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.
The debut album from tripleS is a bit of a hodgepodge, swerving from cool, subdued sounds to sugary, upbeat pop – sometimes within the space of a single song! It’s also oddly structured. I’m not sure why they chose to open with Beam, which feels like a blip on the radar before we get to more substantial tracks. For me, the strongest songs are the Monotree-produced ones. This isn’t surprising. I’m often a fan of their work.
Leading up to the release of Rising, fans voted for the song they wanted to be promoted as title track. I’ve never trusted fan votes after the traumatic ‘Snuper fan vote of 2018,’ where the dull You In My Eyes was chosen as title track over classic-in-the-making Hide And Seek. Sometimes I think fans choose the song they feel will be more successful (ie: trendy) rather than the song they actually prefer listening to.
At any rate, New Look would have made a fun, upbeat single. It’s more Twice than NewJeans, which would’ve completely shifted tripleS’s debut concept. And yes, it’s another synth-fueled track. We seem to be getting a ton of b-sides in this style and they tend to be the most melodically-focused songs on an album. New Look has a bright, catchy chorus and equally buoyant production. It meanders occasionally, but is instantly memorable and has potential for great, meme-worthy choreography. Maybe they’ll promote it as a follow-up?
| Hooks | 9 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
This track definitely reminded me of Twice choruses but a retro spin. Personally prefer Colorful or The Baddest, but I did like this song more than Beam. Overall album was very tasteful like their previous
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New Look is my favorite song on the album, so I’m glad you gave this a review. I’m just a sucker for synths, it seems. Especially when the track is produced by MonoTree. Back when this was song C it was one of my top picks together with H and A (which we didn’t get to see).
Song B ended up as Rising and while I admit not voting for it back then (in the finals I preferred song F) I’m liking it a lot now. I think it was a pretty good pick for the group and fits them well. And the choreography is just so cool with the 10 members.
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Oops, I didn’t mean to post this as a reply to another comment, but it looks like I can neither delete nor edit. Oh well.
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The intro has these delicious thick new wave circa 1980 synths, and I was hoping for a OMD-tinged repeat of SNSD’s You Better Run. But it’s a super-strong song, and I love the vocal arrangements. It’s hefty and sugary at the same time. AAA were my favorite gg debut of last year, so it’s good to see Triple S continuing that path.
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Ah.. fan votes. Nothing ever disillusions me more!
This song really does sound Twice-ey, and the chorus has so much tiktok potential. It’ s not a total standout, but it’ s cute.
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I really enjoy this debut album. It really reminds me of Odd Eye Circle which is always a good thing!
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Completely unrelated, so sorry for taking space here, but Nick, will you review Limelight’s debut song, “Honestly”?
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No need to be sorry, but I’m not planning on reviewing it. It’s pleasant, but I don’t really have much to say beyond that. I’m glad a lot of people are enjoying it, though!
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My fave from the EP but Colorful was nice too.
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