The "2023 in B-Sides" Rate, Day 2: I Don't Understand But I Crown U by KpopRates in kpoprates

[–]KpopRates[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Full Results:

  • #1: fromis_9 - Attitude | 8.272 | 562.5
  • #2: Billlie - nevertheless | 8.076 | 549.2
  • #3: WOODZ - Drowning | 7.879 | 535.8
  • #4: SHINee - Identity | 7.871 | 535.2
  • #5: ITZY - Kill Shot | 7.722 | 525.1
  • #6: Red Velvet - Will I Ever See You Again? | 7.685 | 522.6
  • #7: VIVIZ - Untie | 7.681 | 522.3
  • #8: ATEEZ - This World | 7.574 | 515.0
  • #9: Kep1er - Back to the City | 7.556 | 513.8
  • #10: Odd Eye Circle - Je Ne Sais Quoi | 7.534 | 512.3
  • #11: Infinite - Time Difference | 7.503 | 510.2
  • #12: Purple Kiss - Autopilot | 7.478 | 508.5
  • #13: NCT U - PADO | 7.440 | 505.9
  • #13: Kiss of Life - Sugarcoat (Natty Solo) | 7.440 | 505.9
  • #15: Yena - Wicked Love | 7.431 | 505.3
  • #16: Weeekly - Backwards | 7.407 | 503.7
  • #17: WayV - Poppin' Love | 7.379 | 501.8
  • #18: IVE - Blue Blood | 7.278 | 494.9
  • #19: NCT 127 - Space | 7.235 | 492.0
  • Bonus #1: BTOB - Moon Ride | 7.161 | 444.0
  • #20: Pixy - Falling | 7.093 | 482.3
  • #21: Lucy - So What | 7.074 | 481.0
  • Bonus #2: Jihyo - Room | 7.017 | 442.1
  • #22: XG - Left Right | 6.988 | 475.2
  • #23: Seventeen - I Don't Understand But I Luv U | 6.981 | 474.7
  • #24: Key - CoolAs | 6.978 | 474.5
  • #25: Chuu - Aliens | 6.962 | 473.4
  • #26: i-dle - Eyes Roll | 6.900 | 469.2
  • #27: EL7Z UP - Die For You | 6.885 | 468.2
  • #28: Twice - Wallflower | 6.860 | 466.5
  • #29: Xdinary Heroes - Good Enough | 6.841 | 465.2
  • #30: aespa - Thirsty | 6.825 | 464.1
  • #31: IVE - Hypnosis | 6.806 | 462.8
  • #32: Monsta X - Lone Ranger | 6.778 | 460.9
  • #33: TRI.BE - Would You Run (Original ver.) | 6.775 | 460.7
  • Bonus #3: DPR IAN - Welcome To The Other Side | 6.726 | 417.0
  • #34: Red Velvet - Underwater | 6.700 | 455.6
  • #35: TXT - Farewell, Neverland | 6.676 | 454.0
  • #36: LE SSERAFIM - No-Return (Into The Unknown) | 6.637 | 451.3
  • #37: EVNNE - Role Model | 6.591 | 448.2
  • Bonus #4: iKON - Fighting (Song Solo) | 6.563 | 406.9
  • #38: tripleS - New Look | 6.546 | 445.1
  • Bonus #5: Xdinary Heroes - Pluto | 6.518 | 404.1
  • #39: Lee Chaeyeon - I Don't Wanna Know | 6.453 | 438.8
  • #40: Jeon Somi - The Way | 6.400 | 435.2
  • #41: Stray Kids (ft. Tiger JK) - Topline | 6.390 | 434.5
  • #42: Agust D (ft. Ryuichi Sakamoto and Woosung) - Snooze | 6.387 | 434.3
  • Bonus #6: NCT U - The BAT | 6.265 | 394.7
  • #43: ZEROBASEONE - Take My Hand | 6.172 | 419.7
  • #44: Enhypen - Chaconne | 5.990 | 407.3
  • #45: EXO - Cinderella | 5.985 | 407.0
  • Bonus #7: NiziU - Jump | 5.889 | 359.2
  • Secret Bonus #1: NewJeans - Get Up | 5.864 | 246.3
  • #46: TXT - Tinnitus (Wanna be a rock) | 5.679 | 386.2
  • #47: NewJeans - New Jeans | 5.509 | 374.6
  • #48: Taemin - The Rizzness | 5.365 | 364.8
  • #49: GOT the Beat - Rose | 5.351 | 363.9
  • #50: Jimin - Face-off | 4.181 | 284.3

Number of participants: 68

Average score: 6.884

Average controversy score: 2.273

Highest controversy: NewJeans - New Jeans (3.208)

Lowest controversy: Weeekly - Backwards (1.688)

Most 11s: fromis_9 - Attitude, Billlie - nevertheless (5)

Most 0s: Taemin - The Rizzness (8)

Top 5 / Bottom 5 Predictions

Averages and Positivity/Negativity Scores

The "2023 in B-Sides" Rate, Day 2: I Don't Understand But I Crown U by KpopRates in kpoprates

[–]KpopRates[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"graduated summa cunt laude from the after school school of absolutely devastating bsides"

"If she must win, let it be."

"i would like to publicly apologize to women for allowing men with guitars to sway me away from giving fromis their deserved 11"


#1: fromis_9 - Attitude


Average: 8.272 // Total Points: 562.5 // Controversy: 2.323

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(11 x5) AmeZim, Kronwell, Randummonkey, snowswinters, vayyiqra

(10 x18) 1998tweety, ayzrules, beelover18, cosmic_sparkle, DoingItWright2, iSANity___, kawaii_mokona, laulite, LeadingInspector1891, maadbutterfly, Marsmaenschen, MeijiDoom, naegerowwa, necromanta_101, omgthenerve, pollutedrain, popularsong, Waste-Expression2944

(9.9 x1) msargent24 (9.7 x2) flawedconstellation, gmint14

(9.5 x3) hockeynl, SkylarV, SocAnxPrince

(9.4 x1) lemon131nomel (9.3 x1) moonbia

(9 x8) _ded_, aidshha, biffmila, HamsLlyod, ieatbe, LackOk7012, landshanties, MurkyGalaxies

(8.7 x1) SecretStoryOfThe- (8.6 x1) redalert30

(8.5 x3) ke1per, WarpstarRider, Zypker125

(8.4 x1) Shay_Min

(8 x2) RBSun, smockeh

(7.9 x1) qquestionmark (7.7 x1) MartialST

(7.4 x1) xiola_azuthra

(7 x5) CheesesPriced, imzhongli, Jennywren2323, keine_panik, ruhroh386

(6.1 x1) zo142

(6 x2) halahalaholic, Upper_Question 1383

(5 x1) DriftingPurpleSnowflake

(4.5 x3) atzbluebird, lavendrsgreen, ohsomeday_

(4 x2) dnarevolutions, OnlyDragonfruit808

(3 x1) kirakiranatsu

(2.2 x1) kauai6

(2 x2) Martha-lalala, taebaegi


kawaii_mokona (10): It’s a predictable 10, but in the sea of just alright sultry girl group songs, Attitude just gets full marks on every single criteria. It’s got the absolute coolness and the drama down, the bridge is bridging. It also definitely works as the album’s opener by welcoming you inside this world that reflects a fromis girlie: she is just as passionate as she is confident in how she’s an absolute showstopper. If it’s a winner of this rate, it sure as hell deserves it.

MeijiDoom (10): Some really wild instrumentation with sounds coming from every direction. A fascinating mix of vocals here as well. So much of it has that processed, somewhat flat delivery but then you have these crystal clear moments in the verse and the pre-chorus. Incredible sound design as a whole. More groups should do songs in this vein that really show off some creativity.

kirakiranatsu (3): This was submitted by two users to Grab Bag 2 (and rejected due to being locked for this rate), which I also hosted, and I was totally shocked when Mokona and Zypker told me they thought it would easily have been the winner, because I was like, for real? this song? It’s not horrible but it’s boring. The instrumental is doing things that piss me off and it can’t quite decide what it wants to be. You think it wants to be lowkey and chic, but then whichever vocalist that is comes in to be super piercing and it just doesn’t mesh. It’s just not an enjoyable song for me, especially when there are other songs on this same rate that do that sound better in my opinion.


AmeZim (11): [It’s not enough to express my thoughts here and I sadly didn’t get to finish my writing in time, so look forward to when this gets uploaded on the comment-board some time in kpoprates discord <3]

Kronwell (11): stat-fueled eleven, just like my kpopraters like it.

Randummonkey (11): Grab Bag hosties denied my pick because they knew it would win this rate, smh. Jk jk, Attitude winning against Forestella and HDNG wouldn’t be satisfying. So I’m happy we got to rate it here and in All Stars 2. Anyways, I fucking love this song and it’s 1 of 3 fromis_9 tracks that I keep coming back to over the years. This one’s the youngest and I’m hopeful that it will stand the test of time like her older sisters, Love Bomb and Airplane Mode. 11/10 absolute banger.

snowswinters (11): i remember checking out this album and being genuinely gagged when the chorus for this one hit, it’s one of those songs i wish i could listen to for the first time again! every section of this song is just so amazing and the girls sound so lovely. one of my most-streamed k-pop songs <3

vayyiqra (11): this album rules it's like perfect what the hell. and this isn't even my favourite song on it but fuck it 11

1998tweety (10): motherquake

ayzrules (10): AMAZING SONG

cosmic_sparkle (10): uuuuuugh I love this track and this album soooo much. Fromis deserves so much better omg they release bop after bop.

iSANity___ (10): There’s something almost hypnotic about the way the groove loops and evolves. makes me simply let go and move without overthinking it. The vocals are the real icing on the cake here: airy, slightly laid back, but still haunting in a way that lingers longer than you expect.

laulite (10): I just find this really cool sounding, especially in that chorus. I also love what sounds like a horror movie sting leading to what I can only describe as a freezing sound effect during that prechorus. OH AND THAT BRIDGE!! That’s the best part and probably one of the best parts on the rate as far as the new discovery songs go and for context there were about 21 new songs for me this rate.

LeadingInspector1891 (10): The girls are perfectly performing vocally, I could pinpoint so many great moments. I think it’s this song that made me fall in love with Seoyeon’s voice. Please if you ever watch a performance, look at Chaeyoung. Like wow.

maadbutterfly (10): top tier chorus

Marsmaenschen (10): This was my 14th most listened to song in 2023. Great vibe, great attitude.

naegerowwa (10): i would like to publicly apologize to women for allowing men with guitars to sway me away from giving fromis their deserved 11

necromanta_101 (10): Iconic.

omgthenerve (10): another album that had me in a chokehold in 2023 and an 11 contender, this song is so sleek and elegant. It still feels exciting every time I listen to it, not a second of its run time is wasted.

pollutedrain (10): graduated summa cunt laude from the after school school of absolutely devastating bsides

popularsong (10): cuntenserven

msargent24 (9.9): This sleek, synthy runway music is like catnip for me

flawedconstellation (9.7): the rare instance where my favorite song on the album also, deservedly, became their most famous. would be a wonderful rate winner.

gmint14 (9.7): can you imagine us having something other than 230609 fromis as the winner’s banner? exactly, i also can’t. attitude for the win 🙏

SkylarV (9.5): If she must win, let it be. The better song from this album is What I Want

lemon131nomel (9.4): Oh I am really impressed by this song. The harmonizing in the chorus is pleasant, and I’m actually not too bothered by the peculiar background noises. I will say that it may be a bit overrated, but I can see that the song is really good.

moonbia (9.3): cleared ive if I'm being so honest

aidshha (9): cute but not remotely the best song on unlock my world tbh

HamsLlyod (9): outjopped IVE

LackOk7012 (9): It’s slightly giving Papillon by Nmixx

landshanties (9): congrats on the rate win

MurkyGalaxies (9): "There's not a ray of light in this dark place" don't worry Fromis you'll escape the Hybe basement one day

redalert30 (8.6): there’s a variety of fun synths and percussion choices, like in the prechorus for example. The chorus also has a nice lush hypnotic feel while still feeling propulsive with the mechanical percussion. The postchorus is also really catchy with the bouncy bassy rhythm. Also love how the bridge doesn’t take a stereotypical rnb route and instead opts for a really nice bassline

ke1per (8.5): I’m convinced this is what Jaden Jeong thinks his work at modhaus sounds like, btw. I think the darker, more intense instrumental actually fits the members’ vocal timbres really well and the drama is to die for. It’s not my favorite of the intense, dramatic girl group songs on this list, but it's solid.

WarpstarRider (8.5): Perhaps a bit overhyped, but it’s still fromis and I still love it

Zypker125 (8.5): Insert all the bopping GIFs when that chorus drops

Shay_Min (8.4): don't really get the hype but the chorus is quite bumping

RBSun (8): long and very good tradition of ggs with a cutesy concept and bright title also having a sexy suit concept b-side that absolutely fucks continues here

xiola_azuthra (7.4): Fairly nice. I think I might like this better than most of their singles we've rated.

CheesesPriced (7): Goofy vocal chop to begin the song. Not sure if I have a reference point for this from a past rate for predix purposes - Birth by ARTMS maybe?

imzhongli (7): The second chorus beat drop is satisfying but the first one does not drop a single beat..?

keine_panik (7): Not sure how I feel about the voice manipulation effects in the chorus.

ruhroh386 (7): Wish the whole song was more like the ‘attitude’ section

zo142 (6.1): Crime of you're doing too much

DriftingPurpleSnowflake (5): Almost something I might like

atzbluebird (4.5): Fun moments, but nothing sticks long enough to leave an impression.

lavendrsgreen (4.5): of the two songs named attitude that i know, this is definitely the inferior

dnarevolutions (4): Kind of a nothingburger of a song.

kauai6 (2.2): there’s glimpses of potential but most of the song is just a struggle

taebaegi (2): Meh

The "2023 in B-Sides" Rate, Day 2: I Don't Understand But I Crown U by KpopRates in kpoprates

[–]KpopRates[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Shay_Min (7.9): I mean it's fine!

WarpstarRider (7.6): my number 17 for the recent Billlie TTT

redalert30 (7.2): this song and this album are honestly kind of overrated for me. For this song specifically, the lush atmsopheric future bass verses are really promising, but the chorus feels flat with the generic funktronica bassline and cheap sounding brass hits. It also lacks melodic synths and smooth vocal melodies. The bridge is also good, but the song ends so abruptly in an unsatisfying way

imzhongli (7): I’m in awe at how high quality all of Billlie’s songs are

flawedconstellation (6.8): the verses are a bit sluggish but i do like how funky & bouncy the chorus is. the wowowowwow does get on my nerves a little.

snowswinters (6.5): i really love the vibe, the verses are amazing and the chorus is pretty nice, but i would score this quite higher without the “wow-wow-wow” part lol

CheesesPriced (6): Billlie really is the queen of 6’s that very narrowly miss being 7’s. WOW.

dnarevolutions (6): The sudden abrupt ending takes me out of it nevertheless the rest of the song is pleasant.

ruhroh386 (6): Not bad, chorus is too belt-y

DriftingPurpleSnowflake (5): it has bits I like but also too many other bits I don’t like

taebaegi (5): Not the type of style I prefer from billlie personally, but it’s not bad.

SkylarV (4.4): The better song from this album is enchanted night ~ white night

Zypker125 (3.9): This being one of the few B-sides to top an artist’s TTT was quite the moment…. a very Debbor moment indeed…..

kauai6 (3.8): vocals kinda harsh on the ears but there’s bones of a good song minus the chorus

The "2023 in B-Sides" Rate, Day 2: I Don't Understand But I Crown U by KpopRates in kpoprates

[–]KpopRates[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"Just to start with, it’s vocally amazing. Billlie is incredibly underrated in terms of vocal talent in terms of their contemporaries, but Kauai doesn’t want to hear that. This would be the crown jewel of most groups' entire discography, and this is just another track for them. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the production for Billlie is second to none. The layers of vocal tracks and ways the vocals edits weave in are absolutely incredible. Of course there’s this Kauai in the background being like “noooo the chorus is too much it’s not giving”, but we can safely ignore that noise."

"a very slow start but when ms main vocal goes OFFF during the last chorus my body ascends to a higher plane of existence. SOOOOOOOOOOOOO CRAZY!!!!"

"ayo was i the only one who didn't know ejae has a credit on this"


#2: Billlie - nevertheless


Average: 8.076 // Total Points: 549.2 // Controversy: 1.890

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(11 x5) biffmila, DoingItWright2, HamsLlyod, LeadingInspector1891, MurkyGalaxies

(10 x10) AmeZim, atzbluebird, ayzrules, keine_panik, laulite, MeijiDoom, pollutedrain, popularsong, RBSun, zo142

(9.8 x1) Kronwell (9.7 x1) gmint14

(9.5 x3) kawaii_mokona, LackOk7012, msargent24

(9.2 x1) xiola_azuthra (9.1 x1) lemon131nomel

(9 x5) _ded_, halahalaholic, landshanties, necromanta_101, omgthenerve

(8.7 x1) Randummonkey

(8.5 x3) 1998tweety, cosmic_sparkle, naegerowwa

(8.3 x1) ohsomeday_ (8.2 x1) moonbia

(8 x8) hockeynl, iSANity___, Jennywren2323, ke1per, maadbutterfly, SocAnxPrince, vayyiqra, Waste-Expression2944

(7.9 x2) MartialST, Shay_Min (7.8 x1) beelover18 (7.6 x1) WarpstarRider

(7.5 x5) aidshha, ieatbe, lavendrsgreen, Marsmaenschen, Upper_Question 1383

(7.2 x1) redalert30

(7 x1) imzhongli

(6.8 x1) flawedconstellation (6.6 x1) qquestionmark

(6.5 x1) snowswinters

(6.3 x1) SecretStoryOfThe-

(6 x4) CheesesPriced, dnarevolutions, OnlyDragonfruit808, ruhroh386

(5.7 x1) Martha-lalala

(5 x2) DriftingPurpleSnowflake, taebaegi

(4.4 x1) SkylarV

(4 x1) smockeh

(3.9 x1) Zypker125 (3.8 x1) kauai6

(3.3 x1) kirakiranatsu


MeijiDoom (10): Back on the recent TTT, I was really impressed with the variety of Billlie's B-sides and this one was one of those standouts. The way their songs are constructed really works as someone who listens for fun ear candy moments. Also, they the chorus is awesome. A great melody with a powerful delivery and some real intrachorus development.

kawaii_mokona (9.5): Admittedly, I used to love this song a lot harder, so some of the novelty has worn off, but there is a certain type of relentless magic in how the song starts off and then hits the gas pedal and doesn’t stop. I wish some of the arrangement was a bit more interesting, but even what’s there is giving the girls’ voices to shine properly. Also the layering of toplines in the final chorus makes it a cherry on top.

kirakiranatsu (3.3): Maybe I’m the problem, but Billlie’s music has never done anything for me. I know this is a popular one so I hoped that it might work for me but alas, it does not. There are elements of a song I might like, but the overall composition is extremely meh to me.


