Buried Treasure: Kai (EXO) – Off And Away

A K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. Sometimes, b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of K-pop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve.

The K-pop industry loves to harness global trends, but too often it takes those trends and drains most of the color from them. Such is the case with Afrobeats, whose rhythms have informed many recent tracks. In the vast majority of cases, K-pop utilizes the genre as more of an affectation than a centerpiece. However, Kai has framed the bulk of his new album around this sound, which allows him to explore more dynamic elements.

A pair of tracks mid-way through the album (Ridin‘ and Off And Away) showcase this untapped potential. The energy peaks and the percussion becomes more diverse. Of these two examples, Off And Away is my favorite. Sure, Kai’s basically just sing-talking through most of the song, which doesn’t appeal to a melody-lover like myself, but the production is immaculate. There’s such a rich blend of rhythmic elements at play, unveiling a full spectrum of tones and textures. I could listen to this instrumental all day on loop. It’s just that good. And even if I’d kill for melodic turns as exciting as this percussion, the song’s repeated “off and away!” hook works well as an escalating call to arms, becoming more insistent as the track bounds on. With all the pre-releases promoting this album, why couldn’t they release this as a single? The song is so good it’s even made me appreciate Adult Swim, which immediately follows it on the track list.

Grade: B+