K-pop is littered with acts who – for one reason or another – didn’t get the full spotlight they deserved. I’ve spent plenty of time ranking and reviewed the industry’s biggest artists, but these underrated acts should never be forgotten.
This feature will take a look at disbanded groups and rank/rate their entire singles run, placing them in the pantheon of K-pop history.
Next up is BEATWIN!
Career timeline: 2014-2017
Overall sound: Followed the whims of popular K-pop trends, but with very strong vocals.
6. Don’t Leave (2017)
Ah, the sad disbandment ballad. This is better than most, though.
Rating: 7.5
5. Stalker (2015)
The group returned with a harder-edged sound that matched K-pop’s increasing hip-hop influences at the time. The militant chorus is tons of fun, though.
Rating: 8
4. Rising Sun (2016)
This doesn’t feel like a huge musical statement, but the melodies and vocal performance are gorgeous and that comes across as very refreshing eight years later. (full review)
Rating: 8.5
3. Illusion (2014)
This packs a nice wallop with a big effusive chorus countered by a catchy “da da da” hook. The instrumental’s quite funky, too.
Rating: 8.5
2. She’s My Girl (2014)
I miss the days when random debuts from small agencies packed this much punch. She’s My Girl peaks with some nice vocal climaxes over its chugging beat.
Rating: 8.75
1. Your Girl (2016)
Oh, I love this song. The combination of that ultra-catchy synthline and falsetto-kissed chorus is pure perfection. I was always surprised this wasn’t produced by Sweetune because it sounds exactly like one of their songs. (full review)
Wow, thanks, I never heard this band before, but of course, the sentence “I was always surprised this wasn’t produced by Sweetune because it sounds exactly like one of their songs” guarantees a permanent place on my playlist! I would love a list of songs that sound like Sweetune, ’cause I can never get enough of that sound. (You know what song totally gives me Sweetune feels? SHINee’s View. If you play it after listening to Infinite’s She’s Back, the choruses sound like spiritual brothers. I only want to hear these songs if they’re back-to-back, otherwise they both sound incomplete to me.)
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(Okay, that was badly worded; View doesn’t necessarily sound like Sweetune, yet it sounds like a perfect complement to She’s Back & vice versa, if that makes sense.)
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Okay, you’ve inspired me. I’m going to work on a post about songs that sound like Sweetune for tomorrow (or if not tomorrow… soon).
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Great, I can hardly wait!:)
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maybe you could throw in some non-kpop songs in the list as well to spice things up a bit
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I didn’t know this group, thank you for the feature! I especially enjoyed Ilussion and Your Girl.
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I knew their name but that was about it. I wish was there to follow them from the beginning. She’s my girl is my favorite of the bunch!
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