Review

Buried Treasure: TXT – Ghosting

Most of the time, a k-pop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, 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.


TXT’s Blue Hour has already grown on me, and I think their new mini album is their strongest since debut. It’s hard to pick buried treasures with this group since Big Hit has so often transformed b-sides into follow-up singles weeks after the album release. So, I may end up having to change the heading of this review as time goes on!

Beyond the title track, the album really comes down to two incredible highlights: Ghosting and Wishlist. The songs share little in common, but are each fantastic examples of their chosen genre. Of the two, the track that’s wormed its way into my head more effectively is Ghosting.

I always appreciate when TXT’s music veers into soft rock and dream pop. Ghosting follows tracks like Nap of a Star and Maze in the Mirror, but feels even more assured. Big Hit’s insistence on airy vocal processing and muddled mixing actually works well in tracks like these, because it creates a lo-fi atmosphere that is often found in alt rock. Songs like this are meant to sound hazy and ethereal, so I’ve got no issues with the effects used.

More importantly, Ghosting offers a killer melody. It’s a slow burn song, but that doesn’t mean that it takes too long to become interesting. The chorus is teased right from the beginning, and the synth-rock instrumental imbues the entire thing with an emotional drive. When the full chorus unveils itself, the melody sweeps over you with a sense of understated majesty that’s really quite evocative. You don’t hear songs like this very often in K-pop, and I think this could become TXT’s niche. The group is incredibly well-suited to the style.

 Hooks 9
 Production 9
 Longevity 9
 Bias 10
 RATING 9.25

~

11 thoughts on “Buried Treasure: TXT – Ghosting

  1. My buried treasure too, i think i played this more than the title.
    Will Drippin have a Buried Treasure as well? bc Overdrive is saying hello

    Like

  2. I absolutely love the melody in here , Raw emotion is painted all throughout this track.

    Sweetune should really produce a song of theirs , I mean they have the most satisfying vocal tones of all of K-pop and we can get something Emotional or Fantasy-Like from them……

    Like

  3. This song is so right up my alley. I’d kill for more dream-pop & shoegaze influences in k-pop and I’d absolutely love this sound to become TXT’s trademark one.

    Like

    • Ah, is that what this sort of sound / genre is called? I called it something like the moody sort of music hubby plays when he is in a sort of mood, and being in a mood I never popped my head in to ask what that was, maybe only if he wanted a cup of tea or something.

      The song is alright. Its the kind of song that easily lends itself to being on repeat for an hour or twelve, and not solely for counting on the modern sites that count but for actual enjoyment.

      Like

  4. Yes this song is great! TXT members had writing credits for 3 out of the 5 songs in this mini album, including this song and Wishlist (Blue Hour was not, it was Bang PD’s lol). Bighit should let these boys get involved with their music more 🙂

    Like

  5. Ghosting is one of my favorites from the album as well. As someone who listened to a lot of alternative music growing up, this song reminded me of it so much. It holds a lot of nostalgia for me.

    Like

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.