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Every BRAVE GIRLS Single Ranked: From Worst to Best

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Every BRAVE GIRLS Single Ranked - From Worst to BestI’ve listed my “top tens” for many artists, but it’s time to rummage through entire discographies and rank every single from worst to best. This feature will primarily tackle groups who have disbanded or gone on indefinite hiatus. It’s a way for me to re-evaluate my initial thoughts on their singles run. Don’t be surprised if the order has changed from past countdowns. These things are always in flux!

Well… another fantastic group has been snatched from us! In celebration of Brave Girls’ discography — through its many iterations and member changes — here is my ranking of all fifteen promoted tracks.

15. Red Sun (2021)

Let’s just pretend this one doesn’t exist. (full review)

14. Goodbye (2023)

Too dour for me.

13. Do You Know (2011)

A surprisingly subdued and stately debut. (full review)

12. Easily (ft. Skull) (2011)

Brave Girls go reggae? Okay, then. I like the sax, though!

11. So Sexy (2011)

A bit too much dated autotune to be a standout, but still fun and upbeat. Now go ahead and “Brake ya ankle!”

10. Nowadays, You (2012)

The group’s first standout single.

9. Yoo Hoo (2016)

A simple, feel-good summer bop. (full review)

8. Deepened (2016)

A slinky slow jam that reinvented the group for the better.

7. We Ride (2020)

A superior city pop effort that aged like fine wine. (full review)

6. Pool Party (ft. E-Chan) (2021)

It says it all in the spoken word intro: “Another summer hit” (full review)

5. Thank You (2022)

My preferred disbandment anthem, Thank You is a groovy, sing-along celebration. (full review)

4. High Heels (2016)

Peak mid-00’s Brave Brothers, and very much in line with AOA’s great run of singles during this era. (full review)

3. Rollin’ (2017)

The song that finally took Brave Girls to the top… even if it took four years to do so! (full review)

2. Chi Mat Ba Ram (2021)

This is pretty much everything you’d want in a summer bop. It’s breezy and powerful and endlessly catchy. (full review)

1. After We Ride (2021)

This may go down as a hidden gem in Brave Girls’ discography, but to me it represents the group at their absolute peak. (full review)

17 thoughts on “Every BRAVE GIRLS Single Ranked: From Worst to Best”

  1. So sad that they pulled the plug on this great band. Thank You really snuck up on me all last year to become one of my favorites. Ever since Rollin’, they’ve went from peak to peak, with no dips whatsoever.

    [As an aside: Recently, We Ride came up on my playlist, and then I suddenly realized how close in sound Fifty Fifty’s Tell Me is to it. So if there’s any consolation – at least to me – it’s that Fifty Fifty seems to be built at least slightly on their DNA? The new upcoming release should tell. (I’m so nervous, because I loved their EP so much, and I’m hoping they don’t depart too much from such a great sound.)]

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  3. To be fair, Brave Girls was really two separate groups united by the same production company, one prior to 2016 and the 2016 and after, as there was a complete line-up change in the middle there.

    My favorite is “Rollin” the original mix, which I loved back when and was happy when it came back as a hit.

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    • I mean for two releases there were 1st and 2nd gen members, but how the group ended up completely different in such a short time is wild

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  4. woohoo, after we ride! my favorite title track of 2021!

    anyway, since its been a long time since i’ve done a jpop review (i forgot to do one on the new and noteworthy jpop post), i thought why not make up for that by posting a review of one of my favorites? so imma do it right now!

    R.Y.U.S.E.I – J Soul Brothers
    If you were to meet with me in real life, you would know that I’m a pretty good EDM darling. The big dance floor-ready energy combined with rich melodies and performances fuse so well with pop music and make for a galvanizing experience for me. It’s particularly the case for the early 2010s sound I often seek. So, it’s no surprise that whenever K-Pop and J-Pop take cues from this sound, I’m ecstatic, and this song is definitely no exception.

    To put it simply, R.Y.U.S.E.I is PERFECTION. It’s quite possibly one of my favorite songs from the entire EXILE TRIBE franchise, and you know that’s quite an honor. Every element in the song, from its boisterous breakdowns to the heavy synths to its firey chorus, as well as the fact it just keeps building and building make up the song’s meat and helps it soar to the skies. It’s no wonder this song was such a smash hit back in 2015, as any song that sounds this ferocious is one I feel would take over the world. If artists like David Guetta and/or Armin Van Buuren made their way to J-Pop, this would be the kind of song they would make.

