On Loop with Lauren

"tOgether fOrever" - Kep1er                       Live performance      I think this is one of Kep1er's best b-sides to date, so it's a bit of a shame that it's a Japanese release. To me, this song feels like a quintessential k-pop girl group song with a little of Kep1er's flair. The acoustic guitar in the verses is a nice touch that I really appreciate. The chorus is   pretty and uplifting, but with a tinge of melancholic nostalgia that adds some emotional weight. Then, a nice dance break takes the place of the bridge and adds energy to the song. The instrumental for the dance break is pretty cool and fits Kep1er's sound well.  Kep1er is still set to disband this upcoming July, but I'm sure this lovely song will remain in Kep1ians' hearts "forever and ever and ever." "tOgether fOrever" English translation "Like It Like It" - Secret Number                   Music ...

Rules 1 song per artist per list No set rankings (order is generally good to best) ---------------------------------------- "458" - CIX             Music video (English subs available)             Music show performance             Full cam view of music show performance             Bae Jinyoung individual fancam      CIX is another group I got into pretty recently in 2021. I really liked their title track "Wave" that year, and I was surprised how different their next comeback with "458" was! "Wave" was a bright, upbeat song perfect for the summer, while "458" has more trendy and sultry vibe.     I remember the first time I listened to this song, I was immediately intrigued by the synths as well as the piano. Only a few piano chords are util...

Rules 1 song per artist per list No set rankings (order is generally good to best) ----------------------------------------  "DON'T MESS WITH ME" - BVNDIT             Live performance (with live band)      Prior to the Re-Original mini album, I wasn't really into BVNDIT. However, I enjoyed several songs off this mini album, and this b-side, which closes the album, really shocked me. Right from the intro, I think this dance pop b-side is insanely catchy. The chorus, while repetitive, is such an earworm. The rap in the second verse is relatively subtle but is delivered well and perfectly fits into the song. The bridge slows things down a bit, before we get a beat drop following the third pre-chorus. We then get an increase in tempo shortly after, and I just find the flow of this song so addicting! The vocals are really nice throughout this track as well! I've linked both the studio version of the song and the it's...