Most of the time, a k-pop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, sometimes b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of K-pop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve.
I’ve seen quite a few people raving about Break The Wall, a b-side on Dreamcatcher’s newest album that sees the girls embracing rock-metal in a more unencumbered way than ever before. And, I get the appeal. But when it comes down to it, I’ve never been much of a metalhead. So while I can appreciate the song’s commitment and skill, you’re more likely to find me nodding my head to EDM banger Can’t Get You Out Of My Mind.
I’m not going to pretend that this track does anything new or noteworthy. It’s as beholden to its chosen genre as Break The Wall is. Given a different set of vocalists, Can’t Get You Out Of My Mind would likely wind up as a faceless trend-follower. Yet, it’s exciting to hear Dreamcatcher try their hand at this style. The girls deliver the song entirely in English, with a confident performance that should have global appeal. The track pairs the group’s usual production duo of LEEZ and Ollounder with solo artist Maddox, and lets them stretch their melodic skills in a more straightforward way than usual.
Can’t Get You Out Of My Mind isn’t going to win any awards for inventive song structure. It’s very Zedd, circa 2013. But, the producers’ choice of synth textures is on point, as always. Right from the start, the instrumental envelops us in a robust electronic tone, which continues to bubble through much of the track as a driving force. The chorus, thankfully, is more than a simple beat drop. It echoes its instrumental break with an equally rousing refrain – simple, but quite effective. However, it’s the song’s majestic instrumental that truly steals the show.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.75 |
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The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
YES! I love this song sooooo much. You know how there are some songs that just hit your musical sweet spots perfectly? Well this is one of them. Great stuff.
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Yes!!! I knew it, I was waiting for this!! The drop had me worried since I thought it would be purely instrumental, thankfully it wasn’t. This was THE track I was waiting for since MIROH and I cannot explain how happy I was. Sure it’s quite the generic EDM track, but this is the definition of my taste.
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Break the Wall is an Evanescence song through and through!
Personally I love Can’t Get You Out of My Mind for what it is, but I think I’m a little bit disappointed with the fact that the producers didn’t dare to get a little more experimental with the instrumental. Anyway, the melody here is gorgeous and the girls sound really great as always!
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I’m firmly on Team Break The Wall (as my past comments may have suggested), but I happen to be a 00s mallcore kid so that automatically appeals to my rather specific interests.
But this? I like it a lot. I’ll admit I was really apprehensive about it because of the teaser. I was worried it would devolve into a screechy, hissy fit of an EDM drop, so to hear a much warmer electronic texture that feels at home in 90s Europop (see: Alice DJ – Better Off Alone) relieved me and put a huge smile on my face. Then the follow-up refrain? As you point out, a simple but effective choice.
All in all this song isn’t novel, but it’s extremely good at what it does. Part of what I like about K-Pop groups is that the vocal variety elevates otherwise mundane pop structures. I especially love the contrast that Dami’s singing voice brings, but I’ve been weak for her since late 2018 so… Plus, this too appeals to my interests–I spent the better part of 2013-15 hanging out on plug.dj rooms that played music just like this. I’m glad you liked this enough to feature it as well. 🙂
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Very nice song. Reminds me of BLACKPINK’s “Don’t Know What To Do” which I also like.
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Don’t Know What To Do is my favorite BP song since AIIYL. I get why KTL was chosen as the title, but I much prefer it. And it appeals to me for many of the same reasons as this one does.
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I think overplay of Zedd pop duets in the early 2010s at various gyms almost singlehandedly put me off pop music until I figured it could be good (i.e. found Kara), so I suppose this can’t win any personal points from me! That said, DC sell it well!
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Yeah, this is absolutely not for me. I was never that much of a Zedd fan- this production does nothing for me personally, it sounds like a more toned down Zedd drop. I do really like their vocals though!
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Yeah, Break the Wall is definitely my stand out song from the album, but I do agree with everything about Can’t Get You Out of My Mind. For it’s very typical structure, it’s somehow something I was very surprised to hear from Dreamcatcher, especially since it’s entirely English.
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I fully agree!!! Sometimes you don’t have to have a complicated song structure/instrumentals to produce a highly enjoyable song. Sometimes all it takes is simplicity and sticking to the basics. Love this song so much. Reminds me of those cheesy, 2000s club electronica music like Cascada’s Everytime We Touch LOL.
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A little sad that Break The Wall didn’t get the spot. It’s my absolute jam. 2000’s Evanescence-esque rock-metal! That is something I welcome in the Korean music scene. I was surprised when this song came up on the album. Very nostalgic indeed and hope that Leez and Ollounder explore more of this sound in future Dreamcatcher albums. It reminded me of Seungyeon’s Guilty. I think those two songs run along similar veins though SWEETUNE made it slightly more impactful and memorable.
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Wow I never thought of that comparison. I love guilty and can definitely see the similarities but whereas this feels more straightforward EDM, Guilty feels like the unveiling of pop majesty. It’s just so god damn epic!
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Some parts of the instrumental (second verse to be specific) sounds like the beginning of How You Like That to me. Wonderful song!
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I’m more of a Break the Wall fan, but I still love this one!! I’m a big fan of that era of Zedd as well. Spectrum, anyone? This is also one of the best English k-pop tracks for sure, right up there with Twice’s What You Waiting For. The lyrics are great and they make sense and everyone still gives it their all vocally. It’s just a really fun song.
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It’s a really really good song. Completely get the hype
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I was really looking forward to which song you’d pick as Buried Treasure for the album, and I’m really glad you picked this one. I’ve been absolutely in love with this song, and I’m not really sure why. On first listen I knew it can just be seen as some ‘generic EDM song’, but there’s just something about it that really pushes it to something special. Honestly, after listening to the first few seconds, I already knew I’d love it.
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For girl groups, I’d have to pick Dreamcatcher and Red Velvet as the representatives of B-sides. It’s exceedingly rare for either group not to have at least one other standout track on their minis and albums, which is pretty darn refreshing when so many albums (K-Pop or not) are just filler aside from the promotional tracks.
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I agree about Dreamcatcher, that other group not so much so… especially after the traumatising ReVe Festival series. I’d replace them with ITZY or WJSN.
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And the b-side of the year award goes to… Dreamcatcher!
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