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omonatheydidOMONA ORIGINAL
15 BEST B-SIDES
FROM FEMALE ARTISTS IN 2021
Unlike the male artists, 2021 had a good few strong girl group titles but that doesn't mean there weren't some b-side gems too let's celebrate them by exploring some of the best that were released in the last 12 months.
(As always, music taste is subjective and feel free to disagree in the comments!)
#15
WEKI MEKI - WHO AM I
Calling back to their 'Cool' sound, Who Am I is a dance track with a minimalist chorus that delivers a stylish sound and a subtly charismatic feel.
#14
PIXY - BEWITCHED
Starting off slow and soft this track builds momentum throughout. An electronic beat is the background to switching vocal techniques, vocal-fry growls and laughter that deliver the song's unsettling atmosphere.
#13
HYUNA - PARTY, FEEL, LOVE
Featuring and written by DAWN, this slow tempo duet is nothing like the manic 'Ping Pong' they also released as a sub-unit this year. This track is a chic and chill R&B inspired number.
#12
LEE HI - WATERRIDE
With a jazzy melody and cutting lyrics this is one of the more distinctive tracks on 4ONLY. With Lee Hi's unique tone the lyrics are delivered with attitude and style.
#11
GWSN - I CAN'T BREATHE
A departure from GWSN's older sound, this is the one of the most experimental songs on 'The Other Side of the Moon', featuring a whispered chorus and dark lyrics, it's a successful example of the 2021 girl-group trend of going for darker concepts.
#10
ITZY - SHOOT
If you are on the K-pop side of Tik-Tok then you probably know this song. Using autotune and vocal distortion to make the vocals go slo-mo on the chorus is the highlight.
#9
KIM SEJEONG - LET'S GO HOME
Pop-rock inspired, Sejeong's sweet and heartfelt vocals are what make this track so lovely, her soft and breathy delivery giving the song a dreamy feeling.
#8
TWICE - LAST WALTZ
Last Waltz takes this spot in the list over the other b-sides in a very strong album as it's one of Twice's more experimental tracks, switching up the vocal delivery and instrumentals throughout, delivering a slightly dark and sensual feel.
#7
STAYC - LOVE FOOL
Nothing like the punchiness of their titles, this track is sweet but not sickly. Soft vocals, gentle percussion in the background and numerous vocal harmonies give this mid-tempo song a hazy summer vibe.
#6
IU - AH PUH
The most upbeat and playful track on 'Lilac', Ah Puh is bright and fresh with cute lyrics, vocal delivery and a catchy melody.
#5
HEIZE - FROM THE RAIN
A duet with Ahn Ye Eun, this track is heavily inspired by traditional music and the combination of their vocals gives the song a sorrowful aura that will linger with you.
#4
IU - FLU
Quirky and light-hearted this is another standout on 'Lilac'. Comparing falling in love to catching the flu, the simple melody, light percussion and sounds of birds chirping add to the lively feel of the song.
#3
SUNMI - 1/6
From the album of the same name, this was my personal favourite of the b-sides, all of which were stronger than the title. The melody of 1/6 belies the the darker lyrics with the song having a groovy 60/70's vibe with tinkling instrumentals.
#2
ROCKET PUNCH - RIDE
Ride is retro pop perfection. Enough said.
#1
FROMIS_9 - AIRPLANE MODE
Filled with sweet and powerful vocals, the stripped back chorus is the highlight that sets it apart from other bright summer songs, balancing the happy feeling you want for summer with a more mature and sophisticated mood.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
WJSN THE BLACK - KISS YOUR LIPS, CHERRY BULLET - FOLLOW ME, WEEEKLY - CHECK IT OUT, TWICE - ICON, PURPLE KISS - TWINKLE, ITZY - SWIPE, DREAMCATCHER - WHISTLE, IU - MY SEA, KIM SEJEONG - DO DUM CHIT, BRAVE GIRLS - FEVER, PURPLE KISS - SO WHY, ITZY - SOOO LUCKY, HEIZE - LIKE THE FIRST TIME, SUNMI - NARCISSISM, GWSN - E I E I O, YOURA - PINK!, LEE HI - BYE
omona, what are the b-sides you loved this year?
