Hidden Gems is a series where I share my favorite b-sides every wednesday. In Hidden Gems we discover new b-sides that deserve some extra love and appreciation. You are more than welcome to recommend b-sides for me to check out.
Today we are checking out a hidden gem from a group that recently and sadly disbanded, Hide In The Dark by HOT ISSUE. I was a huge fan of the music HOT ISSUE produced and I have both of their albums on my shelf.
HOT ISSUE was a 7 member girl group under S2 Entertainment consisting of Nahyun, Mayna, Hyeongshin, Dana, Yewon, Yebin and Dain. They made their debut in April 2021 with the mini album Issue Maker, and later disbanded days before their 1st anniversary.
The disbandment came as a shock to most fans and to me. You would think that a co-founder of Cube Entertainment would do a great job managing a girl group at his own company. They didn’t go in detail on the reason for the disbandment, but it’s most likely due to HOT ISSUE not generating enough or any profit. I personally believe they went in with a bigger budget than they could afford and were gambling on an instant-success which went wrong.
Hide In The Dark was released with their debut mini album Issue Maker in April 2021. Hide In The Dark is a masterpiece that effortlessly teleports you into the story. A story about hiding in the dark, about being trapped and comfortable in the dark, and to be too scared to step out of the dark. Everyone will or has been in a dark place during their life; losing loved ones, being totally lost in life or any situation that is difficult. Even though the song is about being trapped in the dark, it’s also about how it’s completely fine to hide in the dark when times get rough and stay away from people until you are ready.
The song sets the dark scene in your head from the start. From the silent heartbeats and how the song slowly creeps up on you. The chorus is fantastic and it’s where the message about how it’s okay to “Hide in the dark”. There are also harmonies on the chorus which embrace the idea that you are not totally alone in the dark. After the first chorus we come to the rap part where the inner conflict is. Are you going to try to escape the dark or are you going to hide in it?
Title Track Worthy?
Hide In The Dark is an amazing song and it would have been incredible to see it as the title track. I think it could definitely have been pulled off as a title track with the right direction and ideas. I didn’t like GRATATA at first and I don’t think most people did either, but that song grew on me so hard and it’s banger. GRATATA is a much safer bet than Hide In The Dark, and I can’t be that too mad for the choice they made.
