Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
My name is Hels and I’m behind schedule. Now, you may be asking yourself: Hels, what do you do all day that you can be two months behind schedule? Well, let me tell you that staring into space takes up a lot of time. Anyway, let’s get going with some b-sides.
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PURPLE KISS – “Skip Skip”
Finally! A whole mini for PURPLE KISS. Worth the wait, IMO. They’re cute and I’ll be waiting for more from them.
MIRAE – “1 Thing”
More rookies! It feels like March was a good month for rookies, which kind of makes me even more sorry for missing out on them. This song is super cute.
Rain – “Aurora”
Alright, well “Magnetic” and “Why Don’t We” are better songs than this, but this track is still very lovely. I think I have, finally, after 11 years of listening to K-pop, become a Rain fan.
IU Feat. DEAN – “Troll”
This is a very DEAN song, but I am not complaining at all. Firstly because I love DEAN, and secondly because IU can do anything and it’s great. Queen shit.
ATEEZ – “Take Me Home”
My favourite ATEEZ is bombastic, loud ATEEZ, but this achey, sadboy track really works for me. Good job as always, ATEEZ.
G-reyish – “KKILI KKILI”
Right, so this is one of those occasions where this is a b-side because it’s on the mini and isn’t the currently promoted track … but it was also originally released two years ago and has a music video. Whatever, it’s a bop, and these girls could do with more attention. Also, this is only their first mini-album? I admit to being confused on this one.
GHOST9 – “Starvoy”
Straight bop. Nothing more to add. Listen to it!
Pentagon – “1+1”
I’ve never particularly called myself a Pentagon fan despite liking a track of theirs here and there, but this whole mini is actually so good. My other fave is “Baby I Love You”, and I had a hard time choosing between the two.
WOODZ Feat. MOON – “Touche”
Oh WOODZ. Heart eyes all round.
Super Junior – “Paradox”
Super Junior were the first K-pop group I ever loved, and this album kind of reminded me why. This song in particular just … grabbed me from the beginning. I love it and can’t stop listening to it, and while I don’t really like to rank the songs on my playlists, I do pretty much always have a favourite. For March, it’s this one. An absolute jam.
Weeekly – “Yummy”
How does one resist becoming a fan of Weeekly? I am beginning to think that you can’t.
EXO Baekhyun – “All I Got”
The king of silky smooth vocals still reigns supreme, because of course he does.
Sejeong – “Do Dum Chit”
Soloist girls stay winning.
WJSN – “Last Dance”
The drama. The pre-chorus. The vocals. The everything! I am in a glass case of emotion!
B.I – “Blossom”
The return of an immense talent who deserved better. I’m glad to see B.I back, and happy to hear him sing again. This track is, also, very lovely.
UP10TION Jinhyuk – “Asteroid”
I absolutely love the J-rock vibes of this track. It feels very fresh and nostalgic for me at the same time, and in all the best ways. Jinhyuk really tries out several different styles on this album, and for the most part I think the ambition pays off.
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And that’s it!
As always, let me know about any b-sides you particularly loved, and I’ll see you all in less than two months this time.
Happy listening.
