There are few things I enjoy more than a great summertime song. They’re bright, they’re exciting, and they remind me of my favorite time of the year.

There’s no telling what this summer in K-pop will bring, but over the next few weeks I’ll be flashing back each day, showcasing a highlight from past summers. The rules are simple: I fire up my carefully compiled “K-pop summer” playlist, hit ‘shuffle,’ and if the song that pops up hasn’t already been featured on the site, it gets a post and mini-review of its own.

So, get ready for a summer of K-pop on The Bias List!

(View all the Summer of K-pop songs here)

<< Song 16 >>

2NE1 – Happy (2014)

Despite being released in the dead of winter, Happy is as sprightly and summery as 2NE1 ever sounded. Its pop beat bounds forward with an addictive positivity even as the lyrics say otherwise, underpinning a melody that tugs in all the right places. It’s laid-back without being boring, forgoing the group’s usual posturing for something more nuanced. The percussion that punctuates each chorus makes for a nice sucker punch, but it’s 2NE1’s expressive performance that really makes Happy shine. This is what it sounds like when a YG girl group attacks a full-fledged song, rather than seek to prove their badassery through a series of feeble one-liners.