OMONA ORIGINAL: Best K-Pop Deep Cuts from January - March 2021

[shittysoup.livejournal.com]

January - February 2020
March - June 2020
July - September 2020
October – December 2020

New year, same old me. I'm continuing my compilation lists of the best K-pop deep cuts into 2021 because:
1) I'm bored 2) Singles are sometimes the worst song on an album, and 3) It's a pandemic and I have nothing better to do!

JANUARY

GOLDEN CHILD - ROUND N ROUND (기다리고 있어)

Album: Yes. (Full Album)
Release Date: January 25, 2021
Lead Single: Burn It

Why You Should Give "Round N Round" a Chance:
"ONE (Lucid Dream)" was one of my favourite K-pop songs last year - and while I don't think you'll fall in love with "Round N Round" on first listen, I do think you'll come to appreciate it as a well-constructed, mid-tempo pop song that you'll eventually keep finding your way back to. Something about the rapping and the vocal melody in the chorus makes me think of K-pop circa 2013 (in a good way!) and the instrumental breakdown in the bridge is really cool and funky. It's just a solid song from start to finish that is well worth your time.



FEBRUARY

WONHO - AIN'T ABOUT YOU (FEAT. KIIARA)

Album: Love Synonym 2: Right For Us (Mini Album/EP)
Release Date: February 26, 2021
Lead Single: Lose

Why You Should Give "Ain't About You" a Chance:
Some of you may not be aware - but professional thirst trap instagrammer, Wonho, makes music in his spare time - and it's pretty good! "Ain't About You" is an English language offering from K-pop that holds up and doesn't make you want to cringe from embarrassing lyrics. It's cheeky, smooth, a little corny at times (but in all the right pop music ways) and totally addictive.

MARCH

WJSN - YALLA (음 (YALLA))

Album: Unnatural (Mini Album/EP)
Release Date: March 31, 2021
Lead Single: Unnatural

Why You Should Give "YALLA" a Chance:
WJSN is one of the most dependable groups in terms of knowing there will be at least something on their EPs/albums worth listening to. This time it was a toss up between "New Me" and "Yalla" and I went with the house-heavy "Yalla" (although both are worth checking out and "New Me" is arguably the better song - I just happen to enjoy Yalla more, personally). WJSN made my March - June 2020 list last year with the intricate and interesting "Pantomime". These girls just deliver the bops, what more do you even need to know!? The lead single is also great - just a solid EP all around.

And that. is. it - 3 songs. What a terrible year so far for music. I do think there have been a lot of great releases (Sunmi, IU, Chungha) but the best songs have all been singles and I don't feel like there are any deep cuts that really compete with (or outshine) the main tracks.

*Disclaimer: Nobody ask me why SHINee isn't on this list. I love them dearly but that album was a mess from start to finish and I am still not over the disappointment.



What did I miss, omona? Educate me in the comments! I'm still obsessed with UP10TION's "Dawn" from last year. What are you playing on repeat?
SOURCES: [Golden Child] [woolliment] / [WONHO] [WONHO] / [우주소녀 WJSN] [1theK (원더케이)]

Comments

[frequency.livejournal.com]

2 deep cuts i keep going back to are:

chung ha - bother me (best song on the album imo)


iu - my sea (her vocals here are so good)


dreamcatcher's poison love isn't what i'd call a deep cut but i really love that song too, lol.

[kyungwons.livejournal.com]

agreed on my sea her vocals really suit that style of ballad

[8thr3four.livejournal.com]

"Bother Me" is such a good song. Chungha, you go.

[giriboy.livejournal.com]

sumin keeps giving her best songs away :( but ia, bother me is still getting spins from me too

[shittysoup.livejournal.com]

These 3 were definitely in the running! But I like the singles so much more. Lilac is such a great song.

[lightframes.livejournal.com]

Yesssss Bother Me! I can't even pick a favorite from Querencia because I have so many.

[bloodtaki2.livejournal.com]

I didn't know what Deep Cut means until just now but from the definition, Woodz' Rebound fits the description to a T. It's such an experience, the ambiance is great but it would never pass as a title track.

https://youtu.be/jm448ikLJ-E

[kyungwons.livejournal.com]

rebound really sounds like a the weeknd song

[shittysoup.livejournal.com]

Ohh I like this a lot! I agree with the other commenter, it sounds like the weeknd (but I love the weeknd so that's a good thing lol). Thanks for the rec!!

[bloodtaki2.livejournal.com]

It's my pleasure! Don't hesitate to check out his other stuff, he dabbles in a variety of genres, I'm sure you'll find other songs you like!

