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.
For awhile now, I’ve preferred most of ITZY’s b-sides to their title tracks. It feels that the agency is choosing title tracks because of their message/concept or producer rather than the actual quality of the music. This has resulted in far more adventurous material being shoved to the back side of albums. We’re more than due for an ITZY title that sounds like DYT.
With talk-heavy dance music all the rage at the moment, I can’t think of a better genre for ITZY to dip their toes into. They have such pleasant voices when the song isn’t forcing them into an overly bratty style and I love the icy performance that drives much of DYT. The track’s stomping electro crunch reminds me of last year’s Untouchable, but DYT‘s structure is more daring and unexpected. The chorus is especially effective, fashioning together disparate fragments of melody in a way that makes total sense. The song never sits in one place for long, switching beats and textures like a sampler platter. DYT somehow holds together throughout all of this. I guess that’s thanks to the magic of its established composer Kenzie.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.75 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
it really makes me mad when a group releases a pretty awful title track but has an insanely good b-side.
additionally, ITZY could have been in the top 50 with this one D:
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hi nick! what are your thoughts on little miss by girlset?
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Doesn’t do much for me, but it’s better than their last song I suppose.
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I really enjoy that they are focusing on their vocals, even if the R&B focus is more saturated in today’s market than their previous work as VCHA. They’ve got a lot of layering to their vocals in the song which is really nice. Camila especially has a wonderfully unique voice and you can usually pick out the other girl’s tones as well, though they seem to have smoothed out Camilla’s vocal style a little, which is sad because her parts were VCHA/A2K highlights. Tangentially, the chest move they did in YO Universe and in Commas has to go, I think it has always looked really awkward.
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This one’s awesome, as is the rest of the album! Dare I say, it’s their best release yet. While I’m also not the biggest fan of the title track, the b-sides are all really solid.
All this being said, the fact that the crazy beat on Focus has gone unutilised for a full song is absolutely criminal. It feels like it’s been ripped straight from a Nine Inch Nails track and it would’ve been sick to hear that as a fleshed out K-pop song. Alas, beggars can’t be choosers…
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I loved the song! Unexpectedly, JYP groups have released some really great b-sides in this genre this year, from 258, Reality Hurts, and now this one. Also, love that we can almost always count on Kenzie to deliver ❤️
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