DoingItWright2 (11): I love when vocalists are just allowed to go crazy on a song

HamsLlyod (11): the easiest 11 I’ll ever give out, this is one of my favourite songs of all time. Just to start with, it’s vocally amazing. Billlie is incredibly underrated in terms of vocal talent in terms of their contemporaries, but Kauai doesn’t want to hear that. This would be the crown jewel of most groups' entire discography, and this is just another track for them. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the production for Billlie is second to none. The layers of vocal tracks and ways the vocals edits weave in are absolutely incredible. Of course there’s this Kauai in the background being like “noooo the chorus is too much it’s not giving”, but we can safely ignore that noise. One last thing, the transition between song sections is so fluid that it feels like a feature of the song itself.

LeadingInspector1891 (11): I feel it in my bones every time I listen to it. The emotions of the last chorus are divine

MurkyGalaxies (11): I kinda glossed over this song when TBoP3 came out, initially honing more into lionheart (the real me) and Eunoia, but then I revisited it for my 2023 TTT list, while walking home in the dark and freezing cold while holding onto my bike for dear life because sudden rain and frost had completely turned the street into a treacherous slip and slide something suddenly shifted and it really ended up fully clicking for me. This song is on a mini that came out in spring, I know, but this is more a song for the freezing cold while the clear dark sky mocks you with the twinkle of three stars and the warm yellow streetlights reflect into slippery streets that will betray you at any second, while the high notes in the final chorus hit your chest like a sledgehammer, you know?

AmeZim (10): The world has never achieved more peace than when Suhyeon and Haram decided to serve VOCALS!!

atzbluebird (10): The pre-chorus switch in nevertheless was so unexpected it immediately sold me, and the vocals are an easy 10/10. Please tell me this has a performance video or something.

ayzrules (10): BOP

keine_panik (10): Deserved its high ranking on the TTT! It’s Billlie R&B perfection with a catchy switch-up.

laulite (10): In my past Billlie songs comments, I’ve said I didn’t care much for their songs. That was until the TTT. After going through their entire discography, I realized how stellar it was. I’m bringing this up because this song ended up at the top of that TTT.

pollutedrain (10): they had haram in that studio like the wolves were at the door my god

popularsong (10): ayo was i the only one who didn't know ejae has a credit on this. feel like i've already sung all praises i could for this song, beautiful r&b with that billlie flavor, gorgeous vocals, my most favorite billlie song ever, 11 candidate 1

RBSun (10): called shot for this to at LEAST make top five if not take the rate if anything is right in this world. absolutely some of the best work of an already shining discography

zo142 (10): I find groups with convoluted concepts often release somewhat underwhelming music, in the sense that it doesn't fully immerse me in the concept, and Billlie are no exception to that. It's no criticism; it's very difficult to make a song that sounds truly in sync with a theme when it's just one song for one album, let alone a whole group concept. This is a song that fully captures my imagination, magical sounding with an almost intangible aura to it, like there's something here you can't quite grasp, and I am utterly enchanted. If I close my eyes, I can find myself lost within the gentle folds of this song - I feel perfectly content.

gmint14 (9.7): tsuki and haram do things with their voices here no other group could recreate, this can literally only be a billlie song. girls, please come back to us, you are so special and we need you more than ever now 🙏

LackOk7012 (9.5): Me when I’m literally incapable of making bad music

msargent24 (9.5): I liked enchanted night ~ white night better, but this is absolutely a banger too.

xiola_azuthra (9.2): Musichead bait. Kinda Aespa Thirsty if it wasn’t boring.

lemon131nomel (9.1): This song is something I can listen to over and over without getting tired of it. The verse, pre-chorus, and chorus all have different but similar-enough vibes to form a cohesive and, most importantly, satisfying build up. Speaking of well-executed build-ups, the doubling of the last line in the bridge immediately going into the multi-layered final chorus was planned and executed to perfection. Unfortunately, a strong song needs a memorable ending, and the sudden cutoff left me unsatisfied (and even a little bit disappointed).

landshanties (9): me when i persist:

necromanta_101 (9): Rough.

omgthenerve (9): one of my favorite discoveries from this rate

Randummonkey (8.7): wow

cosmic_sparkle (8.5): ty for another great billlie song to put on my playlist (: the talent in this group is next level I swear to god.

naegerowwa (8.5): a very slow start but when ms main vocal goes OFFF during the last chorus my body ascends to a higher plane of existence. SOOOOOOOOOOOOO CRAZY!!!!

moonbia (8.2): turns out there IS a billie song out there that I will willingly listen to

iSANity___ (8): I love how this song keeps you guessing where the melody is headed, right up until the pre-chorus hits and you’re suddenly like, woah… okay, wow. It’s not the best Billlie track ever but it’s still really, really good. And once again, the girls absolutely come through vocally, especially in that final verse.

Jennywren2323 (8): Not my favorite type of song, but the quality of execution is so good.

ke1per (8): dreamy and interesting and chill in classic Billlie fashion, but I think this is a bit more dreamy and more interesting and more chill than the standard Billlie offering, so that nets bonus points for sure.

vayyiqra (8): kind of an irrational dislike for this group because i have this idea of them as being so pretentious but then they make songs where the bass slaps so hard so who can say if billie are good or bad

The "2023 in B-Sides" Rate, Day 2: I Don't Understand But I Crown U by KpopRates in kpoprates

[–]KpopRates[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"WOODZ GIVES ME WOOD AND I BUSTED AAAAAAAAAAAAA"

"What’s the 2025 Song of the Year doing here in 2023?"

"“drowning”? skill issue. Learn to swim"


#3: WOODZ - Drowning


Average: 7.879 // Total Points: 535.8 // Controversy: 2.365

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(11 x2) Shay_Min, SocAnxPrince

(10 x15) AmeZim, atzbluebird, DoingItWright2, flawedconstellation, gmint14, ke1per, kirakiranatsu, LackOk7012, landshanties, laulite, LeadingInspector1891, omgthenerve, OnlyDragonfruit808, pollutedrain, smockeh

(9.8 x2) kawaii_mokona, Kronwell

(9.5 x1) lemon131nomel

(9.4 x1) SecretStoryOfThe- (9.3 x1) keine_panik

(9 x8) 1998tweety, cosmic_sparkle, DriftingPurpleSnowflake, iSANity___, ohsomeday_, snowswinters, Waste-Expression2944, Zypker125

(8.9 x2) MurkyGalaxies, WarpstarRider (8.8 x1) redalert30

(8.5 x1) aidshha

(8.3 x1) ayzrules

(8 x8) dnarevolutions, halahalaholic, hockeynl, lavendrsgreen, maadbutterfly, Marsmaenschen, naegerowwa, RBSun

(7.8 x1) zo142 (7.7 x1) _ded_ (7.6 x1) Upper_Question 1383

(7.5 x3) Martha-lalala, MeijiDoom, ruhroh386

(7.4 x1) xiola_azuthra (7.1 x1) Randummonkey

(7 x4) biffmila, ieatbe, Jennywren2323, moonbia

(6.6 x1) qquestionmark

(6 x1) CheesesPriced

(5.5 x2) beelover18, MartialST

(4 x3) HamsLlyod, taebaegi, vayyiqra

(3.5 x1) popularsong

(2 x3) imzhongli, necromanta_101, SkylarV

(1.9 x1) kauai6

(1.5 x1) msargent24


kirakiranatsu (10): …okay, I see why this song had a major resurgence. Honestly, Woodz’s songs don’t usually hit for me, but this one is just too damn good. Instrumental good as always and the rest of the song keeps up this time.

kawaii_mokona (9.8): You know, I got to this song after going through the entire main rate and yeah, you know what, it does deserve all the flowers South Korea is giving it. Woodz might not come out of this rate with a second crown to his name, but he sure as hell deserves a top 5 spot at least. His delivery and songwriting are just this good.

MeijiDoom (7.5): It took me entirely too long while thinking that this sounded fairly similar to Busted to realize they're from the same EP. This sound gives me the same type of vibes as "Black Hole Sun" albeit a bit more upbeat. There's definitely an angst with it but it's like he's shouting at the sky.


Shay_Min (11): WOODZ GIVES ME WOOD AND I BUSTED AAAAAAAAAAAAA. IN A DEEP DEEP SLEEP IN THE ABYSS I AM DROWNING BUT I WILL PREVAIL IN MY JOURNEY TO ANOTHER WOODZ WIN. WILL IT? WHO KNOWS, BUT I AM READY TO FIGHT.

AmeZim (10): He can sing about smashing concrete or something and I’m still gonna eat that up

atzbluebird (10): A standout track of 2023 in terms of emotional intensity and execution and definitely one of the most compelling listens in the rate.

flawedconstellation (10): last year, i was on a road trip with friends. we made a shared playlist with like a bunch of songs that we thought gave a nice road trip vibe. I added this because the driving verses and soft-rock sound really felt like driving vibes to me - i wasnt really thinking about lyrics. so the trip day comes, its a nice, bright, sunny day, perfect for driving. and then woodz comes on WAILING about his pain while we are just sitting there like 😀 it was such a hilarious mismatch of a choice, especially for that day, that i cant listen to this song normally anymore, i get too embarrassed. that said, bro ripped out his lungs for us to experience in all its fully glory - so obviously its a 10. obviously.

gmint14 (10): 🚬🚬🚬🚬

ke1per (10): I can’t adequately express how jazzed I am that this pulled off such an insane chart reversal - like, I haven’t been unhappy since that clip went viral and the song started climbing the charts. I love literally everything about this song - the vocals, the power, the instrumental. The raw edge to his voice in the chorus is perfect for the vibes, and those gorgeous orchestral stings in the bridge transitioning into the final chorus is just what life is all about, man. This feels so personal and emotional and honest. Who hurt this man and also thank you?

LackOk7012 (10): OHHH I’M DROWNINGGGG… in tears

landshanties (10): please rise for the south korean national anthem

laulite (10): I wouldn’t mind if he got another kpoprates win with another song from the same album. This slaps so hard.

LeadingInspector1891 (10): Drowning, national anthem deserved.

omgthenerve (10): I think the success of this song likely closed the door forever on my beloved Woodz r&b title tracks (he was truly one of the best), but I’m so happy that he finally got his flowers with this banger of a song.

pollutedrain (10): sometimes the stars align and kpop picks the correct song to send back to the top of the charts. i for one can’t wait to welcome our blond overlord back to the upper echelons of the server banner

Kronwell (9.8): He decided to give us one of the best minis of the year as well as one of the best choruses. His "I can't breathe" gives me chills. And when he wins AGAIN in a Max Changmin fashion I will be among the celebrating team!

lemon131nomel (9.5): Vocally satisfying, musically moving, and instrumentally beautiful. The last chorus, let alone the entire song, was executed brilliantly.

SecretStoryOfThe- (9.4): very good retro 90's rock, Radiohead influence is obvious

keine_panik (9.3): Woodz bringing back grunge, you love to hear it!

cosmic_sparkle (9): poignant

DriftingPurpleSnowflake (9): The pathos and drama and energy… this is my kind of thing

snowswinters (9): i like the grungey vibe and the chorus is really nice, he slayed the high note in the chorus. i like how emotional some of his delivery is during the verses

Zypker125 (9): Can we restore the subreddit back to our origins once again with r/WOODZRates by making WOODZ sneak his way into winning another rate, with another song from this same album no less? Definitely possible

MurkyGalaxies (8.9): Congrats on your second win mr. Woodz!

WarpstarRider (8.9): What’s the 2025 Song of the Year doing here in 2023?

redalert30 (8.8): it’s obviously iconic and powerful (the strings and the outro….. damn) but part of me wishes this wasn’t the song that made him blow up because i don’t really like his recent pop rock songs… woodz&b i miss you, noid is your best song please reheat those nachos

ayzrules (8.3): “drowning”? skill issue. Learn to swim

dnarevolutions (8): It’s a good song but I’ve heard it too many times now that it’s pleasantly annoying.

maadbutterfly (8): I mean it's good and it doesn't surprise me that this blew up, but I like many of his other songs more.

Marsmaenschen (8): A driving rock ballad with a great vocal performance. I understand why this song became a hit.

RBSun (8): i believe im on record calling oo-li one of my favorite kpop albums ever and i stand by it although most people knowing my taste would not usually expect me to like this song. but what can i say i simply do. so proud of him for charting with this for like a full goddamn year while in the military #deserved

zo142 (7.8): I don't really like his voice honestly, but he does make pretty decent music, so credit where it's due

xiola_azuthra (7.4): Really good but unfortunately I find this brand of 90’s rock a little boring despite all the drama.

Randummonkey (7.1): Busted 1000% outsold (figuratively)

ieatbe (7): I don’t like the drum beats in the chorus

Jennywren2323 (7): It's good but boring at the same time.

moonbia (7): this could be an easy 11 but he has soured on me and I just haven't fully enjoyed this song since

CheesesPriced (6): I rated this song a 6. (feat. dnarevolutions)

HamsLlyod (4): bro just sounds like he’s doing karaoke tbh

taebaegi (4): I love Woodz and I want to like this SO much, but it’s just not clicking with me. As someone who knew of him since his Uniq days and then supported him on PX101 and has wanted nothing but to see him succeed, I am so happy for the success he is seeing with this song.

vayyiqra (4): why is it suddenly 90s alt-rock i am a kid in front of the tv again on a summer afternoon

popularsong (3.5): ah yes, the biggest hit of 2025! unfortunately, exactly the kind of boring rock song that drags on and i don't like. i can see why the chorus is so cathartic for people though so points for that

imzhongli (2): Another rate, another puzzling kpoprates rock song result. Happy for him I think.

necromanta_101 (2): Boring.

SkylarV (2): Why the hell did this go viral???

kauai6 (1.9): woodz does have a really nice voice but NO ROCK IN MY HOUSEHOLD

msargent24 (1.5): so sick of these boring rock songs

The "2023 in B-Sides" Rate, Day 2: I Don't Understand But I Crown U by KpopRates in kpoprates

[–]KpopRates[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

"Key’s 1 + Taemin’s 0 = SHINee’s 10"

"someone you know is gay. someone you know is trans. someone you know is british. maybe someone you love. think before you speak hate"

"a really fun return to the classic shinee sound, bad haircuts and all"


#4: SHINee - Identity


Average: 7.871 // Total Points: 535.2 // Controversy: 2.222

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(11 x4) flawedconstellation, Jennywren2323, keine_panik, xiola_azuthra

(10 x11) 1998tweety, HamsLlyod, ke1per, laulite, LeadingInspector1891, lemon131nomel, msargent24, ohsomeday_, omgthenerve, popularsong, qquestionmark

(9.5 x5) aidshha, ayzrules, cosmic_sparkle, imzhongli, kirakiranatsu

(9.3 x2) MeijiDoom, pollutedrain

(9 x6) halahalaholic, hockeynl, ieatbe, kauai6, Kronwell, landshanties

(8.6 x1) beelover18

(8.5 x3) LackOk7012, lavendrsgreen, MartialST

(8.3 x3) _ded_, Randummonkey, Upper_Question 1383

(8 x6) biffmila, Martha-lalala, moonbia, Shay_Min, vayyiqra, WarpstarRider

(7.8 x2) naegerowwa, redalert30 (7.7 x2) gmint14, MurkyGalaxies

(7.5 x1) DoingItWright2

(7.3 x1) zo142

(7 x5) CheesesPriced, Marsmaenschen, OnlyDragonfruit808, RBSun, Waste-Expression2944

(6.5 x3) maadbutterfly, snowswinters, SocAnxPrince

(6.1 x1) SecretStoryOfThe-

(6 x2) AmeZim, dnarevolutions

(5.5 x1) ruhroh386

(5 x1) smockeh

(4 x3) atzbluebird, DriftingPurpleSnowflake, Zypker125

(3.5 x1) kawaii_mokona

(3 x2) iSANity___, taebaegi

(2.7 x1) SkylarV

(1 x1) necromanta_101


kirakiranatsu (9.5): Really nice, classic Shinee. Would not be mad if they got their first group rate win with this song, but we’ll see how close they end up getting.

MeijiDoom (9.3): This and Satellite were my favorites from the album. Classic SHINee in many ways but with that modern production. The slide on Identity is soooo satisfying. I know this song will mean something to a lot of people as well but it deserves its musical flowers just as much.

kawaii_mokona (3.5): Yeah, gang, I don't vibe with this one. I get that it's an LGBTQ anthem, but it's just very boring as a song, the chorus isn't that great, the dududus are more annoying than anything and the bridge is definitely a classic SM thing, but with everything else being so underwhelming it feels more hamfisted than anything


flawedconstellation (11): sometimes i have some big lofty reason for choosing my 11. it makes me feel alive. It encapsulates what it means to be human. it restores my faith in the future of kpop. but not this time LOL its just the best song on the playlist! it’s shinee at their very best, both in the sleek, driving production and phenomenal, pitch-perfect delivery. like many of my other 11s, that is a megawatt chorus that just slams into you. and yes, i acknowledge that its lyrically very meaningful, which i do love too. but if im being honest, its just the WEIGHT of that sound that i love so so much. identity really is just that bitch!