[lightframes.livejournal.com]

Rebound is Different's equally amazing younger brother

("Younger brother" just meaning it's a newer song, not that it's any less important than Different)

[broadcities.livejournal.com]

op here to say again that i love these posts! i agree that there hasn't been a lot of great b-sides tracks in this first quarter, from what i found. april will be a little bit better i think

i prefer new me and super moon over yalla

for the rest i don't have a lot to share :( i am still discovering new tracks from sf9's discography (partially thanks to you i got into this group i think!), and i play this song a lot. i tend to like songs that in include traditional instruments/sounds and i love the way the vocalists emote in this song, especially dawon

[8thr3four.livejournal.com]

"Stop it now" sounds good from the first listen

Now that I'm looking through my library (sometimes I remember to add songs) I have saved some songs by TOO (if I remember correctly are called TO1 now) in the first quarter of this year:




Re-listening to the songs, they really did speak to me, huh, lol.

Edit:
Now I'm listening to their other ep "Running TOOgether", why is it such a mood, makes me dance to it, especially "Count 1 2" (title track) and "Step By Step (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYT72T_5-t8)". I read they are apparently privatizing a lot of their past videos with the change that happened.

[shittysoup.livejournal.com]

Yesss SF9!! I love their discography!

[carmine-pink.livejournal.com]

+1 to Golden Child's Round N Round. They just finished promoting and I miss them already lol.

[kyungwons.livejournal.com]

i actually have quite a few b-sides i really like so i'll put them under a cut


this is one of the more popular iu b-sides but it's my favourite


this sejeong b-side i think has a similar vibe to ah-puh which maybe explains why i like them both so much


i don't always listen to more relaxed music but i like the guitar instrumentals in this, be a fool is my second favourite from the mini


i think youth is the b-side people like from devil but i preferred incomplete. i dont think its to everyones taste though.


fnc continue to trap me into supporting their awful company by releasing songs that appeal to me. the lyrics are a bit cheesy but the chorus is cute, funky and unusual.


if we're talking golcha milky way was my favourite but i think their bsides on their previous albums are a lot stronger in general


my fave het couple <3 show window was also good


my favourite cix bside


this is 6 minutes long and has a really long intro so just start from around 38 seconds in if you want to check it out but i do really like all of lucy's releases


everyone else likes heart attack but this is the superior shinee bside


literally all the b-sides are better than the title but this is my favourite. if you're a fan of ballads that sound like they could be part of ost's then also check out winter, flower


i truly got obsessed with beautiful beautiful but this was an amazing b-side too


i'm resisting the temptation to link all their b-sides. 10 seconds is maybe the best but baby i love you is cuter but this whole mini album is easily my favourite release so far and i don't think anything else released this year will top it for me because i'm a sucker for the bright/fresh sound.

[8thr3four.livejournal.com]

I remember WEi now that you're mentioning them. "Breathing" and "Diffuser" are a grower. I kind of wished "Breathing" had that less synth part after ~And I start breathing~ or overall, the song would have flowed better.

Hyuna!!! I really enjoyed her ep, especially "I'm not cool", "Show Window" and "Party Feel Love".

Pentagon's cb wasn't really my taste. "10s and" was probably one of the only songs I kinda like from the ep.

[kyungwons.livejournal.com]

completely agree on the synth bit on breathing it doesn't ruin the song but i would definitely prefer it wasnt there and diffuser wasn't really a stand out to me on first listen so agreed it's a grower watching the performances of it made me listen to it more and now i love it. though overall i still prefer their bsides from their debut.

i was one of the rare people who also really loved im not cool too and good girl but i think loads of people who didn't like those two were put off listening to the rest of the album but her b-sides have a completely different vibe they're great.

i cannot understand someone not liking pentagons recent mini like its been my greatest source of happiness this month im obsessed with every track lol but everyone has different tastes! what ptg songs do you like in general? i'm curious cause i would consider their recent mini very like representative of them and their sound but i have seen one or two ptg fans not super into it so it's just not just you

[8thr3four.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure if I'm a fan of pentagon, it's been a long time since I've been seriously in any fandom. Idk if I have the mindset for it nowadays.
But I've been following Pentagon since their pre-debut days. I especially have a soft spot for Jinho (sometimes I still want to write him as Jino, old habit), Yanan and Yuto.
I've liked here and there some of their songs (One More Night, Engine, Paradise), but been waiting for them to embrace me with their music. I will just link how I'm kinda gushing about their first full-length album, here (https://omonatheydidnt.livejournal.com/25466949.html?thread=1507403333#t1507403333), lol.

[kyungwons.livejournal.com]

i define a fan as like general knowledge of more than 5 of a groups songs lol i meant it casually!

if those are the songs you like best i can see why their discography as a whole hasn't really got you invested. i like those songs too, especially some of your favourites you chose off the black hall but ptg's charm for me are their brighter more tongue in cheek songs like their recent mini, naughty boy, humph, shine etc.
their discography is pretty varied so i feel theres always a few songs in there that anyone could find to like but some of their songs like the black hall i could see any group perform or suit them whereas their bright songs i feel like only they can pull them off which for me is what i like about them. that and i just prefer bright/happy songs in general lol but this mini definitely did only have songs with a fresh vibe, it probably isn't as varied as some of their past albums.

