Underrated K-Pop: Ranking Every Single by BESTIE

Nick

June 21

Bestie K-pop is littered with acts who – for one reason or another – didn't get the full spotlight they deserved. I've spent plenty of time ranking and reviewed the industry's biggest artists, but these underrated acts should never be forgotten.

This feature will take a look at disbanded groups and rank/rate their entire singles run, placing them in the pantheon of K-pop history.

First up is one of my personal favorites… BESTie!

Career timeline: 2013-2015

Overall sound: Effusive pop music with a focus on melody and vocals. They received many comparisons to Sistar and that feels very apt.

7. Zzang Christmas (ft. Yoo Sae Yoon) (2013)

It feels weird to kick this off with a Christmas song, especially this time of year! But as far as seasonal offerings go, Zzang Christmas is a highlight. It's fun and sprightly and very in keeping with the rest of their discography.

Rating: 8.25

6. Excuse Me (2015)

I doubt BESTie expected this to be their swan song. Excuse Me embraces the popular brass trend of 2015 in the group's own style, delivering a whopper of a hook and attitude to spare.

Rating: 8.75

5. Pitapat (2013)

The group debuted with a splash, heralded by the ultra-catchy "dugundugun" intro of this track. Pitapat has a bounding energy that can barely be contained. I love how the chorus pulls no punches. Not even misplaced autotune can mar its effect.

Rating: 8.75

4. Hot Baby (2014)

I live for this style of summer-themed K-pop. BESTie's indefatigable energy relaxes a bit for Hot Baby but climaxes in a rousing, roller-rink-ready chorus that makes brilliant effect of backing vocals.

Rating: 8.75

3. Love Options (2013)

Just pure Brave Brothers produced goodness. The retro synths are absolutely delicious and the cyclical melodies have that trademark sound we know and love. The chorus is deceptively catchy.

Rating: 8.75

2. I Need You (2014)

This is probably BESTie's most successful bid at a Sistar-style summer classic. The melodies are gorgeous and shimmering and the production bounds with an effusive sense of joy. Then we have a brilliant melodic coda at the end that switches things up in anthemic fashion.

Rating: 9

1. Thank You Very Much (2014)

This is the kind of pop chorus you want to shout from the rafters. The verses set it up nicely, but Thank You Very Much is all about its mammoth centerpiece. Duble Sidekick know how to write a melody, and this one is so fleshed-out and multifaceted that it felt like an instant classic from the very first listen.