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’m not sure you can call Korea’s official World Cup cheering anthem a “buried treasure,” but TWS’s Dream With Us doesn’t have a music video (yet?) and I’m not going to pass up a chance to write about it in whatever format I need to. I don’t know much about the World Cup despite it taking place in my backyard this year, so this will likely be the one related piece of media that will be touching my life.

To me, Dream With Us sounds more like a sprightly OST for a youth drama, similar to the OST efforts TWS released last summer. It’s a pounding, feel-good rock track with an optimistic energy and melodies that feel instantly familiar. In this way, the song comes across as more generic than most of TWS’s material, but as usual their performance imbues it with a specific tone unique to them. I really enjoy the chorus, which delivers a soaring refrain punctuated by jubilant exclamation marks. This is echoed by incessant percussion and waves of electric guitar. Rather than a football match (which I’d probably never attend, to be honest), Dream With Us feels primed to echo out of my car stereo on summertime drives. I’ll gladly take it!

Grade: B+