With over 5,000 songs on my iPhone’s “K-Pop Singles” playlist, I thought it would be fun to add a bit of unpredictability to my song review posts. So as a result, we have the “Random Shuffle Review” feature.
The rules are simple. I fire up my playlist, press “shuffle,” and whatever song plays first gets the full Bias List treatment!
Year Released: 2013
You know it’s a good Friday when a Sweetune song pops up on my random shuffle. I haven’t been shy about my feelings toward this production team and this song comes directly from their imperial phase.
If we look at K-pop boy groups today, there are distinct concepts with specific songwriting styles attached to each. We’ve still got the bubbly, bright melodic fare (usually my favorite). We’ve got the moody, vibey stuff that often sacrifices energy and melody in favor of atmosphere. Then, we’ve got the shouty, chanty bad boy posturing crap. Very few songs exist outside these templates, and a song like Boyfriend’s I Yah just doesn’t exist at all. This is the kind of song — edgy and powerful but not shouty, emotional but not boring — that first drew me to K-pop. For the life of me, I don’t understand why the industry abandoned it.
I Yah is an absolute dynamo. Funky guitar riffs form its ultra-rhythmic instrumental, accented with synth that drips with texture. Vocal hooks abound, swirling across the propulsive instrumental with glee. The chorus forges an overwhelming presence, bringing the guys’ vocals together to craft a triumphant wall of sound. And this being a Sweetune production, we even have a key change at the climax to drive home I Yah‘s single-minded pursuit. It’s intense with no lulls, no sing-talk, and no shouting. K-pop producers: you can still make tracks like this. I’m sure Boyfriend would be happy to lend you this legendary song as inspiration.
| Hooks | 10 |
| Production | 10 |
| Longevity | 10 |
| Bias | 10 |
| RATING | 10 |
Grade: A+
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
i was listening to janus when this dropped….
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Another 10!
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saw the 10 rating coming from a mile away before I even clicked on the post
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I hear way more about Janus, which has never been my favorite, than I do about I Yah, so it’s nice to see this one get its flowers! And a 10!
I loved I Yah when it came out. It was such a nice way to mature Boyfriend’s image while not feeling forced. And that unique camera tracking effect still looks cool.
I’m with you, I wish we could get songs like this again. The boys need them. I used to love boy groups in K-pop, but I hardly listen to them anymore.
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Oh my, such a classic. Among many other things, the song actually makes one physically move your shoulders to the beat, like good songs should. Also KEY CHANGE. Yasss key change.
I can date the song by the sound and also by the video – the classic dance in front of some geometric set piece video.
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Great song! Couldn’t find it on my 2013 list, but turns out I put it in 2012 (along with Janus) since the album was released then.
Have you considered making top 10 (or 50) lists for years prior to 2012? I see you did the top 3 month by month for those years, but I’d love to see them all ranked by year!
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Call me an addict the way I wanna inject this song into my bloodstream
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I was making my 10/10 k-pop playlist few weeks ago, like actually a seriously thought and currated playlist, and it took quite a while to finish
This song, this damn song, is actually the first song I put on the playlist, instantly
Timeless banger, it gets better the more I listen to it
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