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 25 >>

Girls’ Generation (SNSD) – Party (2015)

I remember despising Party when it was first released. The chirpy, high-pitched chorus was just too much. But now that “chirpy and high-pitched” is the norm for so many girl groups, it’s amazing how fresh and restrained this actually sounds. Party has aged far better than I ever would have thought, and much of that is due to its bright, roller-rink-ready instrumental. It has a giddy, explosive appeal that feels like K-pop’s answer to Katy Perry’s California Girls. In other words, if I believed in the concept of “guilty pleasure,” this would be right next to the term in any dictionary.