Sources: OfficialLEEHI, DK-POP, Weki Meki, HyunA, GWSN OFFICIAL, ITZY, SEJEONG, Twice, STAYC, IU OFFICIAL (1, 2), Heize Official, SUNMI, ALBLUM K-POP (1, 2)
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no subject
Date: 2021-12-20 12:28 pm (UTC)you included a lot of songs in your top 15 and in your honorable mentions that i would've thought of too :)
i felt like twice's latest album was so strong it's hard to pick favorites. i love last waltz, but fila, moonlight, cactus a lot too depending on my mood
yukika — love month
cherry bullet — whatever
aespa — lucid dream
edit: chungha — lemon
wow loving the pink — blue balance i have going on now lol
i also loved weki meki's one day and luminous but who am i is just such a standout that although i love the songs, they're nowhere near who am i for me
no subject
Date: 2021-12-20 03:13 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2021-12-20 07:48 pm (UTC)i can pretend not to be biased for my male faves but not them, fromis are my girls and would have been #1 even if they released terrible music this year lmao
and ia about rocket punch like i cant complain about ring ring much because it was nice too but ride was just much catchier to me and thought they performed it better as well
i need to check out your chungha recommendation! that album had so many bsides it was overwhelming lol and the one or two i checked out when it was released weren't for me so it put me off going back to it
no subject
Date: 2021-12-20 01:06 pm (UTC)My favourites were
Dahlia — g-idle
New Me — WJSN
Loro — tri.be (my song of the year)
ALL of Pixy’a bsides
4 Memory — Dreamcatcher
Twinkle — Purple Kiss
Moonlight & Good at Love — twice
Don’t ask, Don’t Tell — Everglow
no subject
Date: 2021-12-20 01:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-12-20 04:56 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2021-12-20 07:49 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2021-12-20 09:21 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2021-12-20 11:08 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2021-12-20 01:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-12-20 01:38 pm (UTC)red velvet - pushin' n pullin'
wjsn - new me
twice - moonlight, fila, push & pull
IU - troll
wendy - when this rain stops, why can't you love me
honestly 2021 was a year where the ggs dominated and i hope this trend continues in 2022! Happy New Year everyone!
no subject
Date: 2021-12-21 12:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-12-20 02:05 pm (UTC)My favourite 10 this year are :
- Airplane Mode by fromis_9, one of my most played song this year thanks to spotify's wrapped lol
- Bewitched by PIXY which totally made me fall for them
- Conversation by TWICE though to be honest, they kept being excellent this year and it's hard to pick a stand out among all their tracks so I picked one I replayed all summer lol
- Flipp!ng a Coin by Billlie
- Love Fool by StayC, like Airplane Mode one of the songs I've replayed the most this year lol
- My Doll by Oh My Girl
- New Me by WJSN
- Ride by Rocket Punch
- Teddy Bear by Kim Sejeong
- Yeppi Yeppi by aespa
Honorable mentions: Dance on my own by Loona, Twinkle by Purple Kiss, e i e i o by GWSN, Cruel by TWICE, Whistle by Dreamcatcher, Flu by IU, Sunny by Sunmi, One Day by Weki Meki.
But now that I'm really looking into my 2021 kpop playlist... there actually isn't much music I've saved compared to other years? There are a couple excellent singles and it will be harder for me to do a top 10 out of it, but I guess I haven't vibed with bsides much this year, or I really need to listen to more artists (I've bookmarked the BG bsides port for that already).
Though to be fair, Lovelyz and GFriend disbanded without new song when they're usually releasing some of my top bsides (I'll miss them...), and other of my faves weren't really active (SNSD even as soloists, BoA...). I hope 2022 will be better on that front.
no subject
Date: 2021-12-20 03:20 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2021-12-20 03:12 pm (UTC)I have to say I'm appalled that WJSN wasn't listed here, like their mini album was probably one of the better ones this year from a female idol group. Last Dance, Yalla and New Me were all great b-sides. My fave probably Yalla though. but I also saw your comment on the chocome comeback that you didn't enjoy it, I guess taste differs at times.
I didn't like Sunmi's album, but I enjoyed What The Flower instead.
