Being the sophisticated and worldly K-pop stan that I am, I always make it a point to check out releases from the nugus as they are the ones that actually deliver the goods. Sure, the top Hallyu acts are still waaayyy better than whatever crap there is from the West today, but you’d be pleasantly surprised to find an arsenal of bops from groups with such sketchy names.

Hence, this new bingsoo mix will be a total nugu takeover. You are so, so, so, so welcome!

Black6ix | Like A Flower – With a name that might be intentionally phrased to be similar with you-know-who because mediaplay is life, Black6ix is actually a group that is worth being in your area. Their newest track, “Like a Flower”, is some amazing EDM ditty which is far more inventive than anything that you-know-who has put out. Watch out for the breakdown in the chorus as it will definitely take you by surprise. It’s so good that it is one of this blog’s top tracks for this year.

Elris | Pow-Pow – When you are a nugu group under the supervision of the incredible MonoTree, expect to head towards a path of being a cult classic (see Stellar, Ladies’ Code). By the looks of it, rookie girl group Elris is about to follow suit. “Pow Pow”, the group’s newest track, contains an amalgamtion of musical influences ranging from bubbly pop rock to sleek acid jazz that can only be weaved seamlessly by MonoTree. It is the perfect mix for the song as it is literally about a girl whose feelings are about to explode like a volcano (pow pow!!)

MVP | Take It – The tale of LC9 and their disappearance from the face of the earth despite a strong debut will always be one for books so a nugu paying homage to their legacy is some meta shit not worth missing. “Take It” is basically Mama Beat and for a group to bring back this gritty 2012 K-Pop sound is a breath of fresh air from the industry that is currently flooded with lazy trop-house.

IZ | All You Want – I’m quite surprised and pleased with how boy groups are delivering these days with such variety as that is usually a girl group thing. Unfortunately, rookie girl groups end up being G-Friend/Red Velvet/Twice replicas nowadays. IZ, on the other hand, is a standout from the other boy groups as they tip their hat off to the likes of CNBlue and FT Island. And heck, we need more of that in K-Pop. “All You Want” is a bright pop rock number with an unusual twist by the time the chorus drops. I just hope a girl group comes out with a similar concept and not wimp out (lookin’ at you, AoA Black!)

Momoland | Orgel – Okay, first things first, you may have heard of Momoland because:

a.) they came from an off-brand Produce 101 that nobody cared about,
b.) a Wannaone member was featured in their MV, or
c.) Jooe slayed your timelines with her relentless energy as she dances like her life depended on it to a cheap EDM remix of a song that you may not heard of because you didn’t know that Momoland existed to begin with.

Most of y’all would answer letter C like me, but it’s something you wouldn’t regret as they’re worth checking out. Freeze, their latest comeback track, is a bizarre cutesy K-pop jam but that concept is as rehashed as the AoA x Brave Sound collab by now. I’m more obsessed with their b-side “Orgel” which features a Sweetune-y chorus and a catchy musicbox sample. It’s no SHINee Orgel but it’s still worth checking out.

Victon | Unbelievable – Another consistently good nugu group that goes barely gets noticed is Victon. All of their tracks so far have been excellent and this newest one proves that they are getting better. “Unbelievable” is as sunny as “I’m Fine” and as lush as “Eyez Eyez”. It’s trendy, but still a Victon track to the core. There’s not much to say about it, I just hope they make it big or even a slow and steady rise.

Good Day | Party After Party – This is another group that latched on WannaOne as soon as they can, particularly on the nation’s small-faced brother Bae Jinyoung. Rolly, their debut track is okay as it reminds me of early Ladies’ Code but it’s their album closer “Party After Party” that caught the attention of my sophisticated ears. This track can give LDN Noise a run for their money!

Snuper | Platonic Love (Remix) – Snuper is definitely one of my favorite nugus without a doubt. They’re the only peddler of the classic Sweetune sound in this era of trop-house K-Pop so this group needs the support they can get. This song is actually just a remix of the already majestic Platonic Love from last year but you can rely on Sweetune to slay even a bonus remix. This version is dominated by a space-y layer of synths which may sound a little subdued to its original but it still definitely stands on its own. Ugghhh, Snuper is so amazing!!!

BONUS! I’ve also been obsessing with these tracks from mid-tier groups so I just went on and added them here:

WJSN | Babyface – WJSN is a steadily rising group but there’s no denying that these 13 girlies still have their feet dipped in nugudom. Happy was a guilty pleasure of mine, despite being soooo unoriginal and a letdown from Secret and I Wish, and thankfully they make up for it with amazing b-sides. One of them is the retro-tinged Babyface, a track which sees WJSN boasting about how charming they are because they have baby faces. Mhhm, for a group with a lot of ahjumma-looking girlies, this is quite the song to sing to lmao! But I digress, this is awesome is and should be declared as the nation’s fountain of youth.

Astro | Dreams Come True – Astro is also on the rise and perhaps their next comeback might fully propel them to greater heights but for the sake of this post, let’s assume they’re nugus. Well this is because I would just like to highlight “Dreams Come True which is basically the male version of G-Friend’s superb “Hear the Wind Sing”. That’s it, I just want y’all to notice Astro as I’m currently obsessed with them now, which is ironic because I already saw them perform live before I actually paid attention.

See, the flops deliver the bops! Here’s a Spotify playlist so you can help these groups gain some steam.

Any other nugus that you might suggest I check out? Leave a comment below and I’d deeply appreciate it. Let’s give these new groups a chance! ❤