Most of the time, a kpop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, sometimes b-side tracks deserve recognition, too. In the singles-oriented world of kpop, I wanted to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve.
Alongside the excellent Fingertip, GFriend have released their strongest album yet. The Awakening maintains the sound that made the group famous, but deepens it with unexpected production elements and soaring melodies. Most will likely be talking about Hear The Wind Sing, with its gorgeous violin hook and tropical pop beat, or Crush, which paints the girls with an edgier New Jack Swing concept. And yes, those are two of the album’s undeniable highlights. But the third track within that holy trinity of b-sides has to be the immense Please Save My Earth.
Corny title aside (the girls almost debuted with the name “World Peace,” after all — which makes “GFriend” seem positively badass in comparison), Please Save My Earth takes the girls’ dense sound and multiplies it. Granted, the verses feel a little under-produced, preferring a simple dance beat when they could have gone more majestic. But then that chorus swoops in, buoyed by a beautiful bed of orchestral instrumentation and choral backing vocals. The earnest hook is classic GFriend, but it feels more dreamlike here. There’s a lot going on in the track itself, but it’s so tightly packed that every element seems to bleed into one another to create a lush collage of sounds. I would love for GFriend to explore this side even further, bolstering their music with a theatrical sense of symphonic bombast. There’s not another female k-pop group that pulls it off better.
Hooks | 9 |
Production | 9 |
Longevity | 8 |
Bias | 9 |
RATING | 8.75 |
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