In the recent years, a lot of groups have drifted to the intrigue of rock and metal. Both boy and girl groups are using rock sounds in their songs, though each group puts their personal spin to it. Some groups, however, do this so perfectly that fans stream the songs more than a handful of times. If you want to know the best K-Pop releases in 2022 that are rock influenced, this list will show you just that: 8 of the best.
1. TXT – ‘Good Boy Gone Bad’
It’s one thing to be a powerhouse boy group, but it’s another to make any sound yours in a unique. TXT are masters of using diverse musical elements in their songs, and their latest title track is no exception. ‘Good Boy Gone Bad’ contains distorted guitar shredding and a shallow conga drum as the base, with their amazing vocals layered over it. Let’s not forget the dark concept they used, which is creativity at its peak.
2. Billlie – ‘RING ma Bell (what a wonderful world)’
Billlie chose the more conventional pop rock route with their latest track, and fans absolutely loved that decision. The consistent guitar shredding and the monotony of it as well stays true to the original creations of pop rock, yet Billlie made it something only they can do. As expected of a power girl group in the making.
3. DREAMCATCHER – ‘VISION’
This is no surprise that the only girl group to have monopolized the sound for themselves are on the list. ‘VISION’ not only has strong lyrics and a deep message behind it, but the continuous shredding that flows throughout the song, mixed with their powerful yet soft vocals made the song an absolute pleasure to the ears.
4. BTS – ‘Run BTS’
One of BTS’s most viral b-sides, and of late, it’s been gaining attention due to the HYBE artists partaking in the dance challenge. The interesting thing about this track is the way it meshes rock and hip-hop together. The base drum sound is hip-hop, but the accompanying grungy guitar picking is the highlight of this track. No wonder fans love this song— it’s difficult not too when the song is catchy and complete in every way.
5. DRIPPIN – ‘ZERO’
‘ZERO’ is undoubtedly one of this boy group’s best releases todate, and they sure have the rock influence to thank for that. Though the underlay of the song is an addictive trap beat, the rough guitar shredding was the wild touch the song needed. One thing is for sure that fans streamed the title track obsessively, and you will, too.
6. (G)I-DLE – ‘TOMBOY’
Similarly to Billlie’s track, this quintet group utilizes a typical pop rock sound in their first comeback of the year with ‘TOMBOY’. Despite the fact that (G)I-DLE hadn’t made music like this previously, the catchy guitar strumming and accompanying vocals was flawless. The cherry on top has got to be a catchy, unforgettable choreography, and they nailed this down to a T.
7. Xdinary Heroes – ‘Test Me’
If any band on this list should portray the standard rock sound in their music, it’s definitely Xdinary Heroes. Their track ‘Test Me’ utilizes the original rock sound while making good use of the members’ vocals to finish the song off nicely. Talk about talented with a square power.
8. ENHYPEN – ‘Blessed-Cursed’
ENHYPEN may have debuted two years ago, but they’ve proven that they can take on any concept comfortably. The guitar strumming in this track gives way to a consistent electronic bass drum beat, and it was even more amazing with their vocals on top of all that. The influence of rock and metal on K-Pop is as refreshing as it is fascinating. With more groups making good use of rock elements in their songs, it’s a given there’ll be more of this to love in the coming years. What songs on this list did you enjoy the most? Let us know in the comments below!
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