IU's album Ah Puh and My Sea were the highlights, the whole album was pretty solid actually. similarly for Lee Hi's album.
others not on the list that I enjoyed:
- Brave Girls - Pool Part and Fever
- asepa - Lucid Dream
- Raiden/Choi Yoojung - It Wasn't Me
- T-ara - All Kill
but I must say the year wasn't great for female idols b-sides in general (discounting Heize, IU, Lee Hi because they're not idols). I felt like the first few months were alright then the rest just fizzled.
no subject
Date: 2021-12-20 07:53 pm (UTC)i knew when i posted this that a good few of the comments would mention wjsn lol but while i enjoyed new me and yalla the first week the album was released i never really went back to it tbh, it didnt click with me like past wjsn releases but loved the subunit releases thankfully so felt like i could still enjoy supporting them this year even when their main album ended up not being for me
i do agree that b-sides from female soloists really outshined idol releases this year
no subject
Date: 2021-12-20 03:23 pm (UTC)I really loved Icon and Cruel by TWICE. Also happy to see Whistle by Dreamcatcher in your HMs but I will also submit Poison Love, I've been playing that all year.
I guess I need to give Love Fool more attention. I've listened a few times but it hasn't really grabbed me.
no subject
Date: 2021-12-20 03:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-12-22 04:00 am (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2021-12-20 04:37 pm (UTC)I agree with a lot of your picks!
- Last Waltz is fascinating to me since when the tracklist was revealed Last Waltz was one of the ones sort of overlooked and once the album came out, fans were losing it over how good it was. It felt like it came out of nowhere lol, honestly Hell In Heaven felt like a predecessor to what Last Waltz delivered and LW took the concept to a new level. Icon is so addicting too!
- Bewitched is so interesting! I have talked about how their music I enjoy but it doesn’t particularly grip me, but Bewitched is captivating! That croaking a la The Grudge won me over lol, I love when songs use sampling or inspirations in unexpected ways in kpop (like Billlie using a Christmas song for their instrumental on everybody’s got a $ecret, which is definitely one of my b-sides for this year.
- Heize and Sunmi had some fantastic b-sides this year! Heize’s Why and Like the first time were the emotional songs that pull me that I adore. Both artists’ albums were really satisfying for me. Lee Hi and IU’s weren’t as satisfying for me a whole, but I did enjoy some like Lee Hi’s Darling, Waterride, and IU’s Epilogue. Epilogue’s part focusing on sound originating from the 50s makes me think of Fallout which is really cool imo.
- I enjoy STAYC’s Love Fool but I was more won over by their last EP, like Complex and I’ll Be There are very enjoyable to me. I lost some interest in STAYC which their sophomore release but their last one has me back on track, though I’m hoping for another b-side one like Like This, that still remains me favorite though I’ll Be There is a close runner up.
- Airplane Mode is lovely! I definitely see the appeal. But for me personally the smooth Promise had me smitten but I see AM being more appealing to the masses.
- Ride is THAT girl. It’s just giving me that sound I crave haha.
-
I’ll be back in a bit with some of my personal favorites!
no subject
Date: 2021-12-20 07:56 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2021-12-20 05:07 pm (UTC)I obviously 100% agree with Who Am I but I would also love to shout out One Day (because Suyeon is just such a promising new producer) and Luminous from the same album. And First Dream and Sweet Winter. I like that whole album don't @ me
I would've personally gone with Moonlight over Bewitched but they're both so good and with such different vibes, how can you truly pick? I'm also glad to see Kiss Your Lips in the shoutouts section.
As far as my own picks, it's hard to remember that it was released this year but Moon and Dahlia from (g)i-dle's 'I Burn' are great.
Though Hwaa wasn't my favourite of (g)i-dle's title tracks, the b-sides were on par with I Trust (Maybe, Luv U). Absolutely no surprise that both of these were composed by Minnie, I think the biggest shame that's come with (g)i-dle's absence this year has been the lack of continued releases penned by Minnie (not that I don't love Soyeon's stuff, I just like how the two contrast against each other and bring out different sides of the group).
no subject
Date: 2021-12-21 12:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-12-20 05:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-12-20 05:56 pm (UTC)Kim Areum: Summer City as a whole! The album is everything omg. It’s great from start to finish, they flow right into each other perfectly.
TWICE: Cruel, F.I.L.A, Last Waltz, Rewind, Push & Pull, Moonlight, those are my standouts but the whole album is fantastic even with the cringe but all too addicting guilty pleasure track Hello (that instrumental saves it that’s really it lol). Taste of Love is a stellar album with great b-sides, Conversation, First Love, and Scandal…I’m just going to end up listing every song haha. It’s a great mini! Japanese b-sides the winner really is Good At Love
Dreamcatcher: Wind Blows, New Days. Road to Utopia introduced two new b-sides that are now top DC songs for me. Their latest album I liked but they didn’t have much lasting power for me in much honesty, hopefully their next album impressed me more.
