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.

I know some of you have been wondering where my ENHYPEN buried treasure is – or if there would even be one. It’s been a busy couple of weeks for K-pop releases and ENHYPEN’s album initially fell through the cracks for me. But I can now say that, not only do I enjoy these songs a lot, but title track Future Perfect has managed to grown on me immensely. I’m as shocked as anyone!

ENHYPEN and mid-00’s emo rock meld particularly well. In fact, of all the genres HYBE puts their name to, their rock songs are often the strongest. Shout Out makes a nice sonic sequel to last year’s standout Attention, Please. The guys could record an entire album with this concept and sell the hell out of it. I wonder why we haven’t yet had a title track in this vein? (And no, Blessed-Cursed doesn’t quite count).

Anyway, Shout Out does exactly what its title promises. From its opening battle cry, the song delivers intensity and emotion. The instrumental is crunchy and stadium-ready, delivering big percussion and exciting guitar. We’re already chanting by the time we reach the pre-chorus, and this anthemic turn segues well into the boisterous hook. As the album’s longest track, Shout Out leaves plenty of room for build and payoff. Its climax ratchets the intensity up one step further with a bombastic sound that reminds me of early 5 Seconds Of Summer. HYBE artists don’t seem to be filming follow-up music videos as often as they used to, but I’d love to see this song promoted.