with booming production and a simple topline.

YUQI – BONNIE & CLYDE

The solo debut of (G)I-DLE member, YUQI, is an enticing English R&B song that features her immaculate dark vocals over a high-tempo “The Weeknd” style beat with 80s themed bass guitar and drums. YUQI’s voice is truly the highlight of this number with her deep, engaging tone that resonates perfectly with the instrumental. The chorus accents old-school synths with a powerful snare drum and bass drum pattern. The vibe is dark and dreamy with an underlying dark feel. It is a strong and absorbing debut track, and it does an excellent job in keeping the listener’s interest.

PIXY – LET ME KNOW

This is a dance banger with incredible production featuring the 6 members in their rightful habitat. Each member shows off their talent, whether it be vocals, rap, or dancing. The verse contains beautiful vocals over an acoustic guitar chord-strumming, a honky piano synth-line and rolling hi-hats. The pre-chorus is epic with war-like drums. The chorus is booming with a horn-like bass section with hard-hitting 808s and percussion, not to mention, the dirty descending toms drum pattern. The rappers flow smoothly through this beat. The bridge features gorgeous vocals with calming piano chords that later builds up with the snare drums increasing in tempo, which explodes into the ending chorus.

GWSN – LIKE IT HOT

The video gives off a Red-Velvet’s-“Psycho” vibe. However, the members with their unique dance moves and music, have managed to make it an impactful one. GWSN has released a new single that features a beautiful synth-line, filtered drums that eventually become clear and great vocals from the talented members. The chorus is minimalistic with a bass synth and drums with open hi-hats. It features more pretty vocals with some stylistic tuning. The hook is catchy and cheery. The rap parts are solid with interesting vocal inflections that keep the song from dying down in hype. The bridge has an unusual drum pattern with nice piano synths playing while the vocalists deliver their parts competently. The last chorus has added spacey synths that offer a different vibe to the song.

Next week we have B.I. to look forward to. So, come back next Thursday to get an update on what he’s been up to after IKON.

Chencho Thomas is a lover of words, agnostic most times, self critic, passionate traveller, movie junkie and a foodie who cooks. Coffee, Coldplay and Camus are the three C's she can’t do without. K-Pop has been a part of her life from 2014 and she’s never had a dull moment since then.