Retro Rewind: Believe – U-Kiss

With the burgeoning growth of K-pop in its current state, many newer fans are unaware of many of the genres past classics. That’s why I will be taking a look back at some of K-pop’s most exciting and iconic tracks that were released before the conception of this blog to shed some light on this now bygone time.

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Year Released: 2012

As K-pop began to really take off during the late 2000’s and early 2010’s, the industry saw the rise of multiple smaller groups and companies that would soon go on to see some massive success. The likes of Infinite, Beast, B.A.P, T-ARA and many others all rose up from the absolute pits of nugudom to create solid fanbases and in turn, pretty good domestic success. However, there were also many groups who initially fell into the same boat before completely falling off. One of those groups were U-Kiss, who despite their initial success, failed to really ever grab the general publics attention over their many further comebacks and member shifts. But don’t let their lack of commercial success deter you, as their discography is home to some real gems.

One of those is the euphoric club ready Eurodance of Believe. It might not be my absolute favourite or most iconic of their singles but it’s definitely one of their most instant tunes, pulsing forward on a strong electronic backbone that’s a perfect recreation of the desired sound and timeframe. And while this might give it a more dated soundscape, It’s a sound that I personally find invigorating. The unflagging sense of momentum, the rapid fire vocal and rap delivery and the rousing melodic refrain at the centre of the track are all musical touches that I adore and were a staple during 2012’s fantastic slate of Korean releases. The boys also sound great, firmly tackling the instrumental with equal vigour and not being overtaken by the gargantuan instrumental loop. They work hand in hand to give us a song that works equally as great as a mindless club banger aswell as an enjoyable melodic experience.

However, there’s no denying that Believe is a product of its time. Despite its enjoyable soundscape, the song sounds a little too generic and streamlined in 2021’s musical soundscape. Now this isn’t necessarily a bad thing but Believe skirts too close to being just another soundalike club banger. It hasn’t aged the best and more instrumental and textural variation would have really made this track feel more unique and exciting almost a decade on from its release. But sometimes all you need is a great headbanger and few are as potent as this club classic. Combine this with the groups own Neverland and you’ve got a great one two punch party pleaser.

Verses: 9

Chorus: 9

Production: 8

Performance: 8

Final Rating: 8.5 / 10