A K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. Sometimes, b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of K-pop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve.
Mistranslations and nonsense titles are something I miss about old-school K-pop! It’s not often we get a track with a title as confounding as “I Got Thing.” The song’s Korean title “친구 사인 아닌 것 같아” roughly translates to “I Don’t Think It’s A Friend’s Signature,” which is also kind of head-scratchy but convinces me that the English title was meant to be “I Don’t Think.”
However, the important thing here is the music. The Wind have released another great album, and this song is its crowning achievement. This is the style of bright, punchy K-pop that instantly appeals to me. I love the big, stadium-ready synth riffs. I love the force with which the guys are singing and how the rap dances along the beat rather than detract from it. The chorus is pure candy floss, tethered to a hulking instrumental that gives it plenty of heft. The production borrows the effusive sentiment of 80’s music without simply becoming an 80’s pastiche. It reminds me of something we might have heard on NINE.i’s excellent album last year.
And, if we dig under the hood we’ll find producer/arranger Seo Yong Bae — one half of the duo that crafted GFriend and Astro’s debut eras. This entire album reminds me of early-Astro, so it’s no surprise to see his name pop up.
| Hooks | 9 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 9 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
The first 15 seconds or so totally sounds like a Sweetune b-side.
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yeah i like it more than title. i wish the wind released instrumental album (like triples did). the melodies and pure musical parts in their songs are sooo beautiful
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Gah, wow. Relentlessly happy clappy. Its like pep pills on crack.
But the success isn’t just making a basic upbeat song. Its the multiple layers throughout. Each instrument is chosen perfectly and nestled inside the next, everyone everything everywhere all at once.
Let’s talk about the bridge, for example. It goes quiet, like bridges do, a lovely little melody for the singers to curl into. And then the singer Goes There. Just rolls over onto the high note so effortlessly. And once he does, immediately kicks in a reprise of the main theme and the obligatory sotto voce rap by a second voice. Three things going at once for a delightful nugget of sound and each is present and distinct. The high note drops and the rap comes to the front. Outro and DONE. Textbook, people, textbook for how it is done.
Great kpop song. It says what it wants to say and ties it all up with a bow.
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OK is it just me or is the chorus totally reminiscent of Man In Love by Infinite?!? I was just listening to that song earlier and coming to this I thought for a second it was a remake hearing the chorus. But it’s really great! Love our dear BFRIEND. 🙂
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I was just listening to this song and thought it sounded like an infinite song. I totally hear “Man In Love” in the chorus!
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