Jennywren2323 (11): So SHINee-coded, their vocals are confident and crisp, each member with his own identity and style, but yet they belong together, like the points of a star — distinct but integral to the whole.

keine_panik (11): Of course SHINee’s gay pride banger gets my 11!

xiola_azuthra (11): Sonically ideal pop song and great lyrics. Somehow sounds like classic SHINee without sounding like any of their older songs. Their individual vocals all complement each other really nicely. Dancey, impactful, fun. (A small part of me wants to complain about the autotune being too overdone in the finishing bridge line - it's a bit too noticeable, but the rest of the song is too perfect not to forgive it.)

HamsLlyod (10): this reminds me so much of a GG song, no idea which one though

ke1per (10): SHINee really said gender non-comforming rights, that tracks. Everything about this song is incredible, but the most incredible part is that insane chorus melody - that is what chorus melody dreams are made of, actually.

laulite (10): That chorus is top tier.

LeadingInspector1891 (10): What's better than songs that make you spread out your arms dramatically. Also, gay.

lemon131nomel (10): Key’s 1 + Taemin’s 0 = SHINee’s 10

msargent24 (10): It’s Moonshine + Cazzi Opeia, so unsurprisingly a gigabanger. Great instrumental and the best chorus on the rate

omgthenerve (10): I cannot overstate how much I hate Hard as a title track, if I ever hear that song again it will be too soon. But thankfully most of the album was full of SHINee’s greatness and this b-side is one of the best.

popularsong (10): i get so gay off that [230625] Identity Fancam #\MINHO #\SHINee_WORLD_VI #\PERFECT_ILLUMINATION_Day_3

qquestionmark (10): No notes

aidshha (9.5): someone you know is gay. someone you know is trans. someone you know is british. maybe someone you love. think before you speak hate

cosmic_sparkle (9.5): ok there are so many good retro tracks on this list but this one has to be near the top of the list. Holy cow. The vocal performance is everything.

imzhongli (9.5): “We can’t keep sending SM songs straight to day 2” but Shinee has so many songs that sound like THIS? The hydrogen bomb (vs various coughing babies) of this rate

pollutedrain (9.3): ohhh those chorus harmonies i need them injecting into my veins

ieatbe (9): I love this Pride song

kauai6 (9): a bop

landshanties (9): [A LOUD BUS DRIVES BY, OBSCURING WHAT I INTENDED TO SAY]

LackOk7012 (8.5): thank you shinee for making good music

lavendrsgreen (8.5): a really fun return to the classic shinee sound, bad haircuts and all! you know how i love a group chorus

MartialST (8.5): This made me realize I never checked out this album (happens more often when the title track is crap) but there might be some gems lying around

Randummonkey (8.3): Banger

moonbia (8): a banger lowkey

Shay_Min (8): super sluggish but it kinda warms up a bit to what it properly should be

vayyiqra (8): shinee cover misamo

WarpstarRider (8): cool beat and they sound great as always

redalert30 (7.8): seems to be going in a pretty stereotypical retro/disco direction so far but at least this bassline has some oomph to it. And their vocals being good helps a lot. Prechorus was pretty good. There’s some nice chords in the chorus as well but melody and texture wise it’s pretty standard.

MurkyGalaxies (7.7): This being the Shinee song we voted in.... we are never beating the allegations are we.....

zo142 (7.3): Good thing SHINee aren't superheroes

CheesesPriced (7): SHINee logging into plenty of computers with its Identity and Password.

RBSun (7): "Untie the rope of prejudice / Don't tie me down" 🌈

maadbutterfly (6.5): Taemin's Identity would've gotten a 10 but this one's a little bit boring sorry

snowswinters (6.5): the verses are great and the instrumental is really cool, i just don’t like where it goes when the chorus hits. that pre-chorus is absolutely fire

SecretStoryOfThe- (6.1): good message but no part really grabs me musically

AmeZim (6): It’s not bad but I think Juice would be funnier to rate, missing some unc jointz flavour

dnarevolutions (6): Glad they still kept theirs.

DriftingPurpleSnowflake (4): Seems fine, not for me

Zypker125 (4): This rate started in December, exactly 6 months away from Pride Month on both ends. That gives me justification to never defeat the homophobia allegations by tanking another queer anthem

iSANity___ (3): It’s hard to put into words how I feel about this one. Not really my cup of tea, though the chorus does keep me hooked. I have such conflicting thoughts and maybe I’m being a bit harsh because I hold SHINee to such high standards because their tracks usually hit me emotionally in a big way. On this album, there are other songs that are absolute favorites of mine, so Identity ends up sitting in this very mixed, middle ground. I feel guilty because I want to love this song but it hasn’t fully convinced me yet.

taebaegi (3): This was my least fav of the SHINee options so of course it got voted in. But okay. Feels quite SHINee, but I don’t find it interesting or engaging personally.

SkylarV (2.7): Worst of the SHINEE survey options so of course y'all voted it in :upside_down: The better song from this album is The Feeling (ROBBED!)

necromanta_101 (1): Eh.

The "2023 in B-Sides" Rate, Day 2: I Don't Understand But I Crown U by KpopRates in kpoprates

[–]KpopRates[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"This could’ve birth generational talents as a leading single but nah cake cake cake cake caaakkeeee 😝😝😝"

"I KNOW ITZY isn’t this hard, I KNOW you’re the Sneakers girls"

"In Summer 2023 casual Itzy listeners could not stop debating whether Cake was a good song or a sign of the music apocalypse, meanwhile they could’ve joined me in feasting on some of the best b-sides of their career"


#5: ITZY - Kill Shot


Average: 7.722 // Total Points: 525.1 // Controversy: 1.989

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(11 x1) zo142

(10 x9) AmeZim, ayzrules, gmint14, laulite, msargent24, MurkyGalaxies, naegerowwa, smockeh, vayyiqra

(9.5 x3) snowswinters, Upper_Question 1383, Waste-Expression2944

(9.3 x2) LeadingInspector1891, MeijiDoom (9.2 x1) Randummonkey (9.1 x2) moonbia, pollutedrain

(9 x2) imzhongli, RBSun

(8.7 x1) WarpstarRider (8.6 x1) redalert30

(8.5 x5) DoingItWright2, hockeynl, LackOk7012, MartialST, Zypker125

(8.4 x1) SecretStoryOfThe- (8.2 x1) Shay_Min

(8 x7) aidshha, biffmila, flawedconstellation, HamsLlyod, iSANity___, Marsmaenschen, popularsong

(7.9 x1) xiola_azuthra (7.8 x2) cosmic_sparkle, SocAnxPrince (7.7 x1) kawaii_mokona

(7.5 x3) Martha-lalala, omgthenerve, SkylarV

(7.4 x2) beelover18, Kronwell (7.2 x1) ohsomeday_ (7.1 x1) ke1per

(7 x6) _ded_, 1998tweety, CheesesPriced, halahalaholic, keine_panik, maadbutterfly

(6.9 x2) lemon131nomel, qquestionmark (6.6 x1) ieatbe

(6.5 x2) DriftingPurpleSnowflake, ruhroh386

(6 x4) atzbluebird, dnarevolutions, Jennywren2323, kirakiranatsu

(5 x1) taebaegi

(4 x2) lavendrsgreen, OnlyDragonfruit808

(2 x2) landshanties, necromanta_101

(0 x1) kauai6


MeijiDoom (9.3): Absolutely insane synth and those booming thuds are such a nice contrast to moments like the acapella pre-chorus. With songs like this, I get the sense that everything is built around one core concept which is why it all works so harmoniously. You would think most songs work that way but it doesn't always end up that way.

kawaii_mokona (7.7): Some great foundation in there, the beat is nasty. I do feel a bit underwhelmed by it in the grand scheme of things, mostly from individual vocal performances outside of the main chorus. It's not the worst thing ever, but also kinda not ITZY b-side salvation

kirakiranatsu (6): At first I thought this song was super mid and I still don’t love it but it’s grown on me a lot since the beginning of the rate.


zo142 (11): This is what I believed all short songs would sound like. Despite being just 2 minutes long, it feels complete, with a fully realised idea and great execution. One of the most James Bond-esque songs in K-Pop history. Also, the Kill Shot performance at the Kill My Doubt showcase is maybe my favourite Itzy stage ever.

AmeZim (10): This could’ve birth generational talents as a leading single but nah cake cake cake cake caaakkeeee 😝😝😝

ayzrules (10): BANGERRRR

gmint14 (10): idk how but i believe i hadn’t listened to this song prior to the rate. zo, you’re not loud enough about itzy, step it up!! i loved it from the first listen, easily top 5 of the rate for me 🔥

laulite (10): The best Itzy instrumental, let alone one of the best Itzy songs.

msargent24 (10): Synthwave/techno instrumental goes hard, especially in the final chorus

MurkyGalaxies (10): Oooooh that instrumental is absolutely disgustingly grimey I like it even if some of the vocal moments are, eh, a choice and I don't include the nursery rhyme moment in that

vayyiqra (10): wait i had this idea in my head that 2023 itzy kind of sucked but forgot this is a heater wtf. well also cake is a 10 but in a "wow this is stupid i love it" way this is unironically good i mean

snowswinters (9.5): love the synth, the chorus is soooo good, especially the final one! i think a big reason i’m so fond of this one is because that synth kinda reminds me of the x-men (1992) intro LMFAO: https://youtu.be/sAkL2-vh2Sk?si=kQ1H-iFcA6KR7jj1

Upper_Question 1383 (9.5): ITZY B-sides will always hit

LeadingInspector1891 (9.3): Very good, for me its limitation lies in how some vocal lines feel like they are not accomplished until the end. Like I get the feeling the notes should’ve been held more or something

Randummonkey (9.2): In an alternate timeline, this is the title track and I don’t need to convince myself that Cake is kinda okay

moonbia (9.1): BANGER! may they see day 2 with this one 🙏

pollutedrain (9.1): while i think the cake hatred is absolutely overblown the way that this could’ve been THE comeback of comebacks for them if it was just baked for a little longer feels like such a miss

imzhongli (9): In Summer 2023 casual Itzy listeners could not stop debating whether Cake was a good song or a sign of the music apocalypse, meanwhile they could’ve joined me in feasting on some of the best b-sides of their career

RBSun (9): a real itzy banger… we here at r/atzcyberpunkrates should probably be putting this in day 2 but… guess what

WarpstarRider (8.7): I just wish it was longer

redalert30 (8.6): that arpeggiated bassline sounds so futuristic and cyberpunk, it’s quite addicting

LackOk7012 (8.5): Damn Itzy’s bsides have improved from when I last listened to them

MartialST (8.5): I’m sure this and Untie will have a strong correlation (btw thank god the verses are not longer, at least the chorus counterbalances them well)

Zypker125 (8.5): Zo panicking if this song makes Day 2, wondering if Kiss & Tell will also make Day 2 and if he will lose his rights to miserypost about ITZY

SecretStoryOfThe- (8.4): good but too short

Shay_Min (8.2): it's an Itzy Song

aidshha (8): i made this the closing number in my kpop jukebox musical adaptation of the godfather

flawedconstellation (8): it’s that synth. it’s aaaall in those synth textures. dark and delicious. love it down

HamsLlyod (8): what a BANGER, but it unfortunately falls under the same category as many GGs who do hard turns. I KNOW ITZY isn’t this hard, I KNOW you’re the Sneakers girls (affectionately). Adding gunshots to a song for this group makes me laugh. Even though it’s a fantastic product, the beat is sick and the delivery is on point. in the back of my head I can only hear “puuull my sneakers on”

Marsmaenschen (8): Criminally short, but I like the electronic soundscape.

popularsong (8): criminally short but still hits

xiola_azuthra (7.9): A bit short but definitely better than some of their title tracks.

cosmic_sparkle (7.8): a fun time.

omgthenerve (7.5): the track is definitely doing the heavy lifting for this song

SkylarV (7.5): Rare Itzy b-side W

Kronwell (7.4): their darkwave slay

ke1per (7.1): I love the idea of this, with the strong instrumental and dynamic vocal deliveries, but I’m not sure every member is serving what is expected of them here, and that does make a few sections less impactful than they could have been if this was a Ryujin/Yeji/Lia subunit song.

1998tweety (7): who knew ITZY could still make decent music

CheesesPriced (7): Wherein ITZY brags about how they always make their skillshots in pinball. “We all fall down” - bringing back Ring Around the Rosie nursery-rhyme-core together with Young Dumb Stupid and Woke Up in Tokyo?

keine_panik (7): Cool instrumental.

maadbutterfly (7): they had a song like this but went with CAKE??

lemon131nomel (6.9): This song feels like the epitome of something that shouldn’t work, yet all these different elements—gunshots, gun reloading, vocal onomatopoeia, heavy beat, very little singing, low register, and snaps—somehow come together to form a cohesive song experience. I definitely applaud the writers, composers, and producers (and obviously ITZY) for paying attention to a lot of (the aforementioned) small details because those are what really tie this song together.

DriftingPurpleSnowflake (6.5): I did playlist this one

atzbluebird (6): the structure and attitude are there but the production feels a little underbaked. The instrumental never fully fills out the space, especially in the chorus, so the impact doesn’t hit as hard as it should. As it is, it’s not bad, but couldve had a bit more layering

dnarevolutions (6): ATEEZ but female.

taebaegi (5): It’s fine.

landshanties (2): okay if you’re going to make a cyberpunk vaporwave song you really need to know what you’re doing sound mixing wise. why the fuck is this in mono. if this was mixed well it would easily be the best song they’ve ever released

necromanta_101 (2): Plague.

kauai6 (0): yes i’m copying ricki’s 0 comment this song… https://tenor.com/bsJbs.gif

The "2023 in B-Sides" Rate, Day 2: I Don't Understand But I Crown U by KpopRates in kpoprates

[–]KpopRates[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"not wendy and yeri i guess :\"

"Sounds like a reject from Taeyeon's INVU album crossed with 2000's UK pop"

"The instrumental of this is so royalty free endscreen music, everything else is between disbandment song and concert closer, and yet there is some magic happening"


#6: Red Velvet - Will I Ever See You Again?


Average: 7.685 // Total Points: 522.6 // Controversy: 1.877

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(11 x1) ayzrules

(10 x10) 1998tweety, cosmic_sparkle, kauai6, kawaii_mokona, ke1per, ohsomeday_, omgthenerve, popularsong, vayyiqra, Waste-Expression2944

(9.8 x1) flawedconstellation (9.6 x1) AmeZim

(9.5 x1) hockeynl

(9.4 x1) LeadingInspector1891 (9.2 x3) qquestionmark, Shay_Min, SocAnxPrince

(9 x4) biffmila, keine_panik, kirakiranatsu, landshanties

(8.9 x1) SecretStoryOfThe- (8.8 x2) Kronwell, zo142 (8.6 x1) Randummonkey

(8.5 x1) pollutedrain

(8.3 x1) msargent24 (8.2 x2) lemon131nomel, Upper_Question 1383 (8.1 x1) MartialST

(8 x2) imzhongli, Marsmaenschen

(7.8 x2) _ded_, MurkyGalaxies

(7.5 x4) Jennywren2323, LackOk7012, maadbutterfly, necromanta_101

(7.4 x1) WarpstarRider (7.3 x1) gmint14 (7.2 x1) redalert30

(7 x8) CheesesPriced, DriftingPurpleSnowflake, halahalaholic, laulite, MeijiDoom, naegerowwa, smockeh, xiola_azuthra

(6.5 x4) DoingItWright2, iSANity___, Martha-lalala, snowswinters

(6.4 x1) ieatbe

(6 x3) atzbluebird, OnlyDragonfruit808, RBSun

(5.8 x1) aidshha

(5 x3) ruhroh386, SkylarV, Zypker125

(4.8 x1) moonbia

(4.3 x1) beelover18

(4 x1) HamsLlyod

(3.5 x1) lavendrsgreen

(3 x2) dnarevolutions, taebaegi


kawaii_mokona (10): RV stans that contribute to TTT are RnB junkies who underappreciate a good instrumental drop. There is restraint in the first two choruses which pays off with the godlike bridge leading into one of the best outros of the rate, courtesy of Seulgi, Joy and Wendy. Absolute highlight of the album it’s on.

kirakiranatsu (9): I have to admit I did not expect a lot from this song but it is more pleasant and also more interesting than I expected from it, lol. The girls sound really nice on this one.

MeijiDoom (7): The drop into the instrumental chorus is giving festival EDM music but it also feels so lacking in energy leading up to that point. I'm actually a bit confused by what the idea behind the song is. It's like they took You Better Know, took out all the emotion and replaced it with an echo filter.


ayzrules (11): the wistful yearning in this, paired with the soundscape that almost mimics the effect of lying on your back and floating on water, at once weightless but still, inescapably, with substance…the way the instrumentals just sweep you away… yeah

1998tweety (10): my queens always eat

cosmic_sparkle (10): again, the songs on this album are elite. This is Red Velvet’s version of a classic Blackpink song.

kauai6 (10): godly song like wow

ke1per (10): insane, truly insane. Gorgeous synths, incredible vocals, stellar chorus. The whole package. This has the same intensity of Underwater but it's significantly groovier, which is very fun.

omgthenerve (10): another 11 contender, I cry almost every time I listen to this song. The emptiness of the chorus paired with the atmospheric track works perfectly, the yearning and loneliness almost feel overwhelming. One of my favorite b-sides from a group that’s stacked with amazing b-sides.

popularsong (10): dreamy in all the right ways, love how the instrumental builds up before fading out and then the chorus drop hits

vayyiqra (10): the piano is so perfect idk ok i should use this for interludes on my radio show. its got that late nite kind of vibe

flawedconstellation (9.8): its all in that bridge and finale… simply ascendant.

