Buried Treasure: Rocky (Astro) – Proxy

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. Sometimes it amazes me which song an agency chooses to promote from an album. I can only guess that the decision is often made based on a concept or trend than the actual song quality. Why else would Rocky be promoting the inert Fake It when he’s got the dynamic Proxy sitting right at the end of his album? I’m sure Rocky wants to show a more “mature” performance style, but maturity in K-pop is vastly overrated. It can often be equated to “boring” or “inoffensive.” And really, Proxy showcases a maturity of performance that leverages Rocky’s talents perfectly. This thumping house track kicks up the energy tenfold, perched over an elastic electro groove with real presence. I’m even more in love with the descending keys during the pre-chorus (they remind me of the Glow Of Love sample in Janet Jackson’s All For You). Proxy‘s chorus is simple and short, but effective. Really, it’s the variety of synth textu...