[#37] Infinite - "24 Hours"

From: "24 Hours"
Previous Best of Entries: 2010: [#37] "She's Back" / 2011: [#4] "Nothing's Over", 11 Albums You Had To Hear In 2011 / 2012: [#1] "The Chaser" / 2013: [#42] "Inception"
Other notable song(s) from 2015: "Just Another Lonely Night"

When I heard that Infinite worked with Matsuo Kiyoshi for a new Japanese, I was over the moon. Matsuo Kiyoshi worked on some the most iconic Tohoshinki singles like "Somebody To Love" (which is a concert staple), "Begin" (a gorgeous, gorgeous ballad), and "Heart, Mind, and Soul" (an amazing showcase of DBSK's vocal strengths).

And he did not disappoint with "24 Hours". As far as the song itself goes, "24 Hours" sees Infinite finally grasping the signature Jpop sound—something many K-Pop groups in Japan have a hard time achieving. The razor-sharp production quality, the arrangement that's heavy in musicality/technique but only uses the bare necessities in the instrumentation, and the strong pop melody that is neither extremely easy to sing along to nor repetitive or non-existent. You find that all in "24 Hours".

So "24 Hours" is a song I would listen to, but honestly not a song I'd associate with Infinite. A composition as solid, musical, and sure of it's identity as this would have ranked much higher—if it wasn't for the fact that this isn't the Infinite we know. But despite that, it's a great song to have in their repertoire and honestly, I'm a firm believer that if you're going to make a foray into the J-Pop market, you better do it right. And Infinite got it right this time.