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.

Initially, my reception to Xdinary Heroes’ music was pretty chilly, but the band has improved year after year and their 2026 output has been absolutely incredible. Somehow, they’ve become my favorite guitar band in Korea at the moment. I love how they go for the gusto each and every time, playing around with genre and bringing tons of intensity (melodic and instrumental) to a scene that often favors dull ballads.

When it comes to picking a buried treasure, I could have chosen any of the first four album tracks on their new project. It’s just consistently great. I decided to go for one of the more sonically interesting moments. u and me in arguments (lack of capitalization intentional) plays around with dynamics by bringing a bit of screamo to the table. A dash of screamo goes a long way and I wouldn’t enjoy the song nearly as much if they used it too generously. However, the way these guttural, intense moments are used as punctuation on each chorus is brilliant. But even more importantly, the song’s less jolting moments are equally as dynamic, unfurling so many killer melodies in a short amount of time.

Grade: B+