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.
Not too long ago (2021, to be exact), I was inspired to write a track-by-track review of a Key album. Oh, I wish those days would return! I’m so frustrated by Key’s recent output (Hunter notwithstanding). I know what he’s capable of and he seems like one of the few idols who genuinely loves full-on pop music, but this new album tempers its stylish production with ultra bland melodies/songwriting. Where. Are. The. Hooks?!?
Overall, the album’s a big pass for me but I still wanted to highlight one of its stronger songs. Glam gets closest to replicating the colorful, energetic appeal of Key’s best work, even if it’s held back by (you guessed it) dull melodies that feature way too much predictable sing-talk. Still, the chorus is nice in a straightforward way and the staccato beat that follows reminds me of his bandmate Taemin’s excellent Guess Who. Even so, it feels like Glam could go twice as big and bold and be all the better for it. As a listener, I crave ambition and a sense of scale. If anyone can provide that, it’s Key. So, let’s get on with it!
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.25 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
this is actually not bad of a song.. anyways, remember when you said that August usually has the strongest hits? honestly, it feels quite subdued for me. we still have 15 more days to go!
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Yeah this August has been rough… but mostly, it’s been BORING.
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will there be a buried treasure for AMPERS&ONE?
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No
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as I imagined. beats sound good but the songs are too focused on sing-talking.
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I was curious what you’d say about the album, because honestly i couldnt disagree more lol. This is easily one of my favorite kpop albums released in ages, even if a couple of the songs are /somewhat/ of a miss for me (really just Want Another). Glam is definitly my favorite too though, along with Hunter and Picture Frame. Idk how itll age, but for now its absolutely on repeat for me
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NME gave the album a 5/5 rating, imagine my shock when I saw you tweet that you didn’t like it lol
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NME gives everything a 4 or 5 rating. It’s basically a K-pop stan account at this point.
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Oh my gosh, I’m not the only one who wasn’t feeling this album as much as his previous releases! My reasons are a bit different. For me there’s a lot of experimental sounds on this album, and I’m just not as big fan of that. There are a lot of great ideas present, but I struggle to fully connect with a lot of them because I find other parts irritating or a turn off. Strange is a perfect example. The instrumental is big and bold, and he has a great power note in there, but the distorted shout sing in the chorus irritates me enough to keep me from wanting to listen to it.
Hunter is fantastic, and I love it. My favorite b-side is 100% Lavender Love – I’m super duper biased towards that type of sound and the time signature. I do also really like Glam though. The sung melodies are great, and it thumps really good. Trap, Infatuation, No Way, and Picture Frame are all on the like side of neutral, too, but I don’t feel nearly as strongly about them as I have previous Key B-sides. Trap and No Way get repetitive melodically, and Picture Frame’s staccato instrumental in the chorus throws me off a bit. Goodness knows I love hearing Key belt for the rafters though, and he definitely delivers that all over this album. So while this is probably my least favorite of Key’s albums to date on the whole, I’m still enjoying it.
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Not the buried treasure being ranked lower than the title track, haha.
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Yeah I was left a bit, lukewarm after listening to the album. I felt like a lot of the songs don’t have much space to breathe and fully explode. Hunter is still going strong for me though which I’m happy about.
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