One song. Every day. Alphabetical order.
Keep up with EXO’s A-Z reviews here!
History (from Mama – 2012)
Though their discography boasts more ambitious material, History has always felt like a flawless distillation of EXO’s sound. Its effortlessly funky groove combines a bhangra-inspired beat with icy, stuttering electronics and a strong kick that anchors the entire track. EXO’s performance rides the rhythm with convincing swagger, and the vocal arrangement is never boring. The wall-of-sound layering that fuels the chorus is goosebump-inducing, stretched to the point of breaking but never feeling less than forceful. When I was first getting into EXO (and K-pop), it was the explosive Mama that grabbed my attention. But, History made me a true fan. What it lacks in complexity, it makes up for in pure verve, pouncing forward with a crisp efficiency. This is a high water mark for SM’s sci-fi style, fusing their megawatt production with an immensely satisfying pop melody and a rookie group more than capable of delivering charisma by the bucketload.
| Hooks | 10 |
| Production | 10 |
| Longevity | 10 |
| Bias | 10 |
| RATING | 10 |
~
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I didn’t genuinely get into kpop until 2014, but this still ended up being one of the first albums I checked out in full. I absolutely credit it with being one of the biggest “hooks“ that convinced me the genre was worth digging further into, along with SHINee‘s 2013 albums.
I think I was obsessed with every track on the mini pretty much equally….yes, even Two Moons. Unlike with Western songs of the time I never seemed to get tired of replaying them over and over. It was like musical crack to me, lol. That’s the kpop I remember being so captivating!
LikeLike
I remeber that I had already been listening to kpop for 2 years when this came out, this was the song that got me into EXO (I disliked mama). However, coming back 7 years later, I used your rating system and history got 8.5, yet mama got 10, time changes things! Respect your opinion however.
LikeLike
At first this song doesn’t really leave much impression to me but after seeing it on your top list, hearing it again and again…..wow, that jagged funk chorus. It’s one of exo best for sure.
LikeLike