14 hours ago
5
Sometimes, it’s fun to take a trip back in time and immerse yourself in a specific K-pop year. Similar to my Battle of the B-sides, this feature sees me shuffling a huge playlist of songs from a certain era, picking out six at random and sharing my thoughts about each. All songs are eligible: Title tracks, b-sides, Japanese tracks from K-pop acts. The only criteria is that they must have been released in their target year.
Today, we’re travelling back to 2015.
Here are the six competitors:
BoA – Hello
Boys Republic – Hello
Girls’ Generation (SNSD) – Bump It
Halo – Sleepless
HIGH4 – D.O.A (Dead Or Alive)
SHINee – Love Sick
Who will rank first??
6. BoA – Hello
2015 was a very strong year for most returning acts, but I wasn’t as sold on BoA’s big comeback album. She co-wrote everything herself, which was a great artistic leap. Overall, the album is very solid but doesn’t represent the best of her sprawling discography in my opinion. Hello is a gentle mid-tempo that leads us into the finale of the track list. It’s a very pretty piece of music and she sounds great on it, but this kind of track is much more about sentiment than thrilling songcraft. Oh well, every album needs a lighters-in-the-air moment like this, I guess.
Rating: 7.5
5. Girls’ Generation (SNSD) – Bump It
2015 was a big year for SNSD, bringing the group back together for a very successful album. I remember Party (and to a lesser extent, Lion Heart) being a bit divisive when they came out, but both songs sound so fun today. The album was host to a number of strong b-sides, including Bump It. The track is a bit generic in places and could do with a much stronger hook, but the girls sell it and the thumping beat injects plenty of attitude. It’s one of my least-listened-to songs on the album, so I kind of wish a different one had popped up on my shuffle button to give them a better chance in this ranking!
Rating: 8
4. SHINee – Love Sick
Love Sick is a b-side from SHINee’s Odd/Married To The Music album. I remember not being thrilled with the album on first listen, which seems incredibly crazy with hindsight. However, we have to remember that this was the follow-up to the incredible Misconceptions series and their equally fantastic Everybody EP of 2013, so my expectations were ridiculously high. With 2025 ears, this song is an absolute delight. It’s a bit more mid-tempo than my favorite SHINee songs tend to be, but the insistent bounce and incredible vocal production steal the show. The bridge injects an extra rhythmic push that reappears as a standout finale. As with most everything this group has released, Love Sick has completely stood the test of time.
Rating: 8.5
3. Halo – Sleepless
Halo had a handful of great hits, even if the group never made it big. They were early on the new jack swing revival, harnessing potent grooves that buttressed sugary pop melodies. Their bright, assured vocals are the perfect vessel for this style of music, effortlessly grooving over the light funk. Sleepless was not a single, but it’s definitely strong enough to be one. The chorus sounds like vintage Teen Top but the song’s most foundational influences come from decades earlier. It’s nice to hear a song whose concept is simply good energy and great melodies.
Rating: 8.5
2. HIGH4 – D.O.A (Dead Or Alive)
HIGH4 were most known for a spring-time hit, but this killer fall single stands as their crowning achievement. From its sharp synth accents to the icy vocals to the startling melodic builds, the song pulses with such character. It’s at once pensive, mysterious and ferocious. Rather than funnel all of its bombast into expected choruses, the production spreads its mini climaxes in unexpected places. This causes the track to feel both unpredictable and continually absorbing. It all builds to a whopper of a finale, bringing everything together as the beat intensifies.
Rating: 9
1. Boys Republic – Hello
Boys Republic really have an unimpeachable discography. They didn’t need to release as many classics as they did, but I’m very glad they kept their quality level high. The summer of 2015 was a stellar one for breezy mid-tempos. K-pop acts don’t often promote ballad-like comebacks, but a song like Hello showcases just how effective the approach can be. I’ve spent much of 2025 ragging on what I call “beigepop,” and from a purely objective level I guess you could classify Hello‘s overall sound as “beige.” EXCEPT… and this is a big “except”… its melodies are incredibly potent. There’s no silly sing-talk, no flat repetition. The tune just climbs and swirls and crystallizes into some of the most beautiful turns of its year. I loved this single back then and continue to adore it today.
English (US) · 