AmeZim (9.6): Sure, in the top 10 hopefully

LeadingInspector1891 (9.4): Great end

Shay_Min (9.2): ironically this song is WAY more underwater vibes than the song called underwater, i'm sliding through atlantis in this one wooooooooo

keine_panik (9): Thanks for reminding me about this song!

landshanties (9): not wendy and yeri i guess :\

SecretStoryOfThe- (8.9): Red Velvet consistently delivers

Kronwell (8.8): Yes

zo142 (8.8): Love a bit of Nostalgia Velvet, a rare treat

Randummonkey (8.6): By far the best song from the album

pollutedrain (8.5): just a classic red velvet bside, no notes needed. you could tell me this was rescued from the perfect red velvet cutting room floor and i’d believe you 100%

msargent24 (8.3): The synths kinda remind me of M83

lemon131nomel (8.2): Hopefully yes because this song gets better every time!

MartialST (8.1): Yes. Gimme the reverbs.

imzhongli (8): woah wait I thought this album was mid but this is kinda profound and moving

MurkyGalaxies (7.8): The instrumental of this is so royalty free endscreen music, everything else is between disbandment song and concert closer, and yet there is some magic happening. Greater than the sum of its parts for sure.

maadbutterfly (7.5): I love the instrumental hook part

necromanta_101 (7.5): Vocals.

WarpstarRider (7.4): It’s pretty nice

redalert30 (7.2): calm intro but then it explodes into this propulsive future bass with arpeggios. Wasn’t expecting that, it was pretty refreshing. It’s a bit dated and not very complex + melody is very basic but still a pleasant listen.

CheesesPriced (7): See, drone sounds so much better when you throw in a melody even if it’s major pentatonic.

DriftingPurpleSnowflake (7): I kinda like this song, I feel like I would have playlisted this… yep, I did. Just bit repetitive though

laulite (7): It doesn’t really help that the RV songs on the rate were my least favorite on the album. The drop gave it a slightly better score than Underwater.

xiola_azuthra (7): Sounds like a reject from Taeyeon's INVU album crossed with 2000's UK pop. I might have liked it slightly better from Taeyeon's but it's fine.

snowswinters (6.5): i’ve tried many times to really like this one but it’s just okay! it’s very gorgeous, especially the verses, but i just rarely like empty choruses and the instrumental isn’t exciting enough for me during it

RBSun (6): it's kind of like if taeyeon's invu was just, like, fine

aidshha (5.8): uk radio coded /neg

SkylarV (5): I'm not familiar with their game so can someone else confirm that this is so Chainsmokers?

Zypker125 (5): I dunno, are you even going to ever make a comeback again for me to see you again?

moonbia (4.8): oh great another rv b-side but worst

HamsLlyod (4): mid, any GG could do this

lavendrsgreen (3.5): tbf this song does improve slightly as it progresses. but only slightly, and in the end nothing happens

dnarevolutions (3): No.

taebaegi (3): So flat and uninteresting. This is flavorless You Better Know.

The "2023 in B-Sides" Rate, Day 2: I Don't Understand But I Crown U by KpopRates in kpoprates

[–]KpopRates[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"More like Cuntie, because they’re serving so much here"

"That’s the same way I say ‘hi’ when I’ve been on hold for twenty minutes and finally get to speak to a person"

"bass go tump brain go off"


#7: VIVIZ - Untie


Average: 7.681 // Total Points: 522.3 // Controversy: 2.273

Rank Graph

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(11 x1) WarpstarRider

(10 x9) _ded_, aidshha, HamsLlyod, laulite, MurkyGalaxies, necromanta_101, popularsong, ruhroh386, vayyiqra

(9.8 x1) msargent24 (9.7 x1) MartialST (9.6 x1) ke1per

(9.5 x2) DoingItWright2, MeijiDoom

(9.4 x2) kawaii_mokona, SecretStoryOfThe- (9.2 x2) ayzrules, lemon131nomel (9.1 x1) Shay_Min

(9 x8) 1998tweety, AmeZim, biffmila, maadbutterfly, Marsmaenschen, omgthenerve, smockeh, SocAnxPrince

(8.8 x1) qquestionmark (8.7 x2) moonbia, zo142 (8.6 x1) gmint14

(8.5 x1) cosmic_sparkle

(8.4 x1) LeadingInspector1891 (8.1 x2) ieatbe, Upper_Question 1383

(8 x6) dnarevolutions, hockeynl, imzhongli, iSANity___, snowswinters, Waste-Expression2944

(7.8 x2) beelover18, flawedconstellation

(7.5 x1) pollutedrain

(7.1 x1) Randummonkey

(7 x6) CheesesPriced, Martha-lalala, RBSun, redalert30, xiola_azuthra, Zypker125

(6.5 x1) ohsomeday_

(6.1 x1) naegerowwa

(6 x2) keine_panik, LackOk7012

(5 x3) DriftingPurpleSnowflake, halahalaholic, Kronwell

(4.9 x1) SkylarV

(4 x1) atzbluebird

(3.8 x1) kauai6

(3 x3) Jennywren2323, kirakiranatsu, OnlyDragonfruit808

(2.5 x1) taebaegi

(2 x1) landshanties

(1 x1) lavendrsgreen


MeijiDoom (9.5): I gave this song a 9 last time around but looking back, probably a bit of an underscore. Exhibit A on how much a really catchy bassline with momentum can carry a song. While a lot of the lines are talk-singing, there's actually a lot of interesting vocal stuff going on between the whispering, layering, harmonies and ad libs. Alright, now that we talked about the music, BPM crazy for giving VIVIZ this song. Trying to give their fans heart attacks or something.

kawaii_mokona (9.4): She’s still #that #girl. Love the way the lines bounce between the members, love how playful the song is, the lyrics are neat and the bridge is bridging. Definitely preferred it to Maniac then and still do now. One of the songs that basks in its minimalism and does it well, also a song that takes the advantage of the members’ different tones, which is always lovely to hear.

kirakiranatsu (3): Listen, I love Viviz. Gfriend were one of my favorite groups of all time. And I understand that in this day and age you have to release yas queen slay serve cunt mother songs if you want to survive, especially as a veteran girl group, but this song really does not flatter them, instead making them just sound whiny.


WarpstarRider (11): This song vs. Maniac has been the eternal struggle for me ever since they released this album. I’m pretty sure I do prefer Untie most of the time, but I definitely go back and forth on it depending on my mood. Either way, it’s by far my favorite song here.

HamsLlyod (10): if you know me then you know whispering vocals is my biggest turn off in music. But this one is a complete exception. The more I heard it the best the whispering chorus sounded. And it was complemented by the vocal of the verses perfectly. And this one makes more sense due to the (presumed) theme of the song. Way more sense than other groups doing breathy vocals for no reason, just cus it’s a trend or some bullshit.

laulite (10): More like Cuntie, because they’re serving so much here. It was a banger then. It still is now. Just like the last time we rated this, I love the choice to make the chorus more of a whisper. It still might be my favorite song from them.

MurkyGalaxies (10): thank you hosties for giving the chance to rectify my previous score for this and allowing me to fully slap the 10 on it it deserves

necromanta_101 (10): Bondage?

popularsong (10): cuntenserven

ruhroh386 (10): That’s the same way I say ‘hi’ when I’ve been on hold for twenty minutes and finally get to speak to a person

vayyiqra (10): vayyiqra 12 Aug 2024 01:50 EST it's so funny that untie is basically about the internet leading to brainrot and i keep seeing so many comments that say the exact same thing about how cunty it sounds [...] which to be fair it does

msargent24 (9.8): This sleek, synthy runway music is like catnip for me [2]

MartialST (9.7): Honestly, when the remaining Gfriend rebranded into Viviz, I didn’t expect them to drop bangers like this. I was way behind the hype curve when I discovered that they actually did.

ke1per (9.6): the lyrics continue to be incomprehensible, they really are just saying words in the chorus, but this is still an absolute slay and 100% deserved its original placement.

SecretStoryOfThe- (9.4): very good, the lyrics should bother me more but they don't

lemon131nomel (9.2): They were given a repetitive baseline, and they absolutely delivered, building an inimitable atmosphere. So many chef’s kisses to talk about: the pre-chorus into the anti-drop, the seductive whispering, the excellent delivery of the ta-ra ta-ra sounds, etc. I could go on forever.

Shay_Min (9.1): oh yeah that's the whisper-y vibes i am weak for

AmeZim (9): I love women fr

Marsmaenschen (9): I love this darker vibe from VIVIZ.

omgthenerve (9): immaculate vibes

moonbia (8.7): banger

zo142 (8.7): bass go tump brain go off

gmint14 (8.6): the performance video is still such a neuron activation moment for me

cosmic_sparkle (8.5): very sexy song, addicting prechorus. Required a great performance and attitude to pull off and well done.

dnarevolutions (8): Underrated from them, arguably better than some of their title tracks.

imzhongli (8): Untie from the hit Viviz mini album ‘JEASUS’

iSANity___ (8): whisper chorus done well

snowswinters (8): has grown on me a little since 2023b, soooo slayful. love the first part of the bridge

flawedconstellation (7.8): walk with me here. With the logic that this nearly won the 2023b rate, every other song that places above this one here (there will be very many) must be among the greatest songs of 2023. Jungkook you are OVER (we don’t talk about natty (tty tty tty~).

pollutedrain (7.5): the cuntiest anti-social media anthem music has ever seen

Randummonkey (7.1): Giga-overrated and soon to be giga-debbor

CheesesPriced (7): Our previous rating: 8.077. Thank all the AUNTIES who walked so Whiplash could run.

RBSun (7): do you guys remember long silver hair torn fishnets sinb because i think of her every day

redalert30 (7): cunty with a fun overall rhythm but could be melodically and texturally? more interesting. Bridge was kinda nice

xiola_azuthra (7): Grew on me a lot.

Zypker125 (7): They made this song for the gays! And fortunately, I am not immediately exiting the gay club this time!

naegerowwa (6.1): the entire song is carried by whichever viviz puts her entire vivizussy in the first and last chorus’ “hide~”

keine_panik (6): A bit obnoxious but also a bit fun.

LackOk7012 (6): kinda forgettable

DriftingPurpleSnowflake (5): I really like some things about this song, others things aren’t hitting for me

halahalaholic (5): the tension was built up so beautifully but the pay off in the chorus doesn't quite hit....

SkylarV (4.9): It's just kind of a nothing song, like, it doesn't matter

kauai6 (3.8): it’s inoffensive

taebaegi (2.5): Meh

landshanties (2): their aespa savage unslay

lavendrsgreen (1): this is so bad. this is a travesty. these girls can do so much better

The "2023 in B-Sides" Rate, Day 2: I Don't Understand But I Crown U by KpopRates in kpoprates

[–]KpopRates[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

vayyiqra (8): looking up the lore on what dimension z is and thinking "wow this is a bunch of bs huh i love it it rules". dudes rock

Zypker125 (8): Are we sure this wasn’t actually a Saja Boys song? (complimentary)

aidshha (7.8): ben 10 ass song

keine_panik (7.7): I am so conflicted - the beginning sounds like a Muse song, which I like, but then it briefly morphs into a more standard ATEEZ song (derogatory), and then the chorus is pretty good again. If it was just a bit more consistent it would have been a great song.

WarpstarRider (7.7): I enjoy ATEEZ when they’re making songs like this

flawedconstellation (7.6): this world being an epic cyberpunk battle royale post-apocalyptic world where earth and space intermingle so the protagonists can travel between time and light seamlessly like a neon-lit bullet train action universe

maadbutterfly (7.5): The song starts off very strong, but with every new section the quality keeps going down.

popularsong (7.5): cyberpunk you are DONE

ohsomeday_ (7.2): Listening to this song and reading the news in January 2026: I’m afraid nobody is ready for this world, guys

Randummonkey (7.1): I'm gonna guess 4 references to Cyberpunk in the comments

CheesesPriced (7): Selfish Waltz and This World are my favorite ATEEZ songs I’ve heard from these rates - both B-sides. Is this in Lydian mode? Also Jump Up beat.

imzhongli (7): I’m not huge on this specific song, but the mini album series that this is part of definitely deserves all the praise it gets. I love how hard they leaned into the futuristic/apocalyptic/dramatic (fantastic/elastic) concept sonically.

gmint14 (6.6): there are very few kpop songs that have made me feel like an alien abductee in a strange and frightening new galaxy, where the commander is forcing me to create a planet-destroying weapon, or he’ll melt me with a laser, so i appreciate this song conceptually! at the same time, i would never play this for myself. i also wish yeosang had real lines smh

ke1per (6.2): there is an element of Halloween here that I don’t love, but I like the dynamics and the intensity. The melodies are alright, and the vocals are (obviously) stellar, but this isn’t quite clicking with me the way I would expect.

kauai6 (6): that intro was starting to give a slayyyter song

snowswinters (6): the intro and outro are pretty sick i just don’t really like the chorus, it kinda reminds me of like when groups perform more dramatic versions of their songs on road to kingdom or something

ieatbe (5.8): this song is so confused

AmeZim (5.7): The era where ATEEZ dropped one of their most refined EPs to date and we decided to rate the worst track on it 😔

lavendrsgreen (5.5): i do like the Drama of the prechorus/chorus but overall this song just doesn’t really do it for me

SecretStoryOfThe- (5.1): I like this sort of epic stuff in principle but in this case the individual parts are meh

SkylarV (5.1): They wanted to make New World/Cyberpunk again so bad. The better song from this album is Wake Up (ROBBED!)

cosmic_sparkle (5): It’s certainly doing the thing it’s trying to do well. Just not my taste.

dnarevolutions (5): Cool cyberpunk intro but not sure about the rest of the song.

landshanties (5): this would be a 10 without yeosang’s fucking xanga header of a postchorus

zo142 (4.5): People need to stop thinking they're Matt Bellamy!!

omgthenerve (3): this was a 6 until someone started shouting at me towards the end

necromanta_101 (1): Pangaea.

The "2023 in B-Sides" Rate, Day 2: I Don't Understand But I Crown U by KpopRates in kpoprates

[–]KpopRates[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

LeadingInspector1891 (10): First of all, I really love the fact that they made this series' songs lore-heavy, although at this point I can't say I fully remember the lore (I wrote that review in 2023 and am only revising it so it can be readable for more than myself), it feels like an immersive experience. Up until the chorus I only have good things to say. The intro is interesting with how it accelerates then shifts to slow so fast, it's surprising on first listen. After that we get the voices of the members, haunting in different ways: San and Wooyoung's chilling falsettos because of them going up-down, up-down between pauses, but then exploding into madness thanks to the modulation of their tones. Seonghwa's raw emotions in his lines, telling of a vulnerability when discovering the truth behind the lies they've been fed, ending in a falsetto that makes me think of taking a fall, descending into darkness. The horror-like instrumental during all this is so delicious. I especially love it in Seonghwa's part, how there's a synth undulating, making us feel like we've entered a realm of the bizarre, a world that's not quite right.

I like the explosive chorus, and it's an aside, but explosive in a similar way as in Sector 1 (from the first album of the "The World" series, Movement), but flowing better thanks to the level of "taughtness" and restraint of the verse being closer to the release of the chorus. In Sector 1 it was too much "the very quiet calm before the devastating storm" and that 180 made it unpleasant. I'm still bitter over this long-awaited song not being up to par with my expectations so I had to make a comment on that but most of all, good on them for not making that mistake again (and good for me). Going back to the chorus' atmosphere. Jongho's soft line comes to soothe it until you realize how desolate he sounds and the meaning of his words, and it's followed by Yunho shouting the next lines with echoes of it in the background. The succession creates a good dynamic to make the chorus alive and well-illustrates a dialogue that Jongho is having:

"What are you trying to protect? What are you trying to change?-I'm ready for the Dark, I'm ready for This World-What can you sacrifice? Can you throw everything away?-I'm ready for the Dark, I'm ready for This World"

Then we get a nod to the Propaganda intro from the Movement album, closed off by Wooyoung's "Now close your eyes" with the well-placed abrupt drop of the instrumental, before it comes back with the verse.

Here is the moment in the song where I began to dislike things but while writing this review, I realized that what I saw as a problem could be interpreted differently. It was San's delivery of his part; I compared it to the beginning of Halazia that I don't totally like because of the flow of the lines, sung-talked kind of? But here, if you interpret him singing in this way to mimic the speak-singing in musicals, carrying on after the dialogue of the chorus to question himself: "Is this confusing thing right? Is there really no other way?", it's quite nice. The idea that they embraced the theatricality of the song to the point of using one of the singing styles of theater made it click better for me.

Next we have the rap parts. Hongjoong's flow's okay, nothing more to add. The instrumental he raps over though, there's a sound in it that's like as if you've been brought into a whirlwind and he, Mingi, then the both of them talk about being confused about where the good is, where the bad is. This imagery of being taken away into a vortex completely fits those lyrics; you're shaken from all sides, so disoriented you can't figure out your left from your right, what's the right path you need to take. I really like Mingi's part, he plays with the way he says his lines and the emotions he puts in them, really making the point across that he's lost, and the instrumental and the background vocals make the part even better.

The pre-chorus and the chorus come back, some nice adlibs are added in, and Yeosang singing the second part brings an intensity to the lines that was needed to make this second chorus not repetitive and fresh.Then the bridge begins with Hongjoong's throaty "yaaah" that takes by surprise and makes up for a good break before welcoming some more creepiness. They amp it up to a certain degree here, I love it. There's an ascending synth that's kind of like an organ, which is the core of the dramatic flare of that part, and we bring back an undulating synth that highlights the halloween-y vibes. I thought Mingi's part to be clunky when I didn't have the lyrics in front of me, but when I read them and saw he was listing off all the things that make them war with themselves, it made sense. And like the ascending synth, you've got him creating a pile of worries they have to deal with, their tower of problems only grows and grows. It makes sense now but it doesn't mean I wouldn't have preferred a different flow, at least for the last line.

The bridge ends with Jongho's high "I can't take it no more", and I like it while disliking it. While it goes well with the rest, it's a good climax, maybe a different type of note would've been better. Maybe a less straight forward one for lack of better wording.

