Primary - Drama (feat. Sunggyu)
Primary always drops amazing music. Even though they always trigger me because the featured artist is the only singer, I can forgive them for the quality songs. What's up with releasing half of a music video though? They did it with Solji, too. Anyway Sunggyu rocks "Drama," his voice stretches all across his range in this song and works very well on either end. Sunggyu has historically been great at conveying emotion when he sings, and that's evident throughout Infinite's discography and any collaborations like this one. With a group comeback in the work (sans Hoya) it'll be good to hear his voice some more.
Taeyeon - Fire
This is the best song with the title of "Fire." Get at me 2NE1 and BTS. Anyway "My Voice" is one of the best albums of the year (surprise) so it's not surprising to find the tracklist extraordinary. Much like Sunggyu in "Drama," Taeyeon runs her voice everywhere and sounds wonderful doing so. What's special about "Fire" is that the chorus comes in super fast: 35 seconds in but the song as a whole never feels rushed. That bridge is therapeutic, too. I'd love to hear like a heavy rock variation on this piece, or even with just a heavier drums influence.
Red Velvet - You Better Know
Once I knew I was writing a 2017 list of B-sides, another Red Velvet track was a forgone conclusion. During the last Best Of B-Sides piece I talked about how "Red Summer" had many good instrumentals, and none were better than that in "You Better Know." It's exciting and keeps up with the vocals, which are smooth and energetic. This is the type of dance number I prefer out of Red Velvet, and in general. Still hype enough to get you moving, but not overly noisy or poppy (think "Gee"). We are also fortunate to not have a rap here, which would've undoubtedly ruined the song. Easily the best on the mini album.
Girl's Day - Thirsty
Sexy R&B Girl's Day is the best Girl's Day. There are so many examples of B-sides that are far superior to the picked title track, and this could've been way bigger than "I'll Be Yours." "Thirsty" is sensual and sublime, thanks to the usual suspects. The vocal work from Sojin and Minah is everywhere but it's worth mentioning that the other members don't get left out either. Hyeri gets some nice moments - much like when Dasom was coming out of her shell with Sistar - while Yura has one of her better raps. Might not be any longer than her usual material but her flow is good and serves as a nice compliment to the rest of the track.
Epik High - Here Come The Regrets (feat. Lee Hi)
Absolutely my favorite track from the "We've Done Something Wonderful" album. I don't even feel bad that I've recycled two albums (and artists) already. This song is that fucking good. Those lyrics are powerful, with the rapping we expect out of Epik High. Listen to that dark heavy instrumental eerily skulking around in the back. While an entire English track isn't uncommon nowadays, it's impressive that Mithra held his own since he's not a native speaker. Lee Hi wraps everything together with her singing and this is the despondent banger for years to come.
EXID - Weeknd
The Ahn sisters are a deadly combination. Having only Hani's sultry voice paired with LE's precise rapping is a dynamic duo indeed. "Weeknd" is probably the best I've ever heard Hani in her higher register, and it's a compelling performance to say the least. I'd be interested to see an EXID song where Hani is slotted as the main vocalist. She could follow similarly to Hyerin and Solji, but she also has the capacity to use her lower voice too. With LE it's more of the same: excellent rapping that pulls no punches and helps drive the song. Her pronunciation is amazing here. I'm not the biggest fan of the instrumental during the dance break, because what even is that noise?
IU - Last Night Story
Technically this is neither a title track or a B-side because "Last Night Story" is a cover. But my god is it one hell of a cover. IU rocks every aspect of this rendition. Her vocals don't disappoint (when do they ever?) and I really can't explain why it's that good. I suppose the winning formula is to take a catchy tune and give it to IU. Of course, we all know that the true highlight of this release is not the song or the dance but the music video. The orange levels are out of control and it's simply so meta! Her facial expressions are on point and sad IU watching happy IU on TV is amazing.
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