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.

U-KISS’s fifteenth anniversary album is slavishly devoted to its second-gen sound, and I am slavishly devoted to that decision. It’s so nice to hear an album in this style, and the fact that it feels so different from everything else on the market makes it stand out and seem almost… ahead of the trend?

The album’s first two tracks are its masterclass — a one-two shot of energy that lays bare U-KISS’s intentions. Party Tonight is an absolute blast from start to finish, delivering a full-course meal where many of its peers opt for extended appetizers.

I don’t think I’ve heard a more satisfying K-pop song climax since IVE’s I Am back in April. Party Tonight‘s final chorus — with its blazing guitar turned up to eleven — is the kind of bombastic punctuation mark that has me racing back for more. But really, the entire track swells and surges with this energy. I love the ambient vocal effects in the background. At times, they sound almost like car swerves. This adds to the song’s cinematic appeal. It deposits you right in the middle of its world and surrounds you with a seemingly unlimited supply of musical treats.

Grade: A-