    Opening with a classic EDM intro, R.Y.U.S.E.I quickly gives us a tease of its aggressive beat and vocal power before launching to a more reserved verse that brings in a bit of piano and guitar as company. The energy and intensity of the song continues to build as it progresses to the pre-chorus, and hits a dramatic climax when we slam dunk into its anthemic centerpiece. My god, what a chorus! The melody is as epic as pop can get, from its heavy layering to its strong vocal performance. It brings in a lot of catharsis that’s sure to make you dance along to its irresistible beat. R.Y.U.S.E.I’s multiple breakdowns after each chorus are another highlight, making way for an explosive finale that sends the song off on a high note. It’s the perfect marriage between bombastic EDM and J-Pop that we need more of in our lives.

    Hooks: 10
    Production: 10
    Longevity: 10
    Bias: 10

    Rating: 10

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  5. I think the way the announcement was written leaves room for them to come back as Brave Girls (with Brave Brothers only producing instead of managing), so I wouldn’t be too worried about losing them forever! It’s just a shame they didn’t get to use the momentum to their full advantage, but they sure did make summer 2021 very memorable.

    Before they blew up, a friend recommended “We Ride” and I gave it a chance but city pop is rarely something I like. But I did end up really liking their CF song haha

    So, my Top 5 Brave Girls songs:
    1. After We Ride
    2. Deepened
    3. Chit Mat Ba Ram
    4. Pool Party
    5. Red Sun

    6. Rollin’
    7. Can I Love You

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  6. I feel like if there’s a lesson I’ve taken from the past two months, it’s: “If you want to see a group in concert, don’t hesitate/wait for the next one.” Of the three groups I got to see in concert this summer (Dreamcatcher, Brave Girls, Loona), two have basically disbanded (Dreamcatcher is actually returning to my city in less than a month, but I’ll be home for spring break by then!!! Arghhh!!!) (Never mind, I just figured out they’re performing in Oakland while I’m in CA. All is well.)

    Brave Girls put on the best show overall. I think their popularity was least well-known in the states, so the line was less insane, the venue was intimate, and they seemed comfortable/genuinely joyful at the support (people kept giving them plushies to put backstage). I think the organizers were the same ones who did the Golcha concert, which based on Nick’s description sounded similarly fun.

    Anyway, it’s often in-person that I figure out which songs really hit for me and which don’t. “High Heels”, “Rollin”, and “Chi Mat Ba Ram” seemed like the primary ones which hit with the audience, and are the main songs I would return to. They didn’t perform “After We Ride”, sadly.

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  7. I’m genuinely so sad that Brave Girls have disbanded as their singles run has been incredible, but witnessing the Rollin’ renaissance firsthand has easily been one of my favourite moments in k-pop lore ever. After We Ride has been my top song on Spotify Wrapped two years in a row (I listened to it over six hundred times last year 😭) but truly I love all their songs Deepened-onwards. There’s really something to be said for a feel-good pop group- Brave Girls, quite simply, made me happier. And we’ll always have Chi Mat Ba Ram! ❤️

    You know what it is! B-girls are back! (brave sound~) And we’re gonna be summer queens yeah! You ready? We are, Brave Girls!

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  8. Finally an artitcle that appreciates after we ride… I could not understand why a lot of people didn’t like it, both MV and song were levels up compared to their older ones. It was the perfect vibey song.. If only they promoted it.. After we ride and thank you are the real goodbye songs. Brave brothers really did give them good songs, just a pity that covid and some poor management choices led us to where we’re at now.

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  9. I’d have to finish listening to the songs on this list I haven’t heard before to do a fair ranking, but I absolutely agree that “After We Ride” is their absolute best song! Such a shame that it didn’t get more attention. I’d also add all the songs from the “Thank You” album, especially “Can I Love You.” There’s something about that song I just adore, might be the minor chords in the chorus and the bright instrumentals. I sincerely hope that Brave Girls will continue under a new label! I would so miss their unique vocals.

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  10. What a killer discography, imagine what could’ve been if people had paid Rollin attention at the time of its release. Also, shame on brave entertainment for not giving up a true post queendom release. Groups like brave girls and nine misses

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  11. I’m Jamaican and easily was always a ??? Moment. I personally think it sounds more authentic than most efforts in kpop and I would definitely have it higher. My list:

    15. Goodbye (I rather they just didn’t release anything)
    14. Do you know?
    13. So sexy
    12. Pool party (had a complete turn around, was always my least favorite on summer queen but I always skip it now)
    11. Red sun (don’t kill me y’all I don’t be jamming to this)
    10. Yoo hoo
    9. Easily
    8. We ride
    7. Thank you (I like the b sides better)
    6. Rollin
    5. nowadays, you (recently has been my jam)
    4. Deepened (positive association with a real life event definitely makes it high for me)
    3. High heels (IM A FOXY GIRL!)
    2. Chi mat baram
    1. After we ride ( I wish I was fluent in Korean to get the full experience cause it’s already so impactful how I experience it now)

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