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.
Though you wouldn’t guess it from my review of Do Your Dance, RIIZE just released one of the strongest K-pop albums of the year. And actually, Do Your Dance has grown on me quite a bit. I only wish it felt like more than half of a song. It works perfectly fine within the context of the album, but every single b-side is stronger. I absolutely love the throwback nature of Like A Bomb and nearly chose to write a double “buried treasure” feature including it as well, but there’s no denying album opener Soar.
SM Entertainment doesn’t promote follow-ups very often anymore, but Soar deserves to become a title track of some sort. Rather than opt for trends and TikTok virality, Soar goes straight for the anthemic pop/rock jugular. It’s uplifting and cinematic and doesn’t shy away from using the guys’ powerful vocals. Best of all, it’s a complete song with multiple highlights that unfurl throughout its running time.
The chorus hits with the most force, offering a dynamic vocal blend that feels like the ascent of an airplane. But really, there’s not a moment I don’t love here. The 90s rock sound of the verses is idiosyncratic enough to stand out and the chugging, chant-along switch-up in the second verse is absolutely galvanizing. Even the shouty rap moments work well within this sonic setting. The fact that they chose to open the album on this note shows that SM knew they had something good here. Now, we just need to find some way to promote it.
| Hooks | 9 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 9 |
Grade: A-
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Yeah this is gold. It’s hard to think of a song that better displays RIIZE’s own unique sound and identity in the kpop world. The final, altered chorus and the second verse with the heavy rock guitars and Sohee’s “yeah, yeah” are my favorite parts
Like a Bomb and In a Loop are my favorite tracks from the album though! Excellent hooks and production
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I haven’t been able to stop listening and thinking about this song since its release. It’s a 9.5 for me. As a side note, I thought you would do a review of every song like you had done with Odyssey?
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Hey Nick, curious to hear your thoughts on the other tracks from the album. What rating would you give each?
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Just off the top of my head, with room to grow/fall obviously:
Soar – 9
D-D-Done – 8.5
Overdrive – 8.5
Like A Bomb – 8.75
In A Loop – 8.5
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This is literally so TVXQ/2nd gen-esque and I mean it in the best way possible (obviously). This also literally passes off as Ember to Solar and Another Life’s lovechild and again, it’s a huge compliment!
9.5 (10, 9, 9, 10) for me. Also, how’d you rank and rate the rest of the songs in the album? The album is pretty solid, I absolutely loved it
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This one bouta go crazy 😜
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“The chorus hits with the most force, offering a dynamic vocal blend that feels like the ascent of an airplane.” EXACTLY!!!! and certain parts of the verses remind me of Ember to Solar.
I’m not even mad about DYD anymore lol bc they gave me this. It’s now competing with about ten other songs for the title of my favorite RIIZE song. My favorite part is Wonbin and Sohee’s lines at the very end.
I wish I could find words to describe how much I love this song and why. I’m calling it SOTY for now bc I don’t think anyone can top it in the next six months.
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I hate to say it but Do Your Dance has grown on me tremendously, it’s currently sitting at a flat 8 for me, probably because I don’t treat the chorus as a nursery rhyme.
Also Nick, do you plan to do an In-Depth review of the whole album and what is your current rating for Do Your Dance?
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Not planning on an album review. Will have the updated rating on next week’s “risers/fallers” after the song has had some more time to simmer.
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Man, I know I’ve heard it as a criticism but the eclectic nature of RIIZE’s music is something that excites me in kpop. It means I’ll get stuff I don’t care for like Do your dance but then I get two or three gems that I adore. This is such a strong album and I’m glad to see that it’s getting some love despite Do your dance being a fairly divisive song (although it has grown on me). In
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Do your dance has grown on me as well, the production really carried.
great buried treasure pick, but I would also like to spotlight Like a Bomb! it’s such a fun song.
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Thank you for answering my prayer 😭😭🙏🙏🙏
On that note, this whole album is a close 9 to me. There’s no single lackluster track. Even the title track has grown on me a lot.
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1) The A&R answered your upbeat boyband request from Inside My Love & I personally enjoy it the most. Like I need mooaaarrr.
2) The first time I heard In a Loop (my second favorite b-side) I felt a tinge of Carly Rae in there (a specific song of hers in the instrumentation), but now it feels more upbeat 1D to me kinda.
3) My personal opinion on Soar is the chorus is the highlight, the bridge makes use of key changes so well (it’s giving Lovelyz to me), the rest of the parts are alright & serve the chorus well.
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