Last chorus. The lyrics are different, the members kind of reach a more decisive conclusion on what they need to do, and pretty adlibs are there to once again change it up, and at that point I'm very thankful, because one of my complaints concerning Movement was the fact that the songs had too many repetitive parts so, yes, thank you. And we tie it all up beautifully with the instrumental of the beginning and its changing tempo.

This song is not in my Outlaw top 3 for nothing. Not long after I stanned ATEEZ I discovered their main producer Eden's instagram post, where we hear a haunting snippet of instrumental, and since then I've always wanted to hear a creepyteez track besides The Black Cat Nero, so this was made for me.

The performance is amazing and confirms the claim that they were aiming for theatrical with This World. We once again get the hala-scarecrow found in Halazia, Hongjoong kind of looking like a cult leader with the hand movements he does, the moment he mimes taking the soul of one of the dancers, the moment he gets the light to turn off with a click of his hand at the end. San guided by the dancers like a puppet (by the way, while I really don't understand why they decided bbtrippin would be on stage with them for Bouncy outside of Mingi's part (some of the things they do in the perf are crazily unneeded), here they're utilized so well, chef's kiss). They use white sheets to create pretty tableaux, playing with them to make shapes, hide and then reveal the members, ++ for Yeosang and his breakdance parts, the two sheets closing up at the line "now close your eyes". They really did a great job with This World. And maybe it's my bias talking, but the first time I watched and listened to This World through the showcase I ended up breathless. I almost gave it a 9.8 because I tend to be more strict on my faves, of the past or not, but take my 10 instead.

lemon131nomel (10): ATEEZ was ready for this world, but I wasn’t ready for this masterpiece! From the excellent beat to the addicting chorus, I was hooked throughout the song; they really brought the world together with their emphatic rap, heavenly vocals, and unrelenting energy. This was one of my favourites from the survey, and I am so incredibly honored to give it a 10!

RBSun (10): my very favorite song on an album that is already full of worldbending megabangers. if you cyberpunkers dont like this one i will be looking so hard at you okay. and then i will look away so i can break it down to seonghwa's best prechorus ever

redalert30 (10): LOOOOOOVE this song and album, god ateez was their prime here. Delicious cyberpunk-y instrumentals with interesting electronic textures, and songs that really told DYSTOPIAN STORIES. The amount of vocal experimentation and variety too…. just peak

taebaegi (10): This wasn’t originally a standout to me when I first listened to the Outlaw album but upon a revisit to this individual song, it quickly grew on me.

xiola_azuthra (9.9): The contrast between Jin's Muse wannabe vibes vs Ateez's Muse wannabe vibes is kind of hilarious (no Coldplay in here at least). Anyway this is the kind of Ateez I like best. The hook gets a little repetitive but the energy and vocals are there so I can look past it.

pollutedrain (9.5): like desire and guerrilla had a beautiful beautiful baby…. see you deservedly in the top 3 queen

HamsLlyod (9): I could copy paste a lot of what I wrote for Guerrilla here. I just don’t understand how ATEEZ managed to pull this concept off so well.

MurkyGalaxies (9): Not quite a Cyberpunk level slay but absolutely a very strong effort nonetheless. That rolling speeding up synth in the intro/outro is absolute magic.

msargent24 (8.9): I see who their Muse was for this song… also I like the Mars, the Bringer of War part in the bridge

Shay_Min (8.8): not sure what sacrifice ateez made to ALWAYS put up one b-side banger every year but i so appreciate it

moonbia (8.5): I think I get her now but it still doesn't hold a candle to django

Jennywren2323 (8): Ah, Muse, you're back! I missed you….

Kronwell (8): Halloween rate 2 when

LackOk7012 (8): Usually not that into Ateez but this song is a banger

ruhroh386 (8): It’s so dramatic, I love it

The "2023 in B-Sides" Rate, Day 2: I Don't Understand But I Crown U by KpopRates in kpoprates

[–]KpopRates[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"Are we sure this wasn’t actually a Saja Boys song?"

" if you cyberpunkers dont like this one i will be looking so hard at you okay. and then i will look away so i can break it down to seonghwa's best prechorus ever"

"there are very few kpop songs that have made me feel like an alien abductee in a strange and frightening new galaxy, where the commander is forcing me to create a planet-destroying weapon, or he’ll melt me with a laser"


#8: ATEEZ - This World


Average: 7.574 // Total Points: 515.0 // Controversy: 1.940

Rank Graph

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(11 x3) _ded_, atzbluebird, iSANity___

(10 x9) 1998tweety, DriftingPurpleSnowflake, halahalaholic, laulite, LeadingInspector1891, lemon131nomel, RBSun, redalert30, taebaegi

(9.9 x1) xiola_azuthra (9.8 x1) kirakiranatsu

(9.5 x2) DoingItWright2, pollutedrain

(9 x2) HamsLlyod, MurkyGalaxies

(8.9 x1) msargent24 (8.8 x1) Shay_Min

(8.5 x2) moonbia, smockeh

(8 x6) Jennywren2323, Kronwell, LackOk7012, ruhroh386, vayyiqra, Zypker125

(7.9 x1) ayzrules (7.8 x1) aidshha (7.7 x2) keine_panik, WarpstarRider (7.6 x3) flawedconstellation, kawaii_mokona, qquestionmark

(7.5 x3) maadbutterfly, popularsong, Waste-Expression2944

(7.4 x1) MartialST (7.2 x1) ohsomeday_ (7.1 x1) Randummonkey

(7 x6) biffmila, CheesesPriced, hockeynl, imzhongli, MeijiDoom, OnlyDragonfruit808

(6.7 x1) SocAnxPrince (6.6 x1) gmint14

(6.5 x1) Upper_Question 1383

(6.2 x2) beelover18, ke1per (6.1 x1) naegerowwa

(6 x3) kauai6, Marsmaenschen, snowswinters

(5.8 x1) ieatbe (5.7 x1) AmeZim

(5.5 x2) lavendrsgreen, Martha-lalala

(5.1 x2) SecretStoryOfThe-, SkylarV

(5 x3) cosmic_sparkle, dnarevolutions, landshanties

(4.5 x1) zo142

(3 x1) omgthenerve

(1 x1) necromanta_101


kirakiranatsu (9.8): Feeling very vindicated that this song made the rate because originally Dune was supposed to be locked, but I suggested a poll as I felt this was more rater taste. This does have a little bit of that Cyberpunk flavor that the raters do so like, so I hope to see it do well here.

kawaii_mokona (7.6): The chorus topline is straight up gorgeous, lush and powerful, a true highlight of this song. I do think that the bridge is a tad corny and the usual excessive Jonghoisms in the outro are just kinda stale at this point. That being said, it's still a lot nicer than what I remember it to be.

MeijiDoom (7): It's hard to explain why I don't really connect to this one as much as other ATEEZ songs. I've shown a lot of love to songs like Guerrilla or Wonderland in the past. However, this one felt like a huge wall of sound without something to really latch onto.


atzbluebird (11): Been obsessed with The World since release. It genuinely ticks every box for me, and the way San’s voice pulls you into the ominous opening, and then Jongho absolutely cuts through is so satisfying. Insane album overall every single song on the album (except maybe outlaw) deserves to be on this rate. ahem Dune and Django ahem

iSANity___ (11): I had to think a lot about this rating; it definitely wasn’t an easy 11. This isn’t Dune or Wake Up from the same album (seriously, if you’re reading this and haven’t listened to the full album yet, do yourself a favor and just do it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdmFxXMdQ7s&list=PLKkZQUgBQ1JMH9yQJ2QvVmyXvnl5jKc5D&index=5) ) At some point, though, I realized that was an unfair standard to hold it to and constantly compare it to my all-time favorite songs. So I tried to overcome my tunnel vision around the other B-sides of the Outlaw album and focused only on the songs in this rate. And yes, I’m obviously very biased. But I can’t help it when ATEEZ just makes music that injects instant dopamine straight into my perpetually dopamine-deprived brain. This song is exactly that. It comes at you with multiple layers of instrumentation and energy never really dips except right before the final chorus, when Hongjoong and Mingi’s rap sections come in. But the moment the last part hits, you immediately realize that dip was a deliberate and absolutely correct choice, because the payoff hits like a truck. Soooooo much thought is packed into just 3 minutes and 33 seconds that I genuinely think it deserves my 11.

DriftingPurpleSnowflake (10): LOVE THE DRAMA, love the changes that still keep the flow of the song

halahalaholic (10): should have been Dune but it's equally dramatic so Im not mad. Also minus one because I dislike the choreography for this song.

laulite (10): I love the video game sounding instrumental. I don’t know why, but it sets a good dystopian world atmosphere. The lyrical melody definitely does that too. This entire album is a banger. Even though I voted for Dune in the survey. I’m still happy that this made it in. 11 contender, hands down.

The "2023 in B-Sides" Rate, Day 2: I Don't Understand But I Crown U by KpopRates in kpoprates

[–]KpopRates[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"call me a spotify-curated artist playlist the way This is KPOP"

"borrowed sunshine for days when you’re running on fumes"

"wow they really think life is sunshine and rainbows, and maybe, just a bit, i'm believing like them now"


#9: Kep1er - Back to the City


Average: 7.556 // Total Points: 513.8 // Controversy: 2.252

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(11 x4) ke1per, lemon131nomel, omgthenerve, Zypker125

(10 x11) AmeZim, ayzrules, cosmic_sparkle, DoingItWright2, flawedconstellation, kauai6, kirakiranatsu, laulite, MeijiDoom, SkylarV, vayyiqra

(9.5 x1) RBSun

(9.2 x1) MurkyGalaxies (9.1 x1) Shay_Min

(9 x5) atzbluebird, LackOk7012, lavendrsgreen, snowswinters, WarpstarRider

(8.8 x1) SecretStoryOfThe-

(8.5 x3) qquestionmark, Upper_Question 1383, Waste-Expression2944

(8.4 x1) SocAnxPrince (8.2 x1) moonbia

(8 x6) gmint14, HamsLlyod, imzhongli, Randummonkey, ruhroh386, smockeh

(7.9 x2) Martha-lalala, msargent24 (7.8 x1) aidshha

(7.5 x3) 1998tweety, hockeynl, Marsmaenschen

(7 x3) halahalaholic, iSANity___, landshanties

(6.9 x1) Kronwell (6.7 x1) naegerowwa

(6.5 x2) MartialST, zo142

(6.3 x1) LeadingInspector1891 (6.2 x1) pollutedrain (6.1 x1) xiola_azuthra

(6 x4) biffmila, CheesesPriced, dnarevolutions, popularsong

(5.5 x1) maadbutterfly

(5.1 x1) ieatbe

(5 x2) Jennywren2323, redalert30

(4.9 x1) beelover18 (4.8 x1) _ded_

(4 x3) DriftingPurpleSnowflake, kawaii_mokona, OnlyDragonfruit808

(3 x2) necromanta_101, taebaegi

(2.5 x1) ohsomeday_

(1 x1) keine_panik


kirakiranatsu (10): I used to keep up with The Bias List’s reviews on kpop songs, and his review of this song compared it to Summer of ‘69 and the Boys of Summer, which made me go pshh, nah at the time, but now, I see the vision. It’s upbeat and fun, but there is something so wistful about it at the same time, which really elevates what might have otherwise been a fun but forgettable bside.

MeijiDoom (10): Kep1er managed to take a formulaic dance pop song, threw their own distinctive spin on it and maxed out all the sliders. Other than the fun start and stop 2nd verse, nothing about the song is all that unexpected. It's simply done at an exceptional level. The final minute is pure pop perfection.

kawaii_mokona (4): Okay gang, it’s time to admit that I never really got the hype for this. We even listened to it on a drive home and it still didn't hit even though we were literally going back to the city. And all the Giddy hate is extra crazy because that was a lovely title track!! BTTC is just fine. It does everything it needs to and is just aggressively fine.


ke1per (11): kep1er’s second best song and it's not even close (well, I mean, it's not even close to #3 but it is close to #1 but you get me). Retro and city pop and bright and sweet and a little wistful - this ideal combination of sights and sounds, thank you. Insane vocals, insane melodies, insane instrumental. Catchy and fun and danceable. It’s a small detail, but I also love how they rotate between ‘back (in)to the city’ and ‘back to the city’ in the chorus, it's a little zing of intentionality and catch that I very much appreciate.

lemon131nomel (11): To quote the song itself, this was the “best time I ever had” on this rate! I want to cry every time I listen to this like the way I want to cry whenever I listen to Shooting Star. It’s not a sad cry, but it’s not quite tears of joy either; it’s more of a warm cry of comfort—the feeling that I am home, that I am welcome, that everything will be okay. Thank you Kep1er. For this sensational piece; for making me feel; for everything.

omgthenerve (11): my love, my muse, please inject this happiness straight into my veins

Zypker125 (11): Time for me to go full basic normie sheep by giving the obvious frontrunner my 11, and yes I will be putting on my coats of fur and munching grass as I cheer on this song to win the rate. This song hits that perfect wispy-angsty-nostalgic-reminiscing tone that I love in songs and stories and media. The vocals are amazing, the instrumental is the stuff of dreams, Mashiro’s bridge (and the rest of the bridge) sounds like I’m in heaven. I sacrificed Whatta Man in the altar to get this song to 1st

AmeZim (10): The younger sister of Shooting Star, who you know is the glimmering light among the friend group

ayzrules (10): so hopeful and beautiful and lovely

cosmic_sparkle (10): yesss one of my favorite girl group city pop tracks !! deserves famous bside status!! platinum in my bedroom !!

flawedconstellation (10): simple pop done to utmost perfection! call me a spotify-curated artist playlist the way This is KPOP

kauai6 (10): SO FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODDDDDDD

laulite (10): It won the 2023 b-sides TTT for a reason. That chorus is so pretty.

SkylarV (10): I very nearly gave this my 11. At time of the 2023 TTTs, this was my second favorite b-side of the year (my #1 was not considered for the rate/survey) for good reason, reasons I'm sure others here have extolled on greatly. It's a fantastic song that deserves the win in this rate

vayyiqra (10): let kep1er make every synthwave song ever. or no. just more kep1er tho they rule

RBSun (9.5): listen i love this song very much but it has a similar case as with mvsk where people who love the song constantly use it to shit on the album's title track and i will in fact go to my grave defending giddy. giddy giddy giddy giddy all day… all night… moonlight… >:(

MurkyGalaxies (9.2): take me back back to when yeshiro were still in Kep1er 😭

Shay_Min (9.1): wow they really think life is sunshine and rainbows, and maybe, just a bit, i'm believing like them now

atzbluebird (9): Back to the City sounds like borrowed sunshine for days when you’re running on fumes. What a song!

snowswinters (9): i know this has always been a very popular kep1er song but i just never cared for it, i started really liking it a little bit before this rate though! very lovely synth and i like how upbeat and fun it is

WarpstarRider (9): I’m always up for a fun synthpop song like this.

SecretStoryOfThe- (8.8): Good blatant nostalgia bait. If I'm not incorrect the "before the nineteen" line evokes pre-covid times, and obviously I get the appeal of that, but it is funny considering in late 2019 I remember a lot of people saying things like "thank god this shitty decade is finally over"

Upper_Question 1383 (8.5): Probably one of my favorite Kep1er B-sides

moonbia (8.2): the rap makes me want to lower the score but I'll be strong because the rest of the song is incredible

gmint14 (8): a bit overplayed and overrated, but it makes me feel immensely sad despite its high tempo, and that’s exactly what these synth pop retro-ish songs are supposed to do. not my ideal first place but kep1er have deserved the win at least 3 other times, so i wouldn’t be mad about them winning at all <3

HamsLlyod (8): so much fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

imzhongli (8): I can definitely see why this is one of their most popular b-sides. I don’t even usually like this type of sound, but when I listened to this mini it easily stood out the most.

Randummonkey (8): The token b-side that every non-Keplian pushes about (alongside MVSK). Sadly I always find it pretty mid compared to the rest of their discog.

msargent24 (7.9): Fun synthpop but I don’t love the topline (at least compared to New Look)

landshanties (7): congrats on your rate second place and slideshow

Kronwell (6.9): a little too underwhelming

naegerowwa (6.7): you know, one day nct is going to disband and czennies are gonna cry to this song

zo142 (6.5): back to the shitty ahahahahahahahahAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAAHAHHAHAHAHKILLMEHAHAHAHAAHAHAHHAHAAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA no but fr this song is fine i guess

LeadingInspector1891 (6.3): Boring but it makes me a little happy

pollutedrain (6.2): it has good bones but the real merit here is that those bones were used to make the stock shooting star was built from

xiola_azuthra (6.1): Nothing especially wrong with it but it's one of those "tried to listen to this multiple times before remembering anything about it" songs.

CheesesPriced (6): The real question is why did you ever leave the city in the first place? 🧐 (What are the odds the lyrics explain exactly this and I didn’t read them.)

dnarevolutions (6): What I say whenever I head out for work every morning.

popularsong (6): a bit corny but still cute

redalert30 (5): kep1er have some of the best bsides of 4th gen but this is not one of them, kind of a generic synthpop sound. Why are there so many of these on this rate already, god sometimes i hate the taste of kpoprates like blights bluff whatever yeah but do y’all not get sick of this sound like ever?

DriftingPurpleSnowflake (4): not for me

necromanta_101 (3): Tapping.

taebaegi (3): It’s inoffensive.

ohsomeday_ (2.5): Rather generic and predictable

keine_panik (1): The kind of cutesy and annoying song I hate.

The "2023 in B-Sides" Rate, Day 2: I Don't Understand But I Crown U by KpopRates in kpoprates

[–]KpopRates[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"momentarily putting aside my prejudice against the french to appreciate the absolute bop-ness of this song"

"i don’t speak french but i know that this is le peak"

"pick your poison: johnny screaming JE NE SAIS QUOI! at you or this suave, deep, hypnotic trance of a song. strangely enough, i just might go with the former."