Yukika: Time Travel (would’ve made a GREAT title track!!), Secret
Jo Yuri: Express Moon. Gorgeous song, she’s definitely on my radar now!
WJSN: YALLA, Rewind, New Me, the album is great in general.
Baek A Yeon: Observe as an album is a great, I really enjoy it as an experience but Daydream rises as my favorite
GWSN: Starry Night, I Sing (lalala)
Billlie: The billage of perception: chapter 1 left a great first impression, besides everybody’s got a $ecret, I enjoyed the eleventh day, and the rumor
Purple Kiss: 2am, So WhY, ZzZz
Hot Issue: We Go, Purple
Sejeong: Her album is lovely as a whole too, I think Let’s Go Home is my favorite
Sunmi: Besides her album, What The Flower slowly but surely became a favorite.
Chungha: Masquerade is so much fun! I need to fully check out her album, I’m sure she has more tracks I’d really like since she has some b-sides I loved in the past.
aespa: ICONIC. This song grew on me specifically because of tiktok! It’s fun. I do need to check out the album, I think I’ll find another song I like it’s just I’m not that in aespa so the sense of urgency to listen is just not there. But eventually I will.
I’m definitely leaving out a lot of solo artists, I’d be here for even longer. But this is a general idea of what I was loving.
My overall opinion on kpop I was going to save for the end of year music posts but in general while I still found plenty of songs I enjoy for 2021, it was a weak year for kpop. 2020 was more interesting to me in releases. This applies to b-sides too. I saw I was liking more songs I discovered through tiktok than through new kpop releases. I am older now, so it just what’s in for kpop I’m just not vibing as much but since I love music, I’ll always find something new that grabs me. Also gotta laugh about getting older when I’m now on tiktok getting music recs. That’s a contradiction I know 😅
no subject
Date: 2021-12-20 08:00 pm (UTC)and i genuinely think hello is my most listened to b-side from formula of love its just so fun even if its very much technically not their best!
no subject
Date: 2021-12-20 09:17 pm (UTC)My favs:
"Loro" - tri.be
"Yummy" - Weeekly
"Yeppi Yeppi" - aespa (tbh everything off of their mini except the little intro track but this one was MILES AWAY my favorite)
"Yalla" - WJSN
"Last Dance" - WJSN
"Dunga Dunga" - Hot Issue
"Everybody's got a $ecret" - Billlie
"Flipping a co!n" - Billlie
Basically every Pixy b-side
"Take It" - IVE
"eieio" - GWSN
"I Can't Breathe" - GWSN
no subject
Date: 2021-12-20 10:27 pm (UTC)Snap!! They have such a solid discography for nugus.
no subject
Date: 2021-12-20 11:10 pm (UTC)ride deserves that #2 spot btw!! i'm so in love with that song.
no subject
Date: 2021-12-21 05:05 am (UTC)
- wind blows (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6FnECoSlrQ)
- poison love (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKXjvh-wYKY)
- new days (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag2AWsFY5Ns)
- airplane (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNgM3uBLkEU)
- whistle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLozldjxyu4) (this was so good to watch live!!!)
- alldaylong (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWemTDbxs14)
wjsn
weeekly
hot issue
pixy
- the moon (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdKYiFX-lVE)
- greedy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCzgsOHa16k)
- bewitched (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt0QHS_25Nw)
- moonlight (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hVsxpkXMSk)
gwsn
fromis_9
rocket punch
everglow
twice
loona
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Date: 2021-12-21 01:04 am (UTC)Side D: Pleasures coming in clutch once again.
I was straight up obsessed with this song when it came out. I wish PIXY a lot of success so we can keep getting songs like this.
I like this so much more than Paint The Town 😭
I really like the vibe of this song. I wonder if Queendom was originally meant to be a full album and they held back some songs for next year.
I will never get over how stable/experienced Purple Kiss sound for such a new group.
no subject
Date: 2021-12-22 01:53 pm (UTC)twice — last waltz (perfection!!!! lots of good b-sides on FOL but this is def my favorite)
twice — first time
dreamcatcher — poison love & wind blows
aespa — lucid dream
red velvet — pose
sunmi — narcissism (her whole mini was amazing)
itzy — shoot, swipe
no subject
Date: 2021-12-26 09:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-12-31 02:14 am (UTC)so many hidden jewels 👌