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.

I’ve been meaning to write about this song for almost two weeks now but new releases haven’t slowed down enough to give me time. I haven’t really returned to Tempest’s latest mini album and found its title track to be a bit of a shrug, but b-side Nocturnal stands out as an obvious hit that really should have led the album campaign.

Composed by unsung K-pop stalwarts SQVARE and Avenue 52 alongside newer producer Rouno, Nocturnal is the kind of speedy boy group banger that always appeals to me. Its lithe frame bops along without interruption, pushed forward by rhythm guitar and bouncy percussion. And though the track’s chorus at first seems to be the kind of skeletal anti-drop that can derail a song like this, it quickly bounds into a more forceful melodic refrain. Nothing here reinvents the wheel, but Nocturnal takes a welcome set of tropes and polishes them to a high level. To be honest, I’ve kind of lost interest in Tempest over the years, but a single like this could easily put them on the map once again.

Grade: B+