A K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. 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.
KBS missed a big opportunity by not offering subtitles for their “Listen-Up” series this summer. Its concept definitely appeals to me, matching producers with artists for a chart battle of original songs. But without a translation, I’ve made do with the special performances spotlighted on certain Music Bank episodes. I haven’t heard all the songs from the program, but many of the ones that have been performed went in one ear and out the other without much fanfare.
However, I’m stuck on this GHOST9 track. Maybe it’s just because I’m ready for a comeback from the guys, but I’m finding myself playing Monster more than expected. The song is a total performance piece, lurching here and there in ways that would normally irritate me. But, each of its pieces are enjoyable on their own and performed with a ton of verve.
After a slow-burn verse, Monster’s beat drops as a much poppier melody rushes in. It’s an unexpected twist, but one that’s very welcome. From here, the instrumental (mostly) adheres to this new, driving beat. When the tempo does change, it’s in service to the sense of paranoia Monster is trying to elicit. I find it pretty effective, even if many of these same production tricks feel shoehorned in when part of other tracks. This just goes to highlight the importance of one of two killer hooks. Monster knows when to deliver the goods. It would have made a solid title track.
| Hooks | 9 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Yes!! I was surprised when I saw this performance too and thought for a hot second if I missed a comeback lol. A surprisingly good song! ❤
I think they pulled this off really well!! Honestly I would love if they tried a style like this for their next title track! Strong vocal parts, great performance worthy choreo and the entire group really seemed to be vibing with it!
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I love sweet and perky Ghost9, but this takes you on a journey. It’s more of a sit and listen than dance song, but I dig the epic feel.
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Also the Rocket Punch song on here is solid as well!
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This has been my earworm for the past week as well. I’ve watched the dance practice a ridiculous amount of times as well. The whole thing is extremely well done as a package. Only wish they could’ve promoted this like a proper comeback.
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This actually sounds quite fun, I should check out the other Listen Up songs, thanks for the recommendation!
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So good! It went completely past me, tough I love Ghost9, Lee Dae Hwi and this kind of show, thank you for bringing it up on your blog!
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I would never have heard of this song unless I hadn’t seen this, though I’m generally a fan of Daehwi but I haven’t had the time to look up all the other work he’s been doing recently, so I’m glad you brought this to my attention. GHOST9 perform this really well, but I also want to highlight how far Daehwi’s production skills have come recently – it’s a pleasure to see him continue to work with other artists aside from AB6IX, and it’s interesting to see how these songs still bring out these other artists’ strengths.
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no buried treasure for twice but for this unknown group? even ive with on two songs? watefak.
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Relax, the Twice album is totally solid. It’s just that nothing stood out enough to me to write about it.
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im sorry. but i have come back to this site many times lately to know your buried treasure on between 1&2. lol.
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Sorry! If I were to have picked one, it would probably be Trouble 🙂
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