Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
Hello again everyone – welcome to the first B-Side Spotlight of 2021! In some ways, this really feels like the thirteenth (or twelfth, actually, since I took that break last summer and all) playlist of 2020, because of the…everything. Sighs. Anyway, here’s some of my favourite b-sides from December 2020’s idol comebacks – I hope you enjoy!
BoA – “Love”
What can I say about BoA that hasn’t already been said? We are truly not worthy of her and her talent, and honestly if I could have chosen every b-side from this album I would have. Queen shit. Specific shout out to my other absolute favourite track off the album, “Honey & Diamonds”.
GHOST9 – “Way To You”
This is a pretty standard boy group track, but it’s cute and it gives me a little serotonin boost every time it comes on. Nothing to complain about, good job Ghost9.
IZ*ONE – “Mise-en-Scène”
This is hands down my favourite track on this playlist; IZ*ONE have so many bops, and it’s really a shame that they’re not a permanent group. I also really enjoy “Sequence” off this mini.
Jun.K – “Sketchbook”
Jun.K’s smooth voice is just perfect for this kind of song, and I was a much bigger fan of his most recent mini than I was expecting to be.
Kim Sunggyu – “DIVIN’”
Back in the early days of Infinite, I was a big fan. I then came back to them after a couple of years of absence, and then my love waned again – not for any particular reason, I just don’t have a ton of free time. So what I am trying to say is that this album was absolutely lovely for me, as an experience. It felt warm and comforting and nostalgic in many ways.
Lee Seunggi – “Love Spinning Round”
I included Lee Seunggi’s “The Ordinary Man” in my Missed Tracks playlist last month as an accidental teaser for his album. While I’m admittedly not the biggest fan of ballads as a style (an absolute lie at this point actually), I do feel that Seunggi’s voice is the kind that bridges what is missing in them, for me. Very nice.
Taeyeon – “Playlist”
God, Taeyeon. All of her songs are so good and she’s so good ON THEM and it’s just…hard to explain how gorgeous this whole mini is. “Playlist” is absolutely my favourite track off “What Do I Call You?”
Baek Yerin – “You’re so lonely now so you need me back by your side again”
Congratulations to Baek Yerin on 1) this Fall Out Boy-length track title and 2) an album that was so flawless I had a terrible time trying to pick one of FIVE favourite tracks off of it. Baek Yerin is the kind of immense talent everyone should be yelling about constantly, and I stand by that. The whole album is fairly…furious, shall we say, and this song is somehow both angry as hell and resigned. It’s beautiful. Shout out to my other top album track “Hate You”.
…and that’s it! This month is short and sweet due to a fairly small pool of comebacks, but I hope you enjoy my picks all the same. Happy listening!