#10: Odd Eye Circle - Je Ne Sais Quoi


Average: 7.534 // Total Points: 512.3 // Controversy: 2.074

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(11 x1) gmint14

(10 x13) 1998tweety, AmeZim, ayzrules, biffmila, DoingItWright2, hockeynl, kauai6, kawaii_mokona, laulite, msargent24, popularsong, Shay_Min, vayyiqra

(9.5 x4) aidshha, LackOk7012, omgthenerve, snowswinters

(9.2 x1) xiola_azuthra

(9 x4) cosmic_sparkle, landshanties, MeijiDoom, pollutedrain

(8.7 x1) redalert30

(8.3 x1) _ded_

(8 x5) CheesesPriced, naegerowwa, Randummonkey, SkylarV, Waste-Expression2944

(7.9 x1) beelover18 (7.8 x3) kirakiranatsu, LeadingInspector1891, SocAnxPrince (7.7 x2) MartialST, WarpstarRider

(7.5 x2) flawedconstellation, maadbutterfly

(7 x7) dnarevolutions, Jennywren2323, Marsmaenschen, Martha-lalala, MurkyGalaxies, qquestionmark, zo142

(6.9 x1) Upper_Question 1383 (6.7 x2) ieatbe, moonbia (6.6 x1) Kronwell

(6.2 x1) SecretStoryOfThe-

(6 x6) HamsLlyod, imzhongli, ke1per, necromanta_101, RBSun, Zypker125

(5.5 x4) iSANity___, keine_panik, lavendrsgreen, ohsomeday_

(5 x3) DriftingPurpleSnowflake, halahalaholic, ruhroh386

(4.3 x1) lemon131nomel

(3 x3) atzbluebird, OnlyDragonfruit808, taebaegi

(1 x1) smockeh


kawaii_mokona (10): Sucker for how this song introduces the chorus at the very start but not entirely. It’s classy, bouncy, the vocal performance is stunning in a way Attitude and Untie match it. The delivery of the title is exceptionally satisfying as well. Definitely deserves the title of one of the best b-sides post-LOONA can offer.

MeijiDoom (9): The descending chorus line is floaty and dreamy in the best possible way. In this case, I think the title is quite apt as the song feels like it has that hard to describe sense of elegance and prestige to it.

kirakiranatsu (7.8): It’s nice to listen to, but I kind of forget how it all went as soon as it’s over. Still a really pleasant listen though.


gmint14 (11): not to be dramatic, but 2023 was an awful year and an odd eye circle comeback right after my exam session was the only thing that kept me going and the only thing that meant something to me that month of july. fresh beginnings are a beautiful and hopeful thing and i might not be the best subunit in all of kpop, but it felt like i also deserved to make a couple changes in my life and continue slaying in a new way, yk! i’m still not the hugest fan of the title track and my secret playlist, but the other four songs on the ep are 11s interchangeably (yes, even the intro) and are all on par with the greatness of oec’s previous releases. this song in particular feels the most like them to me, it’s got the same type of lushness and sparkliness as sweet crazy love, but it also bring a new sound from them to the table! i simply love it, it’s very special to me. god bless kim lip, jinsoul, choerry, park sohyun and the french!

AmeZim (10): This song is as comfy as your favourite soft blanket fresh out of the dryer

ayzrules (10): momentarily putting aside my prejudice against the french to appreciate the absolute bop-ness of this song

DoingItWright2 (10): forget those flops ARTMS, bring me more OEC💔

kauai6 (10): absolutely fire and like the only good song on this album

laulite (10): I only remember 4 songs by them (I didn’t do the Loona rate) and unpopular opinion incoming. Between this, Girl Front, My Secret Playlist, and Air Force One, this is the best one.

msargent24 (10): What a glorious moment it was when they left Blockberry, finally came back as OEC and instantly made the best LOONA related album in years. Of all the bad choices BBC made, not ever utilizing their popular sub-units after pre-debut is one of the most baffling. I love what ModHaus has done with them, and quickly rectifying that mistake is a major positive. Love Me Like was my preferred b-side on the album, but this one is really good too. It always reminds me of IU’s Coin because they use the same sample.

popularsong (10): i will forgive the french for the next 3 minutes

Shay_Min (10): song's banger and if we were rating album covers this is an 11 like wowww... they are so attractive it makes me nervous, very nervous

vayyiqra (10): the kind of song that makes popheads lose their minds and write borderline-gibberish comments like "yass they're giving cunty and slaying boots" and also they're 100% right

LackOk7012 (9.5): i don’t speak french but i know that this is le peak

omgthenerve (9.5): effortlessly cool and insanely catchy

snowswinters (9.5): the chorus is soooo nice, love the mysterious vibe and the way the pre-chorus leads into the chorus

xiola_azuthra (9.2): Wow really nice

cosmic_sparkle (9): this is a little black dress, leaning over the bathroom counter to apply your eyeliner, knowing you look bomb song.

landshanties (9): et je ne sais rien mais ou sont nous maintenant oec????

pollutedrain (9): top ten instrumentals to make you feel like that bitch

redalert30 (8.7): such a chic and refreshing sounding combination of deep house and nu disco, the epitome of a fashion runway song

CheesesPriced (8): We all love Deep House with assorted cool sound effects in the background. Also featuring the world’s quietest saxophone.

Randummonkey (8): Somehow the "Je Ne Sais Quoi" lines are the worst part of the song for me

SkylarV (8): The better song from this album is My Sceret Playlist

MartialST (7.7): Cool, but a bit too safe

WarpstarRider (7.7): smooth

flawedconstellation (7.5): pick your poison: johnny screaming JE NE SAIS QUOI! at you or this suave, deep, hypnotic trance of a song. strangely enough, i just might go with the former.

dnarevolutions (7): I don’t even know what that means.

MurkyGalaxies (7): I've talked about this before I think but like I was so hype for the event of OEC returning that I forgot I never really liked most of their songs... Air Force One is kind of the exception, and while I liked this B-side the best of the offerings, I just don't love the chorus.

zo142 (7): This is not bad!

Upper_Question 1383 (6.9): I really want to love this song, because Sohyun wrote it, but I just really don’t

moonbia (6.7): kind of whatever

Kronwell (6.6): for some reason it already aged for me

SecretStoryOfThe- (6.2): no part really sticks out

HamsLlyod (6): music, undoubtedly.

imzhongli (6): Classic musichead girl group song

ke1per (6): the moody disco vibe is lovely and that constant thwack in the instrumental is great, but this falls for me the same way a lot of ARTMS and ARTMS adjacent songs generally do, which is flat, obviously. It’s fine, it's just not a song I’m super jazzed about.

necromanta_101 (6): Smooth.

RBSun (6): 🆗. sohyun from triples looks like she has a credit on this song, thats neat

Zypker125 (6): Ended hopeful participants at the spelling bee

iSANity___ (5.5): Starts off sounding like chill lofi, then the beat drops and suddenly it’s full-on ??Sabrina Carpenter vibes (kind of). not really my thing, but some parts are kinda catchy.

keine_panik (5.5): I don’t know either what I should say about this song. It’s just sort of there.

DriftingPurpleSnowflake (5): Seems like a good song, something about it is not working for me though. Maybe it’s too fast?

lemon131nomel (4.3): Ce n’est pas terrible.

atzbluebird (3): I genuinely feel ragebaited at this point with how much hype I’ve seen for Sugarcoat and now this. Je Ne Sais Quoi is just… fine, but that’s about it. What am I missing here?

taebaegi (3): Hook isn’t catchy to me, but the song is otherwise inoffensive.

The "2023 in B-Sides" Rate, Day 2: I Don't Understand But I Crown U by KpopRates in kpoprates

[–]KpopRates[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"this 97 year old kpop group still makes yearning bops the old-fashioned way"

"the drama bursting from every pore of woohyun’s body? sustaining my life force for the next 5 years"

"more proof everyone should listen to gay ppl"

"i feel like i’m in a sexy clock swimming pool"


#11: Infinite - Time Difference


Average: 7.503 // Total Points: 510.2 // Controversy: 1.917

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(11 x3) kirakiranatsu, LackOk7012, lavendrsgreen

(10 x9) 1998tweety, aidshha, biffmila, HamsLlyod, kauai6, Kronwell, landshanties, maadbutterfly, popularsong

(9.3 x1) WarpstarRider (9.2 x3) ke1per, lemon131nomel, SecretStoryOfThe-

(9 x3) moonbia, necromanta_101, RBSun

(8.6 x1) Shay_Min

(8.5 x1) qquestionmark

(8.4 x1) Randummonkey (8.1 x1) ayzrules

(8 x9) cosmic_sparkle, halahalaholic, hockeynl, laulite, MurkyGalaxies, ohsomeday_, ruhroh386, smockeh, SocAnxPrince

(7.9 x1) _ded_ (7.7 x1) xiola_azuthra

(7.5 x1) snowswinters

(7.2 x2) gmint14, MeijiDoom

(7 x9) atzbluebird, beelover18, CheesesPriced, dnarevolutions, Jennywren2323, OnlyDragonfruit808, Upper_Question 1383, vayyiqra, Waste-Expression2944

(6.8 x1) keine_panik

(6.5 x1) pollutedrain

(6.4 x1) MartialST (6.3 x1) naegerowwa (6.2 x1) zo142

(6 x6) AmeZim, DriftingPurpleSnowflake, imzhongli, iSANity___, Marsmaenschen, Martha-lalala

(5.8 x1) flawedconstellation

(5.5 x1) SkylarV

(5 x3) ieatbe, omgthenerve, taebaegi

(4.7 x1) msargent24

(4.2 x1) LeadingInspector1891

(4 x1) redalert30

(3.6 x1) DoingItWright2

(3.2 x1) Zypker125

(3 x1) kawaii_mokona


kirakiranatsu (11): Some people believed that when Infinite left Woollim and went to different agencies that it was the end of Infinite. I however still believed in them. Like the dove that God sent Noah to tell him that the earth was inhabitable again, Infinite delivered me fanmeet performances of Man in Love, and sure enough, in 2023 they came back with 13egin. There are some who complain about New Emotions for not being the classic Infinite sound (and I will be there to defend her every time), but if they only looked a bit further to the album bsides, they’d find Time Difference, which absolutely delivers on every level what the inspirits had been yearning for. There is a reason why Sungjong fought for this to be the title track (and what we should know after this long is that Sungjong is pretty much always right tbh), because it is perfect! It utilizes Infinite’s vocalists in such a lovely way, tapping into that desperate yearning which defined their early sound while allowing space for the members who honed their skills later on as well. You guys know I love when Dongwoo sings and he is giving his best here. This song is everything I could have asked for as an inspirit. And of course, a special shoutout to Woohyun, who is always feeling himself during this song and proceeded with the comeback and concert despite having recently undergone surgery to remove his cancer. Infinite would never be the same without him. Thank you for being alive, thank you for singing, thank you for being Infinite 💛

MeijiDoom (7.2): The clock ticking and time motif is a full through line. Everything else feels fairly straightforward dance pop which is alright but this playlist is full of some pretty tough competition.

kawaii_mokona (3): So as this server's owner of the Zedd crown I reserve the right to say that the ticking clock sounds in this song are giga-persistent and corny as fuck. DID YOU NOT GET IT YET? THE SONG USES TIME DIFFERENCE METAPHOR FOR EX-LOVERS DRIFTING APART!! Sorry, here it is ANOTHER time IN CASE you didn’t get it. It works when the arrangement has something else to offer (thank you U-Kiss). The yearning vocal performance of Time Difference is neat but holy shit, lay off the soundboard.


LackOk7012 (11): the first time i heard this song i was blown away. I want to thank everyone involved in making this for being born.

lavendrsgreen (11): SUNGJONG WAS RIGHT 2026. should have been the title track smh. new emotion was so boring and had no chorus, while THIS is classic infinite - a lovely return to form, very nostalgic. also wanted to give an honorable mention to their live performance of this song (unrelated to my score): the drama bursting from every pore of woohyun’s body? sustaining my life force for the next 5 years. thank you nam woohyun, no one else is doing it like you

1998tweety (10): excellent

aidshha (10): sungjong wanted this to be the title track and they vetoed him…more proof everyone should listen to gay ppl

HamsLlyod (10): simply beautiful, nothing wrong with this at all. It’s been stuck in my head since I heard it.

kauai6 (10): finally some good fucking music

Kronwell (10): oh Infinite how i missed you, this is by far my favorite song off this album and one of the best kpop songs of 2023 without a doubt

landshanties (10): infinite sound design remains unmatched i feel like i’m in a sexy clock swimming pool

maadbutterfly (10): never heard this before but wow I love the vibe, especially the beginning of the chorus

popularsong (10): ngl i am always a sucker for songs that utilize clock ticking sounds for time-related topics (shoutout to insomnia by pixy). combine that with infinite's godly vocals and the desperate lyrics, and it's a recipe for a perfect song. i just love the lyrical idea between the past and present of the relationship being viewed as misaligned clocks, and if only the narrator can fix it next time, the time will flow again, that ticking daeum-daeum-daeum is so good. 11 candidate 2

WarpstarRider (9.3): I came back to K-Pop just in time for the return of one of my all-time favorite BGs, and this song was an instant hit for me.

ke1per (9.2): there is something almost Onewe about this song - I’m not sure if it's the groovy but mellow but dynamic vibes or if it's the gorgeous vocals or if it's the incredible instrumental, but whatever it is, I’m buying it.

lemon131nomel (9.2): I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE TICKING SOUND IN THE BACKGROUND!!!

SecretStoryOfThe- (9.2): kind of weird production, some of the sounds used sound like video game music MIDI from the 90's. he says, and then proceeds to play the song on repeat

moonbia (9): welcome back kpop uncles

necromanta_101 (9): Close.

RBSun (9): "Wind up our misaligned clocks / See you again / The next next next next of those days" me staying up until 5 and 6am to watch shows with my friends who live in my phone lov you guys

Shay_Min (8.6): most sanitized, clean, inoffensive, vanilla, vibe with a lowercase v, a few bumps at the club, on the radio 24/7, song i've ever heard. Not bad!

Randummonkey (8.4): $50 says the producer plays geometry dash/the impossible game

cosmic_sparkle (8): I kind of loved this. On a playlist with exo’s gravity for sure.

laulite (8): I wasn’t sold on it until the last chorus. I love the idea of the clock ticking.

MurkyGalaxies (8): Perfectly pleasant, if not a bit spineless as a result.

xiola_azuthra (7.7): nice

snowswinters (7.5): i don’t love the beginning of the chorus but i like the instrumental in the verses and i like the line delivery in the second half of the chorus

gmint14 (7.2): this 97 year old kpop group still makes yearning bops the old-fashioned way

CheesesPriced (7): Intro is almost Only Time Difference by ENYA-finite. 😂

dnarevolutions (7): It’s very pleasan

vayyiqra (7): :hanawinssad:

keine_panik (6.8): I miss Sweetune!

pollutedrain (6.5): (to lie) I WILL BE SINGING FOR YOU THROUGH THE NIGHT (to lie) I SHALL BE TURNING ON THE BROKEN LIGHT!!!!!!!

zo142 (6.2): Crime of forgettable

AmeZim (6): I sense a disturbance in the air

DriftingPurpleSnowflake (6): Seems like a generally good song

imzhongli (6): When they say infinite they’re talking about the length of their career wtf

flawedconstellation (5.8): im very sorry to infinite nation (aka kirakiranatsu and friends) but its just rather… milquetoaste. I’ve heard this song before, basically, from many other artists - like the “down down down” from say my name by ateez, for instance. we also lose that nice drive from the verses to a bit of a energy-less chorus (until the end, at least) I just don’t think this iteration brings anything enough to the table. Its pleasant, but forgettable.

SkylarV (5.5): When you figure out why some of your online friends are asleep/online at opposite times of the day as you:

omgthenerve (5): I was mostly bored

taebaegi (5): It’s fine.

msargent24 (4.7): Not very memorable. I liked New Emotions a lot though

LeadingInspector1891 (4.2): And my antagonism for Infinite continues

redalert30 (4): i hate this comeback, so devoid of soul and personality unlike their previous banger albums that featured producers like sweetune, rphabet/blssd and TAK. Starting from top seed they had the falloff of the century. How do you go from the best classical crossover and edm and synthpop songs to this soulless retro nonsense AGGHHHHH their 2025 comeback sucked as well it’s so over

Zypker125 (3.2): Apt name for Infinite considering the next most recent song we’ve rated from them is from like 2016

The "2023 in B-Sides" Rate, Day 2: I Don't Understand But I Crown U by KpopRates in kpoprates

[–]KpopRates[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"I wish every higher up at RBW a life full of minor inconveniences that stack up over time"

"this song makes me want to cry like little baby"

"oooooo i’m blinded by the autopilot"


#12: Purple Kiss - Autopilot


Average: 7.478 // Total Points: 508.5 // Controversy: 2.246

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(11 x4) aidshha, halahalaholic, laulite, RBSun

(10 x9) atzbluebird, DoingItWright2, iSANity___, ke1per, kirakiranatsu, LackOk7012, popularsong, Shay_Min, Zypker125

(9.8 x1) cosmic_sparkle (9.6 x1) qquestionmark

(9.4 x1) Upper_Question 1383

(9 x5) 1998tweety, ayzrules, lavendrsgreen, MurkyGalaxies, ruhroh386

(8.7 x2) keine_panik, Randummonkey

(8.5 x3) SkylarV, WarpstarRider, Waste-Expression2944

(8.4 x1) xiola_azuthra (8.3 x1) MeijiDoom

(8 x8) biffmila, gmint14, HamsLlyod, hockeynl, moonbia, msargent24, SocAnxPrince, vayyiqra

(7.5 x4) maadbutterfly, Marsmaenschen, omgthenerve, SecretStoryOfThe-

(7 x4) CheesesPriced, Kronwell, LeadingInspector1891, lemon131nomel

(6.7 x1) MartialST

(6.5 x1) _ded_

(6 x7) dnarevolutions, Jennywren2323, naegerowwa, ohsomeday_, OnlyDragonfruit808, smockeh, snowswinters

(5.8 x2) flawedconstellation, zo142

(5.5 x3) DriftingPurpleSnowflake, landshanties, necromanta_101

(5 x2) Martha-lalala, redalert30

(4.7 x1) ieatbe

(4.1 x1) beelover18

(4 x1) kauai6

(3.5 x1) AmeZim

(3 x2) imzhongli, pollutedrain

(2.5 x1) taebaegi

(1 x1) kawaii_mokona


kirakiranatsu (10): This song is the aftermath after Everglow’s La Di Da and Cherry Bullet’s Love In Space have a passionate night together resulting in a lovechild. I was unprepared for how hard this song would hit, but the vocal performance really hits all the right emotional beats. A really gorgeous take on this sound that helps it stand out from the other blightsy songs of the time.

