Top 20 Korean Band/Soloist B-sides of 2022 (Part 1)

  

    This is the third time I've made annual top 20 lists for Korean releases, but this is the first time I've split soloists and bands into their own category. Honestly, bands and soloists should have their own individual categories, but I don't listen to enough k-bands to make separate lists for them. Maybe someday?

      Anyways, in order to highlight as many different artists as possible, I selected only one song per artist per list. I will share the songs that almost made the cut though, if there are any. Also, as stated in my intro post, I will not be giving actual rankings (1-20) to the songs because I'm too indecisive. The order in which I talk about the songs will generally be good to best though. Without further ado, let's get into the songs!

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"Hope to be like you" - WOODZ

 

     This was a REALLY hard choice for me. The entire COLORFUL TRAUMA mini album is really good, and I kept going back and forth between two b-sides in particular. I ended up choosing "Hope to be like you" because of the beautiful vocals. There are so many lovely harmonies and great usage of vocal layering in this song. The lyrics are also nice and I think he conveys the emotions of the lyrics well. I should mention that he co-composed and co-wrote all the tracks on this EP. "HTBLY" is the album closer, and I think it's a great way to end the EP.

 

“Hope to be like you” English Translation

Other nominee(s): "Hijack"


"Hope" - BoA

     
    Here's another album closer with fantastic vocals (and also a similar title to the previous track lol). "Hope" is more of a proper ballad that really shows off the legendary BoA's vocal prowess. I absolutely love the vocal melodies throughout this b-side, and they make the song a lot more interesting than the average k-pop ballad. The guitar is a nice accent in the song as well. BoA co-composed this song and wrote all the lyrics.

    BoA has been singing for over 20 years, and you can really hear how much talent and control she has through this song. To be honest, I've only heard a few of her songs, but her reputation precedes her and for good reason. If you like her voice, the whole Forgive Me mini album is full of great songs!

Other nominee(s): "Zip"


"NUMB" - YOUHA

    
    This b-side is synth heavy in the verses, but the chorus is a proper pop rock chorus! As you can probably guess, I really love the chorus. It's catchy and I really like her vocal tone there. The outro is nice as well! 

    Youha has already racked up quite the resumé despite debuting relatively recently in 2020. She trained at YG Entertainment for 9 years and has written and composed songs for a number of artists, including several k-pop groups. She co-composed and co-wrote all the songs on this love you more, EP (are you seeing a pattern lol).

Other nominee(s): "Flower Rain"


"Knockdown" - KARDI

   
    Finally, we've reached the first band! KARDI just debuted in 2022 after being formed on the survival show, Superband 2, and this EP really surprised me. "Knockdown" is the album opener, and I was immediately blown away by the vocalist, Kim Yeji. I love her vocal tone and the surprising amount of power in her rock vocal, which you can hear in the chorus and the 2:47 mark.

    The guys in the band carry their weight too; the instrumental is amazing! Member Park Dawool actually plays the geomungo, a traditional Korean zither, which adds a unique element to KARDI's music (see video below). As someone that didn't watch Superband 2, I didn't know what to expect listening to this band, but I'm already hooked and eagerly awaiting their next release!

[211114 Dazed Magazine ins ❤️‍🔥KARDI⚡️Dawool]

WE ARE SUPER BAND
<Super Band 2> came to an end leaving only love and miracles behind. Here we have Cyan the bassist of Craxilver, and Park Dawool the Geomungo player of Kardi.

Check out more in <DAZED> KOREA Winter Edition pic.twitter.com/pvGurDT2RV

— 𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐁𝐈🌴 (@For_Joonseo0508) November 14, 2021

", (COMMA)" - KIHYUN        

         

    2022 was the year I finally started getting into Monsta X, and it all started here with their main vocalist’s solo debut single album, Voyager. While MX has had some catchy hits in the past, I never felt very strongly about them or their music. However, I was immediately drawn in by the pop rock vibe of this single album. 

    I wouldn't call this b-side a true pop rock song, but I do love the bits of guitar you hear throughout. I really like Kihyun's vocals, and I think the song flows really nicely. Kihyun co-wrote the lyrics for this song, and I really liked the idea of using a comma as an analogy for finding comfort and hope in another person's presence. 

“, (COMMA)” English Translation

Other nominee(s): "Bad Liar"

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    I think 5 songs per post is a good number, but that does mean I'll be doing 15 more of these posts 😅 I'm going to try to release these daily, but I'm sure I'll fall behind at least a couple times. I know it's a lot of posts in a short period of time, but the people that watch my ig stories have already been exposed to a lot of these songs. Hope you all end up enjoying these lists I made, and remember that you can always suggest improvements to me at any time.