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.
Like title track Snowy Summer, Close Your Eyes’ new mini album doesn’t immediately hit you over the head. Though it’s generally more upbeat than its predecessor, the songs are still pretty subdued when compared to most K-pop. And like their previous work, vocal texture and tone carry the day. Opener Love Paint has been designated as a second title track, which means if could possibly get a music video. That’s great because it’s a fun bit of old-school R&B, but the album’s third track You has caught my attention most.
With You, it feels like we’re getting the melodic heft of Close Your Eyes’ debut bolstered by a more driving beat. It reminds me of their very good How To Dance (a song that I should have featured as a buried treasure). The textures are soft and dreamy but the percussion surges forward and gives the track a bit more intensity. I don’t know what it is, but I keep wanting to compare this group to my beloved B1A4. That’s probably wishful thinking, as I haven’t yet heard any song that comes close to B1A4’s best, but You‘s gentle surge has some similarities that cause me to sit up and take notice. I hope their music continues to flirt with more energetic sounds in the future.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I love B1A4 too! Even though I was not a Kpop fan in their peak era, they have a couple of my favorite kpop songs ever (along with their label mates ONF)…love love love.
“How to Dance” was excellent, even though my favorite on that album is “Close Your Eyes” which reminds me of a more subdued “Higher” by n.Ssign.
“You” is definitely my favorite of this album. There’s something about the way they do this “subdued” sound that is simply perfect for me. 8.5
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I love the atmosphere of the first verse, I thought it was gonna be a dreamy R&B track. I prefer Paint Candy more, I love me some new jack swing.
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Do you have any recommendations for new jack swing music? Particularly in kpop. Thank you.
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ooh there are so many that I can’t think properly atm 😭 but off the top of my head, To reach you from PRODUCE 48 & ROCKSTAR by Jay Chang come to mind
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Thank you so much!
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I actually have an old playlist of this!
Also: VERIVERY’s Tag Tag Tag, which didn’t make it onto this screenshot. Plus, there are probably plenty of ones to add post-2019 but that’s when I stopped adding to this list.
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Your blog is a godsend.
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How to Dance is my favorite song by them thus far so naturally I liked this one. The percolating effect throughout is light and refreshing, and the song itself makes me think of summer nights and road trips. I think it’s a solid album, although I would have liked one more song and Snowy Summer strikes me as the least interesting track.
Also, I’m not familiar with B1A4 but I should probably check them out.
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another series of can you give me your thoughts on these latest songs?
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1 – Boring.
2 – Not really my thing, but it reminds me of the late 90s.
3 – Generic, but fun.
4 – Plodding.
5 – I like this one.
6 – Pretty tired of Afrobeats at this point.
7 – Not enough vocal melody for me.
FYI in the future let’s try to keep these kind of posts to 3-4 videos max. Too many YouTube embeds make the site difficult to view on certain mobile apps and I don’t want people to get kicked out of specific posts.
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Uncomplicated pop, with enough sonic toys for us to be charmed. The percolating sound. Clear, clean vocal. Juuuuust enough melodyne (eg at 0:33, 1:25). The straight ahead bass line, with a surprisingly minimalist instrumental.
Good song, well done.
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Adding … this is going to be tough choice for rookie of the year because so far I have on my list NouerA which I will freely admit that play on repeat more than I should, and Close Your Eyes which have great vocals and people here seem to love them.
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I’d add AHOF to that list too. Their debut song has totally seized my playlist over the past two weeks and they unexpectedly snagged a trio of music show wins.
Then who knows what Big Hit’s new boy group will have in store next month? Could be great.
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I knew Rendezvous was going to get even better with time and I was absolutely right!
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I’m in love with that song, seriously.
They beat Aespa for that third win…!!
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I didn’t expect Cye to get a buried treasure but I’m happy nevertheless. I also prefer Paint Candy but all three of the bsides are well-produced and written with the members in mind.
A note about the vocals: The members don’t have such a huge range like a lot of other groups (whether those ranges are sung with support is another story) so I find it very unique that the team has focused on the tone of their voices and the colours that make them carry. It’s an approach I’d like to see more within the industry especially from groups with an RnB background like Cye.
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