Rules
- 1 song per artist per list
- No set rankings (order is generally good to best)
"Run BTS" - BTS
- co-written by RM, j-hope, Jungkook, SUGA
Live performance
Full cam view of live performance
For those that know me, this choice has to be the least surprising. I raved about this song like crazy when it was released, loudly lamented the fact that it wasn't the title track, and was ecstatic when they finally performed it at their free concert in Busan. If you're wondering why it's not higher on the list — and yes, I did think about putting it in the "top 5" — it's because this was an obvious pick for me. But you better believe I'm still passionate about "Run BTS"!
For the first year and a half of their career, BTS were known for their hip-hop sound and concept. A number of times they fused that hip-hop sound with rock, and it was always excellent, though it wasn't as appreciated back then as it should've been. It made a lot of sense for BTS to throw it back to this go-to combo again for the Proof anthology album, and they didn't disappoint! Call me biased, but I still think this is one of the best k-pop hype songs from 2022!
Honestly, I don't really know what to say other than the rap and vocals are great, and the choreo is everything ARMY wanted. We hadn't seen this intense of a choreography from BTS since "ON", which released nearly 3 years prior in early 2020! I understand BTS are on their 10th year and are getting older, so I'm not mad that they're not doing less choreo these days, but it was great to see them back at it again for this b-side!
"Blind Letter" - fromis_9
fromis_9 had another great year in 2022! They didn't make it onto my top 20 lists for 2021, but they were very close to making it. Honestly, if I had separated bands, soloists, and k-pop groups like I did this time, "We Go" would've been on the title tracks list for sure. All 3 fromis_9 b-sides I considered for this list are amazing, but I went with "Blind Letter" because of the gorgeous vocals and well-written lyrics. It was also co-composed by Slow Rabbit (one of Big Hit Music's long-standing producers) and ADORA!
Every member's vocals shine on this b-side, even the members that have fewer lines. I especially love the pre-chorus, which has beautiful backing vocals, and the outro. I really like the guitar that can be heard in most of the song as well. The sound of waves are included at the end of the song, which makes the song more immersive. "Blind Letter" is about a person finding a note in a bottle that washes ashore and falling for the anonymous writer. As with all songs under 3 minutes that I enjoy, I wish this was longer though.
"Blind Letter" English translation
Other nominee(s): "Rewind", "Escape Room"
"Fallin'" - Verivery
Verivery
has been one of my favorite boy groups since 2020, and while they lost a bit of their momentum for me in 2022, they still released a number of great
songs. I'm
not sure if anyone else finds "Fallin'" exceptional, but it was my 9th
most played song on Spotify last year, so I sure love it a lot!
The pre-chorus vocals are good, and I love practically
everything about the chorus. I wouldn't consider this a true hype song,
but the chorus is really energizing. The only part I'm not all that crazy
about is the shout-y rap towards the end of the chorus — it's not awful, but it
definitely could be better. The bridge is pretty long and has some interesting
turns. Gyehyeon's lovely vocals start it off, then there's a nice rap
section, and finally another vocal section with an interesting glitchy instrumental behind it.
This album was the last in their O series, and Verivery have since moved on to a sound that's more similar to what they debuted with. I'll miss the dark, glitchy electronic sound they did from 2020-2022 a lot, but things can't stay the same forever, and I'm looking forward to this new era of theirs!
"Fallin'" English translation
Other nominee(s): "Emotion", "Velocity", "Wish U were here"
"Lovin' Me" - FIFTY FIFTY
Music video
This rookie girl group seemed to pop up out of nowhere towards the end of 2022 with their company announcing their debut just 8 days beforehand! I'm pretty sure they didn't have any pre-debut activities either. "Lovin' Me" was the first song to be prereleased and it instantly blew me away.
If you're a fan of NewJeans' sound, you'll probably like this b-side and the majority of THE FIFTY mini album. The dreamy, nostalgia infused pop sound is a trend amongst girl groups lately, and I've been really enjoying it! I will say that the vocals and vocal melodies are often what make or break these types of songs, and FIFTY FIFTY has incredible vocalists!
Main vocalist, Sio, dominates the song, but lead vocalist, Aran, has a decent number of lines as well, and both of them have gorgeous vocal tones. They convey emotions through their vocals expertly as well. There's a lot of great harmonies and vocal layering on this track, and the vocoder in the pre-chorus and chorus is a unique feature. This song doesn't have choreo or rap, so members Saena and Keena aren't featured much here. The other songs on the album have more even line distributions though, and it's a well-balanced album overall!
"Lovin' Me" English translation
"Mcguffins ~ who's the Joker?" - Billlie
Billlie made it in my top 20 once again and even higher than last year! the Billage of perception: chapter two is another album that I praised a ton when it dropped last summer, and I still think this is one of the best k-pop albums from 2022. It was hard choosing one b-side, but "Mcguffins" was the track that surprised me the most in the best of ways.
In media and other art forms, a McGuffin is something that drives the plot and causes the characters to take action, but is unimportant in itself. The lyrics make a lot more sense knowing the definition. Billlie has a lot of quirky lore and it can be a lot to keep up with, but it's certainly entertaining and interesting. Whether you remember or understand the lore or not, it doesn't really matter, because the song itself is a fun ride!
"Mcguffins" draws a lot of influence from Latin music. I think fans of BTS' "Airplane pt.2" will find a lot to love about this song, especially in the second verse. There are gorgeous vocals and harmonies throughout that are more R&B in style half the time, and the rap is solid as well! I love the way this b-side flows and constantly surprises without sounding disjointed. The second chorus already has some great high notes and ad libs, which you would normally hear in the final chorus. It makes you wonder how they could outdo it, but the high notes in the last pre-chorus and chorus are even better. I think all the members shine on this b-side, and I loved hearing them take on a Latin song!
"Mcguffins ~ who's the Joker?" English translation
Other nominee(s): "B'rave ~ a song for Matilda", "my B = the Birth of emotion", "$un palace (Stroop effect)"
----------------------------------------
Comments
Post a Comment