[8thr3four.livejournal.com]

Don‘t worry. I was just letting my train of thoughts loose, lol.

I don‘t know if I have preference to a specific concept. I usually don’t bat an eye with the overly „sexy/manly“ image.
In the end the music just has to convince me somehow.
I was excited about their cb bc it seemed cute, fun and fresh, what you described, but it didn‘t pick me up.
I guess Black Hall was a lucky draw for me.

What you described with ptg, I kind of feel it with astro. I really liked their early discography, it set them apart, and after Dream Part.2, their music has just been so bland for me, anyone could to the concept. It‘s great they received a lot love since then, I understand them going into those direction for reasons, but it really just hasn‘t been my cup of tea.

[shittysoup.livejournal.com]

Thanks for sharing! I love seeing what other people are listening to.

A lot of these songs came so close but I'm very finicky and there's always a little something here or there that kills the vibe of a song for me lol. "The Realist" is probably my fave here — now that I'm re-listening to it, I can't remember what I didn't like about it lmao. It's unofficially on the list now!

[kyungwons.livejournal.com]

the last 30 seconds of the realist i didnt like at first i think the change up of the melody at the end is a bit unnecessary and the song could probably have more naturally ended before it but i've grown used to it now

[shittysoup.livejournal.com]

I remembered what I didn't like about "The Realist" - it was the lyric: "You drooling badly" lmao. UGH WHAT!?

[lightframes.livejournal.com]

The Realist still gives me chills. I love it.

[catharsiskat.livejournal.com]

I really love Incomplete! And YES I Really Want You!! That was my first favorite on the album before Body Rhythm dethroned it, but it's incredibly underrated.

[8thr3four.livejournal.com]

I will always name "Call My Name" by Cravity as a superior b-side track



This time I won't forget ONF:


And "Find You" came out early this year:


Idk if this counts as a deep cut, but I've really been enjoying:

This is my song to go for motivation, when I'd like to get things done.

In hindsight there might not be many songs, but I usually listen to them non-stop when I got hooked
And I'm listening to a lot of stuff from the past year(s)/that I have only found recently/happen to actually be the title track

Tell me a story about Lucid Dream 👌

[typhlogirl.livejournal.com]

Great post OP! I've never listened to Golden Child before but I gave Round n Round a go and you're right, there's something very 2013 about it - really pleasantly nostalgic. A bop tbh!

[belintuchiha.livejournal.com]

I don’t know if it counts as a deep cut but Ateez’s Take Me Home is that song. Really giving me the 80s vibes and that saxophone in the end 👌🏻

[lightframes.livejournal.com]

OP Dawn is not a trend, it's a lifestyle, that's why you're still listening to it!





Album: Salute: A New Hope (Repackage)
Release Date: January 18, 2021

I'm not sure if this really counts because it's a remix of a comeback from 2019 lol but it's still really good! I actually like this more than the original. I'm glad they included it on this repackage. (That and performing the Surreal remix at KCON, perfection - if I remember correctly you also like Surreal, OP?)





Album: I'm Not Cool
Release Date: January 28, 2021

My favorite song from the album. This actually reminds me a lot of Hyuna's earlier solo work (maybe could have even been a 4Minute song). It feels more like an evening summer drive, so I will probably listen to this a lot more later this summer.





Album: Tasty
Release Date: February 8, 2021

He performed it at the fan meeting!!! The fact that I asked for Holiday and Do U Like and got both??? Anyway, I really like this song lol it also sounds like it could be summer-y to me, so I will be listening to this (and the rest of the album) for several months at least. (I now have the opinion that Tasty should have been his solo debut and Greed should have come out second - not because it's better, I still think Greed is a better album - but because this sounds more like a May release and Greed sounds more like a February release.)





Album: Querencia
Release Date: February 15, 2021

Another masterpiece from Side D! 4 out of 5 of my favorite songs from Querencia are from Side D lol. I just love her voice here. A really pretty, well produced song with pretty lyrics.





Album: The Intersection: Discovery
Release Date: March 8, 2021

I said in my album review that BDC really know how to start an album - the intro to this song is just a great intro to the album (that haunting guitar, I'm yelling). They really should perform this song at some point, it's too good not to be performed live somewhere.

[shittysoup.livejournal.com]

OP Dawn is not a trend, it's a lifestyle, that's why you're still listening to it!

Ohhhh, that makes sense!

[lightframes.livejournal.com]

Hoping for a summer UP10TION comeback, we deserve it!