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.
Listening to NCT Wish’s new mini album, I’m even more confused why the irritating poppop was chosen as its title track. Any other song would have been a stronger choice, especially when you’ve got a track like Melt Inside My Pocket that brings together famed SM producers Kenzie and Andrew Choi.
On the NCT Wish continuum, this song exists closer to their edgier Songbird style. “Edgy” isn’t really a thing for Wish, so that’s all relative, but Pocket has a bit of grit that anchors it in a better place than their more saccharine material. More importantly, the track finds a way to include SM’s patented wall-of-sound vocals during the chorus. It’s so refreshing to hear the guys sing instead of shout, and this catchy hook fuels Pocket in a satisfying way. Meanwhile, the production offers a dynamic blend of rugged synths and more propulsive rhythms that give the chorus a sense of drive. It’s much more interesting and definitely more palatable than poppop and paints a stronger musical image going forward for NCT Wish.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
are you considering to write about unis bside “from a seed called ‘what’s up?’”
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I was just waiting for you to write about this song! It was my favorite from the album. I personally would give it a 9/9.25. Silly Dance was another favorite, it’s gives me 2nd gen vibes.
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Would give the same rating. We also share the same fave tracks hehe
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This is a damn near perfect song to me. Boy group excellence. Its only flaw is not being the title track.
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Yep, this is more SM quality. For me, rating is about right, mid-8’s.
My biggest bugaboo is that is just ends
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What are your thoughts on reviewings songs from asian tv shows & animes? There can be some bangers from the “idol” genre of anime truly. This is one of my favourite pop songs of all time and it’s the opening from the idol anime “Dream Festival”
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Love the synth work on this. The whole song in general is dynamic and futuristic-sounding in a way SM has shown they can be good at, wish they worked with this sound way more often than they do.
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This is really good for me. The melody is soaring and the vocal performance is very emotional. I’m going to give this an 8.75 but it’s probably going to go up to a 9.
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