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.
For their new mini album, NEWBEAT have completely switched sounds and targeted Western producers to give them a more international appeal. This mostly results in generic, toothless material (which I could have predicted a mile away), but every once and awhile these Western song camps strike gold.
Unbelievable is still pretty generic and marred by some cheesy English lyrics, but this is my kind of goofy fun. The 90s kid in me hears a sneaky riff on EMF’s 1991 chart-topper Unbelievable, though I doubt that was intentional. More than anything, this is simply a fun burst of colorful power pop. Turn your brain off for three minutes and enjoy the silly bombast of its boisterous chorus. Or, take a time machine back to One Direction’s early-2010s heyday (an era I’m particularly fond of) and imagine this as a long-lost b-side. I’d love to hear NEWBEAT build upon this style for stronger material in the future. I don’t think they will, but this energy suits them well.
Hooks
9
Production
8
Longevity
8
Bias
9
RATING
8.5