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.

It’s so nice to have ONF back, and I love how most online discourse about them centers around the quality of their music. That’s exactly where the focus should be, but you need the great discography to back that up. ONF have plenty of treasures in their catalog, though my favorite music still comes from their pre-enlistment days.

Speaking of favorite music, Complete remains my personal ONF peak. Because of this, I assumed the similarly-paced Slave To The Rhythm would be my pick from the new album. That’s one’s fine, but it’s pretty generic by their standards. Instead, Aphrodite edges it out by a hair. I still don’t think this is anywhere near their best work, but I’m intrigued by its shifting rhythms and slapping chorus. While the structure of the track is predictable by K-pop standards, there’s a lot happening in the instrumental that keeps me coming back for more.

In fact, it’s amazing how many segments they manage to fit into such a brief running time. The song occasionally feels as if it might fall apart, especially as we swerve into an unexpected, descending chant just after the two minute mark. But before we know it, Aphrodite‘s bright percussion returns to snap everything back together again. It’s an interesting ride, for sure!

Grade: B