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.
At this point, it seems as if I’ll be reviewing every new TWS track. They haven’t yet released a song I’d rate below an “8” and that track record continues with new anime OST N.O.S.A. I can’t for the life of me figure out what those letters stand for, but the song itself is so much fun. What could have easily been a slight pop track (both in its content and running time) becomes something quite interesting thanks to its arrangement. N.O.S.A is not an a cappella track, but it’s performed in that style. Nearly the entire song is sung in vocal harmony, layering the guys’ voices in a way that sparks consistent interplay and surprising twists. As an avid viewer of TWS’s behind the scenes content, I know the members occasionally bust out harmonies like this while they’re going about their day (a couple of them are almost always singing, honestly). It’s nice to hear this funneled into an upbeat funk track.
Another thing I like about N.O.S.A is its wonky English. I generally prefer minimal English in my K-pop or J-pop tracks, but I have a huge soft spot for English phrases performed in novel ways from non-native speakers. It’s fascinating to hear the language twisted in unusual ways. For example, you’d never hear the word “gonna” delivered with a big pause between its two syllables, but that pause (and shift in tune) forges the chorus’s central hook. That phrasing tickles the ear in an unexpected way, making it strangely addictive. In a similar way, I want to praise Shinyu’s spoken word moments in this track. He simply has a great rap voice that’s so bright and colorful to listen to.
Basically, this song caught me off guard in the best way and I’m delighted to have it. It sounds like nothing else on my playlist at the moment.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 10 |
| RATING | 9 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
A really idiosyncratic and fun song – I feel like we rarely hear harmonies like this outside of SM groups.
I also can’t for the life of me square this song against the Anime Mad Max vibes of that cover art, and also had no idea this was a series coming out this season, so guess I’m giving it a watch to see how it all fits together lol.
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Apparently it’s on Disney+? I don’t often watch anime but the description sounds interesting so I might give it a try.
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So I ended up watching the first two episodes of this anime last night – it’s alright! Charmingly ’00s-era stuff in its general feel, and the English dub is good. TWS’s song actually plays during the opening sequence, which surprised me. The soundtrack seems all over the place, but I also think that’s the show as a whole lol.
Overall it feels kinda style over substance, but I’ve been enjoying it so far, and I’ll probably see it through for the nostalgia vibes and to support good dubbing.
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It’s some of the unique delivery of U Need Me, with the bounciness and funkiness of some of EXO and RIIZE’s material.
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It’s more NCT Dream than NCT Dream is these days. There is even a lyric “let’s keep on dreaming”.
The rest of the lyrics, being in English, are truly vapid. Damn you, full English lyrics!
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I won’t pretend the lyrics are objectively good, but I love how weirdly phrased they are. You can tell they weren’t written by a native speaker and that helps them avoid cliches. For example, these are such odd ways to say the following things, and I find that very charming:
“Moving light is on you”
“Any songs can groove with you“
“It’s okay to blow out a breath“
“DJ, please keep spinning up“
“And I feel that you start to be sure of yourself“
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i adore these type of sounds. tws is still going strong! i can’t imagine that their music starts to actually falter and kowtow to current and modern trends. trap breakdown, atmospheric production , empty soundscape, sing-talk and rap with no melodies. haizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz🙄but i swear tws and riize new album? so geurch
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