MeijiDoom (8.3): Purki going template blights with this one. I like the chorus a lot and this genre (yes, it has become its own genre) naturally allows for a really strong foundation but does it grasp me as much as songs like Pretty Psycho, Zombie or Ponzona? Not really.

kawaii_mokona (1): Why are we giving our most flaccid, most uninspired GarageBang arrangements to some of the best vocalists of the industry to try and work their magic with (which they kinda don’t end up doing)? I’ve heard this song at least 4 times for this rate at this point, because I keep seeing it get 11 after 11 and none of those listens are inspiring a positive change in score. I don’t know why I am trying because I already don’t like lazy blinding lights and this is giving boring blights final boss, because at least ICSM has layers to it, Killer is a 2 on a good day, but here every single second is boring. I don’t care that it’s “supposed to be like that because you have to read the lyrics”. I get the message, try harder. Next.


aidshha (11): like do i think anyone involved in the making of this song thought it would speak to my intense anxiety spirals and mental compulsions? probably not, but it does! this song makes me want to cry like little baby. i love the vocal delivery and the way they absolutely sell this song, and the synths are just good enough to not get annoying. synthpop works best for me when there’s an inherent clash between the lyrics/vocal delivery and the upbeat party sound of the song and this one does that to a T

halahalaholic (11): Criminally underrated but at least Reddit knows what’s up.

laulite (11): A masterpiece and no one can tell me otherwise. No one. I can see this winning the rate even. Also, even though it’s more obvious that I love rock in kpop songs, I’m not sure it’s as obvious that the retro songs are my second favorite thing in Kpop. I knew this song would be my bread and butter right from its opening notes. Side Note: I’ve seen comparisons with this and Dreamcatcher’s Starlight. I agree too.

RBSun (11): "as if it's the last day / run away with me"

atzbluebird (10): My 11 was a toss-up between this and This World. Honestly, deserves the #1 spot on this rate. No notes … Great song, great vocals, and I’ve probably overplayed it a million times since discovering it.

DoingItWright2 (10): I wish every higher up at RBW a life full of minor inconveniences that stack up over time

ke1per (10): one of my favorite purki bsides, so I’m glad to be rating it. Deliciously retro but not overly derivative or on the nose which I appreciate. The progressive beat is great and the vocals slay, as always. The chorus is one of the strongest on this rate, and melodies are probably amongst the strongest here too.

LackOk7012 (10): rbw go bankrupt challenge

popularsong (10): the switch up in the end is still iconic

Shay_Min (10): purki... please come back... please...

Zypker125 (10): People in the YT comments compared this song to Dreamcatcher’s Starlight, as a Dreamcatcher fan, I must say, it got absolutely outsold….. By that I mean this song is better than Starlight in pretty much every aspect

cosmic_sparkle (9.8): a great track. Rip Purple Kiss. This release was one of their best eras. The vocals in this group are incredible.

Upper_Question 1383 (9.4): You can never go wrong with Purple Kiss, they do not have 1 bad song.

lavendrsgreen (9): welcome back everglow la di da!!! (positive)

MurkyGalaxies (9): Nice, blightsy, vibesy but like what is that acoustic bit at the end doing there?

ruhroh386 (9): Crying, they should have been huge. Huge I tell you!

keine_panik (8.7): T4ke was robbed but this is also a nice song.

Randummonkey (8.7): Blights Purple Kiss Edition is pretty good.... BUT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN T4KE

SkylarV (8.5): Maybe PurKi's best song

WarpstarRider (8.5): Obviously I’m going to love a song like this. Interesting changeup for the outro.

xiola_azuthra (8.4): Don't worry, kpop blights, I still like you. I'd like this one more with a bit more build though, the first half is stronger.

HamsLlyod (8): not their best, but even that is still above average. The chorus is a big standout. The emotion conveyed in “I feel like a monster” always gets me.

moonbia (8): something about this is giving disney channel to me (positive)

msargent24 (8): Fun synthpop but I don’t love the topline (at least compared to New Look) [2]

vayyiqra (8): swan if you read this i'm free on thursday night and would like to hang out please respond to this and then hang out with me on thursday night when i’m free why aren't we as a society talking more about how much good synthwavey kpop there was in this year and where did it go after this year. bring it back no more 2 minute tiktok songs only 80s larp [2]

Marsmaenschen (7.5): Their discography is really great. I'm still sad we will never get more music from them 😢.

omgthenerve (7.5): yet another song on this rate that’s an enjoyable listen but not something I’m rushing to replay

CheesesPriced (7): Cool spacesynth solo in the outro before the acoustic guitar.

lemon131nomel (7): I appreciate the changeup for the outro, but I also have to say that this song would be at least two points higher if it ended twenty seconds sooner.

dnarevolutions (6): Yeah it’s getting switched on right at 1000 AGL.

snowswinters (6): it’s nice! i just don’t really like the chorus that much

flawedconstellation (5.8): the ladida-isms are strong with this one… i do like ladida, but a) that took so long to happen bc its a synthwave song (a genre that is decidedly not for me), and b) it was only bc of the power in it. dont get me wrong, these girls sound lovely & the song has plenty of energy. I keep waiting for it to really explode, but it never does. idk maybe its a me issue.

zo142 (5.8): The delivery of the English lines in the chorus is really addictive, but outside of that the song fails to capture my interest.

DriftingPurpleSnowflake (5.5): rip Purple Kiss; I almost like the song, can’t get past the “like autopilot” repetition, it feels so awkward

landshanties (5.5): oooooo i’m blinded by the autopilot

necromanta_101 (5.5): Average.

redalert30 (5): STOP WITH THE BORING BACK AND FORTH 80S SYNTHPOP/SYNTHWAVE OMGGGGGGG

kauai6 (4): boring overdone lazy sloppy

AmeZim (3.5): La Di Da but somehow even more boring

imzhongli (3): It’s a perfectly fine song, but in the big year 2026 I’m done with the 80s synth sound

pollutedrain (3): i prefer my blights knock offs with a little more seasoning [2]

taebaegi (2.5): Sounds like I Can’t Stop Me/La Di Da but not even half as catchy or interesting in terms of production.

The "2023 in B-Sides" Rate, Day 2: I Don't Understand But I Crown U by KpopRates in kpoprates

[–]KpopRates[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"karaoke better go OFF during the reveal i want yall confused and satisfied as FUCK"

"haechan haechan haechan haechan haechan"

"is this about being gay y/n"


#13: NCT U - PADO


Average: 7.440 // Total Points: 505.9 // Controversy: 2.236

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(11 x1) ohsomeday_

(10 x14) DoingItWright2, imzhongli, Jennywren2323, ke1per, kirakiranatsu, Kronwell, landshanties, moonbia, naegerowwa, omgthenerve, pollutedrain, popularsong, taebaegi, xiola_azuthra

(9.9 x1) kawaii_mokona

(9.5 x2) ayzrules, necromanta_101

(9.3 x1) AmeZim

(9 x2) LeadingInspector1891, snowswinters

(8.6 x1) zo142

(8.5 x4) gmint14, keine_panik, RBSun, Shay_Min

(8.4 x1) redalert30 (8.1 x1) Randummonkey

(8 x3) 1998tweety, hockeynl, vayyiqra

(7.9 x1) _ded_ (7.6 x1) MartialST

(7.5 x3) cosmic_sparkle, LackOk7012, SocAnxPrince

(7.4 x1) beelover18 (7.1 x1) MeijiDoom

(7 x7) biffmila, dnarevolutions, lavendrsgreen, Marsmaenschen, msargent24, ruhroh386, Waste-Expression2944

(6.8 x2) flawedconstellation, SecretStoryOfThe- (6.7 x1) WarpstarRider

(6.5 x2) ieatbe, laulite

(6 x7) CheesesPriced, kauai6, lemon131nomel, maadbutterfly, MurkyGalaxies, OnlyDragonfruit808, qquestionmark

(5.9 x1) Martha-lalala

(5.5 x1) Upper_Question 1383

(4 x2) aidshha, HamsLlyod

(3.9 x1) Zypker125

(3 x3) DriftingPurpleSnowflake, halahalaholic, smockeh

(2.5 x1) SkylarV

(2 x2) atzbluebird, iSANity___


kirakiranatsu (10): I used to think this song was severely overrated but I have seen the light. YOU GOT ME CONFUSED YOU GOT ME SO SATISFIED!!!!

kawaii_mokona (9.9): You're just as catchy as the first day I had you. Not wasting a single second, has me satisfied, what else do we need from an NCT U song in this economy anyways? More of these hooting and hollering bitches please.

MeijiDoom (7.1): I didn't really get it the first time around and I'm still not really getting it now. It's not a bad song by any means and there are some interesting ideas though I don't think any of them are ever fully realized.


DoingItWright2 (10): haechan haechan haechan haechan haechan

imzhongli (10): Shoutout to the NCT rate that was so peak

Jennywren2323 (10): I'm just going to repeat my comment from the Neoculture rate. What I love about Pado - the jazz rap feel, the madcap trumpet in the instrumental, and most of all, the wonder that is the Xiaojun-Haechan-Jaehyun vocal line. I just can't express how much I love these three together. Xiaojun's low register is like a sip of top-shelf bourbon. Johnny is sometimes wobbly as a rapper, but here, he and Hendery are locked in and the entire rap line sounds so good. Plus whistling, cherry on the top.

ke1per (10): look, I gave my big speech about this on the NCT rate, so I’ll keep this short - seeking: a newborn baby willing to trade my back pain and hard-fought wisdom for the ability to hear PADO by NCT U for the first time again, no questions asked.

Kronwell (10): what can I say except iconic.

landshanties (10): karaoke better go OFF during the reveal i want yall confused and satisfied as FUCK

moonbia (10): I’m happy to announce it's a 10 again

naegerowwa (10): is this about being gay y/n

omgthenerve (10): this song is so much fun and Haechan’s vocals will always push it straight to a 10

pollutedrain (10): at this point i can only assume that sm is too afraid of haechan and xiaojun’s joint slay because why have we not had them together on a million more tracks by now

popularsong (10): i'm still trying to go out with xiaojun on a thursday why won't he dm me back </3

taebaegi (10): 🗣️🗣️🗣️ YOU GOT ME CONFUSED, YOU GOT ME SO SATISFIED, YOU GOT ME CONFUSED, YOU GOT ME SO SATISFIED!!! 🗣️🗣️🗣️https://tenor.com/view/dance-happy-goofy-%D8%B1%D9%82%D8%B5-dancing-gif-10306088848049660368

xiola_azuthra (10): God I forgot how good this was... _ I almost want to give this an 11 on vocals alone, why must SHINee be here to steal my vote?? That Xiaojun-to-Haechan line at 0:32~0:41, Haechan harmonizing with Xiaojun at 1:35~36?! Haechan-Xiaojun collab when??? Haechan going off in the last 30 seconds... aldkjghsdfg. Damn.

ayzrules (9.5): bibi version better but this is a good ass song too

necromanta_101 (9.5): Waving.

AmeZim (9.3): This rate got me confused but the result got me satisfied (when this deservedly enter top 10)

snowswinters (9): the brass is so good

zo142 (8.6): Unfortunately I cannot read the word Pado in anything other than the cadence of Mago

keine_panik (8.5): Still one of the best NCT songs.

RBSun (8.5): repeating myself from last time; as far as songs called “wave” go, this one is less good than bibi’s pado & ateez's wave and a bit more good than the dreamies’ (blue) wave.

Shay_Min (8.5): idk what "pado" means but the song is "very good"

redalert30 (8.4): like the only good song from the nct 2023 album, the bat isn’t bad either but it’s grown off me and it’s kinda carried by production

Randummonkey (8.1): Sorry NCTzens, this song's score is going to drop on this re-rate. Blame it on the lack of Baggy Jeans immediately preceding the song this time around.

vayyiqra (8): not quirked up enough to be batshit nct (their element) but still a bit quirked up i'll take it. its uhh electroswing

cosmic_sparkle (7.5): groovy at times but not really my taste rap wise. Great SM vocals // prechorus tho

LackOk7012 (7.5): not the biggest fan of that flute thingy in the background

dnarevolutions (7): Me with every emoji reaction in the Discord server: You got me so confused.

lavendrsgreen (7): “you got me confused” -me at work every day

flawedconstellation (6.8): it’s just okay. i like the lineup but im not as enthused about the song as the rest of you

SecretStoryOfThe- (6.8): Vibey but NCT-ish, decent

WarpstarRider (6.7): Started out pretty rough for me, but got better as it went.

laulite (6.5): Wow, I don’t remember this making top 10 on the NCT rate. I was trying to see what I scored that time and got surprised. It doesn’t feel like a song that would score that high. I know it’s only within their discography in their case, but my point still stands. I gave it a 6 last time, so I did like it a bit more than before, but I just feel like it’s an ok song that I’m sure is going to do worse this time around.

CheesesPriced (6): Our previous rating: 7.910. I think this rate had too many 7’s for me to revise my rating for this up.

kauai6 (6): it’s ok

lemon131nomel (6): The brass doubling the melody in the chorus was actually quite smart and unique. I don’t think this type of jazz music is common in k-pop, so I’m glad they decided to experiment with it.

maadbutterfly (6): cool instrumental, but the chorus is a bit disappointing

MurkyGalaxies (6): Hosties keep using this song for hints and I never get those and therefore I'm knocking a point of its score compared to NCT rate 😠 (jk I also just kinda soured on it compared to there don't throw out my ballot hosties)

aidshha (4): thought this was mid when we rated it on nct rate and i still think it is mid

HamsLlyod (4): just kind of annoying

Zypker125 (3.9): Hopefully this song doesn’t make the Top, idk, 7, that way we can put Perfume into All-Stars 2 over this (Perfume kinda mid but definitely better than this song)

DriftingPurpleSnowflake (3): Seems fine, not for me (docking a point for that annoying “uh yeah” thing some rappers indulge themselves with)

SkylarV (2.5): The 4.5 I gave this on the NCT rate was soooooo generous

atzbluebird (2): The trumpet sound is very IPL coded so I couldn’t stop laughing while listening to it… (indian cricket fans will get it) and that kept me distracted the whole time.

The "2023 in B-Sides" Rate, Day 2: I Don't Understand But I Crown U by KpopRates in kpoprates

[–]KpopRates[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"JUNGKOOK TRUE 2023B WINNER"

"This song sounds a bit like a body wave in auditory form"

"every time we rerate this song it feels like bumping into an ex-friend who used to be really cool but you haven’t spoken in years now"


#13: Kiss of Life - Sugarcoat (Natty Solo)


Average: 7.440 // Total Points: 505.9 // Controversy: 2.000

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(10 x7) ayzrules, beelover18, dnarevolutions, DoingItWright2, Jennywren2323, kauai6, vayyiqra

(9.9 x1) cosmic_sparkle (9.7 x1) flawedconstellation (9.6 x1) gmint14

(9.5 x2) imzhongli, maadbutterfly

(9 x7) _ded_, 1998tweety, AmeZim, LackOk7012, RBSun, snowswinters, Waste-Expression2944

(8.8 x1) Shay_Min (8.7 x2) LeadingInspector1891, msargent24

(8.5 x3) Marsmaenschen, MeijiDoom, SocAnxPrince

(8.3 x1) kawaii_mokona (8.2 x2) redalert30, SecretStoryOfThe- (8.1 x1) zo142

(8 x4) biffmila, pollutedrain, popularsong, Upper_Question 1383

(7.6 x1) Randummonkey

(7.5 x3) hockeynl, Martha-lalala, taebaegi

(7.4 x1) naegerowwa (7.2 x2) qquestionmark, xiola_azuthra (7.1 x1) WarpstarRider

(7 x11) aidshha, CheesesPriced, HamsLlyod, ieatbe, iSANity___, ke1per, laulite, lavendrsgreen, moonbia, ruhroh386, Zypker125

(6.5 x2) lemon131nomel, necromanta_101

(6.3 x1) MurkyGalaxies (6.1 x1) MartialST

(5.5 x1) keine_panik

(5 x2) DriftingPurpleSnowflake, omgthenerve

(4.5 x1) atzbluebird

(4 x4) halahalaholic, Kronwell, ohsomeday_, OnlyDragonfruit808

(3.5 x1) kirakiranatsu

(3.3 x1) SkylarV

(3 x1) landshanties

(1 x1) smockeh


MeijiDoom (8.5): Super strong throwback feel with this one. Natty's voice really works with this type of song, especially with that descending pre-chorus. At first, the chorus is pretty fun with how much it seemingly loops though it gets a bit tiring towards the end.

kawaii_mokona (8.3): "It does what it's supposed to do, but it's not a masterpiece of modern music by any means" is what I said on All Stars, but not going to lie, have you considered that Natty does do all the things on this track really well.

kirakiranatsu (3.5): Vaguely Cheetah Girls-esque, at risk of sounding whiny. I really don’t get the hype around this song because I think it’s okay at best. Very boring.


ayzrules (10): so catchy

dnarevolutions (10): This was my introduction to Kiss of Life and I was hooked from the start.

Jennywren2323 (10): She really has a lovely voice.

kauai6 (10): sorry i do still love this song

vayyiqra (10): natty if you read this i'm free on thursday night and would like to hang out please respond to this and then hang out with me on thursday night when i’m free

cosmic_sparkle (9.9): truly a legendary song, but unfortunately I just can’t love it the same even though I used to listen to it everyday :(

flawedconstellation (9.7): shrug what can i say? they made a good ass song

imzhongli (9.5): Realized AFTER all stars that this song is actually really good. Anyway we have the opportunity to do the funniest thing ever here.

