Buried Treasure: Sung Hanbin (ZEROBASEONE) – 3AM

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. The K-pop release slate has been so stuffed these past few weeks that I haven’t had time to write any buried treasure posts. Last week delivered many fantastic tracks I could rave about, so I’m trying to pull out some of the standouts. Near the top of that list is the trilogy of up-tempo dance songs that opens Sung Hanbin’s solo debut album. Apart from the title track, the song that stands out most to me is the funky 3AM. Its high-octane electro sound brings me back to the days where acts like VIXX and SHINee ruled the K-pop charts. I love how brisk the instrumental moves, imbuing each moment with as much rhythm as possible. The chorus is a particular frenzy, moving up and down the scale with a nimble excitement. At only 2:25 in length, you might expect 3AM to feel incomplete. However, this is the rare truncated track that manages to fit a complete idea into its runtime. We’ve got a fun bridge, three ...