Hello, k-dreamers! I’ve been a fan of BTOB for a long time and I’m so excited to see them still making great music. Let’s take a look at their new release “Outsider”.
Slap me with your synths, BTOB!
The first thing you hear in this song is a dense synth. It has the texture of a brass instrument while not trying very hard to sound like one. And it manages to stay throughout most of the song. Honestly, if the instrumental had looped the opening riff over and over, I would have gotten tired of the synth. Instead, BTOB uses that synth in various ways throughout “Outsider”.
We hear variations in the synth’s melody even within the first verse. Then it plays longer notes during the chorus and its presence moves more to the back to make room for either Eunkwang’s or Changsub’s impactful voices. The melody of the synth changes just for Minhyuk’s rap verse. It momentarily goes away during the bridge and only peeks through halfway through the dance break. Finally, it appears just in time to take us to the final chorus.
This song targeted all of my weaknesses.
Some of my favourite sounds to hear are in this song. I love the timbre of brass instruments (even though this song doesn’t have a real brass instrument). That’s also the reason why I really like songs from 2015 and 2016. Not to mention the bass line during the dance break. This song really hits the spot!
Specific to BTOB, I always to love to hear Minhyuk’s rapid-fire rapping. Another one of my favourite parts was Peniel’s section in “Outsider”. And of course, who could forget the powerful chorus sung by Eunkwang and Changsub? Can’t talk about BTOB without mentioning their stellar vocalists. Not gonna lie though, I really miss the rest of the vocal line. I hope they can be reunited soon.
Honourable Mentions: fromis_9 – Talk & Talk, Lee Hi – Only (Lee Hi’s new song made tear up, not gonna lie. And congrats to fromis_9 on their first win!)
If you like this song, check out: LUCENTE – Your Difference (2018), CLC – ME (2019), BoA – Better (2020)
What’s great about BTOB is that they can release bops like “Outsider” or sentimental ballads and still sound fantastic. Do any Melodies out there have a preference? Let me know in the comments!