June K-Pop B-Sides That Should’ve Been the Lead Title Track
To say that June was not a busy month for K-pop lovers is an understatement. In the past month, we saw comebacks not only from the big three entertainment companies (SM Entertainment, JYP, and YG), but also from those who are just as reputable, such as Cube and Starship Entertainment. Competition is stiff, so choosing the right title track that will best represent an album as a whole is critical if an act wishes to stand out from among its adversaries. And while the companies would like to think they know which song is best for a group to promote, sometimes fans might disagree with their decision. Oftentimes, the true gem lies hidden as a B-side, which was the case for some of the highly anticipated June comebacks. With that said, here are a couple of the K-pop B-sides we believe either had lead title track potential or should have replaced the single altogether.
EXO “Tender Love”
Okay, so nothing was particularly lacking in EXO’s single “Love Me Right,” but as I previously mentioned in my review for their repackaged album of the same name, it’s an upbeat song which is very unlike EXO’s style. Rather, the bass and brass infused track is what we are used to hearing from other acts, particularly their senior group SHINee. Since I had to first get over the fact that the cosmic ride of a song was indeed brought to us by EXO (you know, the same guys that sung about being ferocious wolves?), it actually took a couple of spins before the track could grow on me.
But what if the boys had came back with their funky retro track “Tender Love?” True, it still deviates away from their usual R&B and electronic sound, but the song follows a storyline that would be too perfect to pass up for a music video. The theme here is all about being stuck in the friend zone, and though it’s one that is often played out to death, we have yet to see a music video from them which adhered to a plot and which isn’t just an intricately shot choreography. Besides that, this feel-good tune would also suit the wave of summer comebacks and is capable enough to hold its own even without a video to accompany it. Recently, it gained even more exposure when it was featured in EXO’s eye contact clip, released in honor of hitting 15 million views on their “Love Me Right” music video.