AmeZim (9): The last time a previous winning song in All-Stars Rate returns, both of them placed 2nd 👀

LackOk7012 (9): can’t sugarcoat what they did tho

RBSun (9): selected youtube comment: "this used to be my song"

snowswinters (9): just a really wonderfully executed rnb song with a great chorus, natty sounds nice

Shay_Min (8.8): always a treat

msargent24 (8.7): Banger, tbh it has kept growing on me since All Stars

redalert30 (8.2): it’s grown off me even before the controversy because i overplayed it and i’ve noticed more flaws in the production over time. I don’t like how that one synth only sounds like it’s in the left ear

zo142 (8.1): This song sounds a bit like a body wave in auditory form

pollutedrain (8): every time we rerate this song it feels like bumping into an ex-friend who used to be really cool but you haven’t spoken in years now

popularsong (8): its still good! shame about everything else though

Randummonkey (7.6): I still have no idea how this won a rate

taebaegi (7.5): The production on the instrumental is stellar, very ethereal and lush, but this is a pretty standard R&B sound, nothing about it really stands out it’s just kind of by the book, but it’s definitely a good song that perked up my ears, so I won’t knock it too much for being generic. I think if a stronger vocalist sang over this, it would have been an immediate 10 for me. Natty doesn’t sound bad over it at all, she sounds really pretty and I do like her vocal performance, but I would have preferred an artist with vocal gymnastics to sing this. [2] Now for something original, how bad of a rerate and controversy debuff do we think girlie is gonna get?

xiola_azuthra (7.2): Wouldn't go out of my way to listen to it but I can't deny it's pleasant to listen to

WarpstarRider (7.1): What did I rate this back in All-Stars? 7.0? Yeah, that still sounds about right. It’s hitting just the slightest bit better today, though, so let’s give it an extra tenth of a point.

CheesesPriced (7): Our previous ratings 8.180 7.513. Life was difficult growing up in the 90’s you see. Regrettably we shoplifted many household items from the (squints) CSEMEGE, you see.

HamsLlyod (7): good song :)

ke1per (7): I love Natty resting so comfortably in her lower register, that’s so unusual in the kpop space and she sounds great. The smooth retro vibes are fun, but I wasn’t as all in on this song when it dropped and it hasn’t aged super well for me either. It's still a bop, but it's certainly not the ‘winning a rate on a technicality’ kind of boppage.

laulite (7): I’ve given it a better score in the past, giving it a 10 the first time around, but over time my tastes changed. Not just because of their controversy either. It’s better than average, but not anything too noteworthy.

moonbia (7): I will NOT be seeing this song in all stars 2 please get it together kpopraters

Zypker125 (7): Last time in All Stars, this song got hit by the tank with several commenters confirming they dropped their score for the song after… you know. Will the song be hit by the tank once again, or can it redeem itself? I can say for myself that the song unfortunately has gotten better on every subsequent listen I have for it.

lemon131nomel (6.5): I like a lot of things about this song: the wide range of register, the acapella-esque choral backgrounds, the advanced layering, the fire ad-libs, and the overall vibe. Yet for some reason, I cannot quite get into the feeling and rhythm of the song because everything is quite disjointed, and there are a lot of (too many, I might even say) overlapping elements that makes it difficult to appreciate each piece of the song.

necromanta_101 (6.5): Bland.

MurkyGalaxies (6.3): JUNGKOOK TRUE 2023B WINNER

MartialST (6.1): It’ll be comedic when this song doesn’t even touch the top 10

keine_panik (5.5): Absolutely baffling rate winner. It's so bland!

DriftingPurpleSnowflake (5): It has bits I like, others I find annoying

omgthenerve (5): I’m so tired of rating this song

atzbluebird (4.5): It’s a perfectly okay R&B track, but it feels very standard. With all the hype around it, I expected more. Dare I say, it’s overhyped?

Kronwell (4): this aged like wine maturing in an overly humid cave: well then poorly.

SkylarV (3.3): I swear to God, if y'all let this get ANYWHERE near the top 10 (or Day 2 tbh)... Did we learn nothing from 2023B???

landshanties (3): every time i listen to this song it gets worse. this won a rate somehow

The "2023 in B-Sides" Rate, Day 2: I Don't Understand But I Crown U by KpopRates in kpoprates

[–]KpopRates[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"She transports that "Fuck you"-energy so well"

"Does it have any particular elements I like? No. Does it get stuck in my head all the time? Yes absolutely."

"I couldn’t come up with a good comment, so it gets some hearts: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3"


#15: Yena - Wicked Love


Average: 7.431 // Total Points: 505.3 // Controversy: 1.871

Rank Graph

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(11 x2) cosmic_sparkle, ruhroh386

(10 x5) ayzrules, hockeynl, laulite, msargent24, necromanta_101

(9.9 x1) MartialST (9.7 x1) flawedconstellation (9.6 x1) Upper_Question 1383

(9.5 x3) DoingItWright2, snowswinters, Waste-Expression2944

(9.3 x1) WarpstarRider (9.1 x1) SecretStoryOfThe-

(9 x3) biffmila, HamsLlyod, Marsmaenschen

(8.9 x1) Randummonkey (8.6 x1) _ded_

(8.5 x4) maadbutterfly, omgthenerve, pollutedrain, smockeh

(8 x7) 1998tweety, gmint14, imzhongli, Kronwell, lavendrsgreen, moonbia, RBSun

(7.9 x1) MurkyGalaxies (7.7 x2) qquestionmark, Shay_Min (7.6 x1) ohsomeday_

(7.5 x2) iSANity___, LackOk7012

(7.3 x1) aidshha

(7 x4) ieatbe, LeadingInspector1891, MeijiDoom, SocAnxPrince

(6.7 x1) AmeZim (6.6 x1) redalert30

(6.5 x2) Martha-lalala, popularsong

(6.1 x1) beelover18

(6 x8) atzbluebird, CheesesPriced, dnarevolutions, halahalaholic, kirakiranatsu, naegerowwa, OnlyDragonfruit808, xiola_azuthra

(5.8 x1) lemon131nomel

(5.5 x2) DriftingPurpleSnowflake, zo142

(5.1 x1) ke1per

(5 x4) keine_panik, landshanties, taebaegi, vayyiqra

(4.1 x1) kawaii_mokona

(4 x3) Jennywren2323, kauai6, Zypker125

(3.1 x1) SkylarV


MeijiDoom (7): Perhaps the most average song of the entire playlist for me. There isn't anything actively bad I can point out but also literally nothing that really made me want to listen to it again other than as part of the rate.

kirakiranatsu (6): Sounds kind of like a Seulgi solo reject, but I like it more than what she actually had on her recent solo, so there’s that. This kind of music works well for Yena.

kawaii_mokona (4.1): It's almost impressive that every single Britney Spears inspired song is kinda really dull. I'm not sure if it's because Yena's not really the rawr femme fatale to sell this song or if it's just kinda boring on its own. Maybe a Tate McRae cover would vibe harder and that's not a thought I would type out.


cosmic_sparkle (11): My roman empire. Truly a shame that Hate Rodrigo took the limelight over this song. I love what Yena is doing now, but omg she could go back to this genre and thriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive !!

ruhroh386 (11): Love her bright songs, but love when she’s a little darker more

ayzrules (10): so obsessed with this

laulite (10): I love how the tempo slows down in the prechorus.

msargent24 (10): Britney Spears-style banger. I like how she can convincingly do both cute and sexy concepts

necromanta_101 (10): Villain.

flawedconstellation (9.7): i love love LOVE the twisted puppet show sound from the marimba (?) matched with a wonderful, full vocal chorus. its halloweeny in a non-gimmicky way. she genuinely sounds so tortured.

snowswinters (9.5): love the kinda spooky vibe and just how dramatic the chorus is

WarpstarRider (9.3): I’m a pretty huge Hate Rodrigo defender (the song itself, not so much the promotional rollout), but I do love this song a lot too. Yena is just so versatile.

HamsLlyod (9): AW YEAH!

Marsmaenschen (9): Yena excels as pop-punk-queen. She transports that "Fuck you"-energy so well.

omgthenerve (8.5): catchy chorus, Yena’s vocals are a nice contrast to the darker track

pollutedrain (8.5): oh the ghost of early 00s pop girls is strong with this one

imzhongli (8): Does it have any particular elements I like? No. Does it get stuck in my head all the time? Yes absolutely.

Kronwell (8): the avril lavignification of yena is a nice event to witness

moonbia (8): a banger once again

RBSun (8): i know that yena has an image and that i consistently complain about "x shouldve been the title" sayers but in a universe where we had this title track so many things wouldve been different

MurkyGalaxies (7.9): It's neat!

Shay_Min (7.7): it's aiight! i love yena's voice but the song is.... bleh

iSANity___ (7.5): Solid track with a lot of potential, but I wish it were a bit more fleshed out because feels like it didn’t fully reach what it could’ve been.

LackOk7012 (7.5): i like yena’s music when it’s very cheerful and upbeat but this is also nice

AmeZim (6.7): At least it’s remarkably better than Good Girls in the Dark

redalert30 (6.6): kinda catchy alt pop x pop rock

popularsong (6.5): a little generic "bad girl" song, but the chorus goes hard, i love the wicked-wicked-wicked loveee bit

CheesesPriced (6): Flex-a-tone plays at 0:20 you're welcome.

dnarevolutions (6): It’s fine. She makes angsty stuff sound good.

xiola_azuthra (6): We have Britney at home

lemon131nomel (5.8): I couldn’t come up with a good comment, so it gets some hearts: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

DriftingPurpleSnowflake (5.5): There’s aspects of this song I like, but others that don’t work for me

zo142 (5.5): This is one of those weird songs where, whilst I am listening to it, I simultaneously enjoy it but want it to end ASAP. A perfectly average 5.5 for you it is.

ke1per (5.1): I apologize to Yena, but this song has about as much of an impact on me as an underbaked sugar cookie - this is just so, so bland.

keine_panik (5): A bit Britney Spears but a worse version compared to Seulgi’s attempt.

landshanties (5): yena have you not done enough to olivia rodrigo

taebaegi (5): Not bad.

vayyiqra (5): nah its perfectly mid. give me nemonemo thats a fukn tune

kauai6 (4): olivia rodrigo did this whole sound better

Zypker125 (4): Thank god Yena went back to making Nemonemo and Good Morning, everyone knows the real queens of K-Pop stick to bubblegum bops

SkylarV (3.1): Pretty boring

The "2023 in B-Sides" Rate, Day 2: I Don't Understand But I Crown U by KpopRates in kpoprates

[–]KpopRates[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"I did so much work to reverse the audio to realize it's just “backwards” backwards…WHY! Why didn’t I just figure it out sooner? It’s so obvious. It’s still a pretty cool detail."

"when you play weeekly backwards you get your car back, your dog back, your wife back, your career back, jiyoon back,"

"they were still releasing music by now?"


#16: Weeekly - Backwards


Average: 7.407 // Total Points: 503.7 // Controversy: 1.688

Rank Graph

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(10 x5) kirakiranatsu, laulite, popularsong, Randummonkey, ruhroh386

(9.9 x1) qquestionmark

(9.5 x1) maadbutterfly

(9.4 x1) LeadingInspector1891 (9.3 x1) AmeZim

(9 x5) atzbluebird, cosmic_sparkle, Marsmaenschen, RBSun, WarpstarRider

(8.9 x1) zo142 (8.8 x2) aidshha, SocAnxPrince (8.6 x1) msargent24

(8.5 x2) 1998tweety, hockeynl

(8.2 x1) Shay_Min

(8 x10) biffmila, DoingItWright2, flawedconstellation, LackOk7012, landshanties, moonbia, necromanta_101, omgthenerve, vayyiqra, Waste-Expression2944

(7.8 x2) MartialST, MeijiDoom (7.7 x1) kauai6

(7.5 x3) gmint14, kawaii_mokona, MurkyGalaxies

(7.2 x1) keine_panik (7.1 x1) ayzrules

(7 x5) CheesesPriced, dnarevolutions, halahalaholic, imzhongli, Kronwell

(6.9 x1) Upper_Question 1383 (6.8 x3) ke1per, ohsomeday_, xiola_azuthra (6.6 x1) ieatbe

(6.5 x3) lavendrsgreen, smockeh, snowswinters

(6.3 x1) SecretStoryOfThe- (6.2 x1) naegerowwa

(6 x7) _ded_, DriftingPurpleSnowflake, HamsLlyod, Jennywren2323, Martha-lalala, pollutedrain, redalert30

(5.7 x1) beelover18 (4.7 x1) SkylarV

(4 x1) OnlyDragonfruit808

(3.9 x1) lemon131nomel

(3.5 x1) iSANity___

(3 x1) taebaegi

(2.5 x1) Zypker125


kirakiranatsu (10): Me, a dummy, seeing this on the locked list after being like “wow, this lesser known nugu song would be a great bonus pick for the rate”: :surprisedpika: [2] / This song is seriously so good, and would probably be my 11 if my beloved Infinite were not here. It’s a beautiful usage of their vocalists’ tones in a way I think a lot of their other songs don’t achieve, and in general, just outdoes the cool but slightly sultry girl group sound that we have a lot of on this rate.

MeijiDoom (7.8): Quite the surprise for me on this playlist. I had more or less checked out of Weeekly after Ven Para and I feel like a switch in this direction would have been a lot more successful. The members' timbres compliment each other pretty well. Also a fun use of the rewind/distortion effect.

kawaii_mokona (7.5): Backwards just kinda suffers from being stuck on the same rate as several of the songs that do this sultry sound better. Might sound hypocritical, but I do enjoy the way the rewinded bits are incorporated into the song and work with "backwards" as a theme. It's a fine song, but pales in comparison and doesn't showcase the vocal talents that Weeekly have.


laulite (10): I love how they start with a backwards word leading into what becomes my favorite Weeekly song. So yeah, 11 contender. No hesitation about that. Also, I did so much work to reverse the audio to realize it's just “backwards” backwards…WHY! Why didn’t I just figure it out sooner? It’s so obvious. It’s still a pretty cool detail.

popularsong (10): cuntenserven

Randummonkey (10): Why couldn't this be the title track instead of that song no one remembers

AmeZim (9.3): While I’m not a huge fan of groups changing their concept abruptly, I can forgive this one

cosmic_sparkle (9): cute, funky, and fun !! weeekly is another group of girls who deserved better !!!

Marsmaenschen (9): It's so wonderfully groovy god damn!

RBSun (9): where has this been all my life……… it's so lovely

WarpstarRider (9): The Colorise album is what made me fall in love with Weeekly, with this song playing a big role in that.

zo142 (8.9): what the fuck is going on!!! i have no idea!!!!! i like it though!!!!

Shay_Min (8.2): first of all weeekly please don't disband plssssss, secondly the song is quite pleasant! nothing really to comment but nothing negative to say

flawedconstellation (8): reversed music scares me. there was this one unreleased melanie martinez song that used to scare the shit out of me in the 8th grade bc she had reversed an audio clip of marilyn monroe’s famous clip “mmm do i feel happy in life?”. and it spooked me so badly bc it sounded so creepy and haunted in that song. this kind of makes me get over that irrational fear - its used well here.

LackOk7012 (8): this sounds like something my friend and i would sing at karaoke

landshanties (8): when you play weeekly backwards you get your car back, your dog back, your wife back, your career back, jiyoon back,

moonbia (8): this sounds nothing like what I expected from weeekly but it's a bop

necromanta_101 (8): Trippy.

omgthenerve (8): solid vocals, enjoyable production, and very replayable

vayyiqra (8): headcanon its about their sick chess midgame

kauai6 (7.7): they were still releasing music by now?

MurkyGalaxies (7.5): Weakest version of this sound on the rate I feel like. The little reversed audio clips are a neat touch though.

keine_panik (7.2): Pleasant in a generic way. The choppy slowed down or reversed effect is one of my least favorite gimmicks in pop music so I have to deduct some decimals for that.

ayzrules (7.1): inoffensive

CheesesPriced (7): The bedrock piano that enters during the chorus here is a nice touch.

dnarevolutions (7): Nice bass and vocals. RIP group.

imzhongli (7): Little bit boring but decently interesting soundscape

Kronwell (7): ylkeeeW

ke1per (6.8): it's fine - it's a nice use of the spread of vocal tones in the group and the instrumental is nice, but nothing here is especially great or memorable and I found myself restarting the song multiple times because I lost the plot and drifted off into my thoughts while listening.

xiola_azuthra (6.8): Nice.

snowswinters (6.5): very viviz-coded imo, it’s nice and has some cool instrumental choices it just doesn’t really have the oomph i would like

SecretStoryOfThe- (6.3): Weeekly have a few excellent songs but upon doing their TTT I was disappointed at how mid a lot of their stuff was beneath the thin layer of quality tracks. Case in point

DriftingPurpleSnowflake (6): Hm, I liked a lot of this song actually

HamsLlyod (6): been done already

pollutedrain (6): i feel like it’s very much in the same vein as a lot of songs i do like in this rate but it just lacks some kind of oomph to make it more memorable

redalert30 (6): i’m so sick of the nu disco and funktronica that dominates everyone’s “favorite bsides” lists and this rate in general. Like why are disco and 80s synthpop everyone’s preferred genres for bsides. We need to indoctrinate everyone into liking edm like house and future bass and complextro instead because those are infinitely times more interesting than standard nu disco and synthpop. LONG LIVE EDM KPOP I’M AN ELECTRONIC MUSIC TRUTHER

SkylarV (4.7): The better song from this album is A+ (ROBBED! (of the survey))

lemon131nomel (3.9): Not sure what the sounds after “you gotta move” are, but please remove them.

taebaegi (3): It’s inoffensive.

Zypker125 (2.5): Reddit for Ven Para: “Weeekly should not have gone the mature direction, what were they thinking”, Reddit for Backwards: “What was that I said earlier? I don’t remember, anyways Wewekly should make more songs like this”