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.

Regular readers are probably getting sick of my continued adoration towards Sweetune, but they’re just one of those production teams who release quality work each and every time. One of the things I love about them most is that, rather than compose one-off singles for artists, they often produce an entire album’s worth of material. Such is the case with Snuper. In fact, of the group’s eighteen Korean-language tracks, there’s only one that wasn’t produced by Sweetune. This makes for a consistent sound, but also affords them just the right amount of musical exploration.

Hide And Seek is the opening track on Snuper’s newest album, and it definitely encapsulates the glossy, synth-driven Sweetune sound. But mixed into that template are elements of flamenco and tropical house. Neither influence is definitive enough to overrule the pure pop melody at Hide And Seek‘s heart, but they create an interesting twist on the 80’s-styled sound we’re used to hearing from Snuper. More importantly, the experimentation with tempo and phrasing results in a dynamite chorus that begins at a fast-paced, staccato clip before climaxing to an airy, languid post-chorus refrain that feels stately and mature. If I had one small complaint, it’s that the song ends too early. One last chorus would have rounded things out nicely and kept that final rap verse from feeling abrupt and unfinished.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eQOrTuokEY