- 1 year ago
Dive into the electrifying soundtrack of “Kpop Demon Hunters” as we rank each original song from great to greatest! Experience the fierce energy of “Takedown,” the dreamy duet “Free,” and the bubblegum bop “Soda Pop.” From the infectious pulse of “How It’s Done” to the anthemic power of “Golden,” we explore every track’s unique vibe and emotional depth. Which song truly captures the spirit of this unforgettable Kpop-infused film?
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00:00Your new single is on fire. Everyone's listening to it.
00:04Yay!
00:05So let's go promo!
00:07Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:09Huntrix and Saja Boys may be battling it out for hearts and minds,
00:12but for fans of K-pop demon hunters, there are no losers.
00:16This movie's soundtrack is a zero-skips masterpiece,
00:19and today we're counting down its songs from great to greatest.
00:23A mild spoiler warning is in effect.
00:25K-pop demon hunters' fiercely talented trio, Huntrix,
00:46never met a chart they couldn't top or a demon they couldn't vanquish.
00:50So when they have to combine their musical prowess with their martial might
00:54to defeat the diabolical boy group Saja Boys, their first instinct is to slay in every possible sense.
01:00So sweet, so easy on the eyes, but hideous on the inside.
01:03Whole light spreading lies, but you can't hide, baby, nice track.
01:07Takedown is more than just a savage diss track.
01:10It's a fiery vow of retribution, and it never fails to get us amped up.
01:14Bookended by galloping beats, the meat of the song has the propulsive quality of a predator chasing down its prey.
01:20But then in comes a stirring bridge, adding a taste of emotional depth to this hard-charging banger.
01:33Given that it reflects Rumi's own internal conflict, it's a shame it's not included in the film version of the song.
01:38But it appears in full on the soundtrack, both by Huntrix and covered by real-life K-pop superstars,
01:45Junghyun, Jihyo, and Chaeyoung of Twice.
01:49Must get up and take ya down.
01:56Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!
01:59Number 6, Free.
02:01Here with you, I can finally breathe.
02:03You say you're no good, but you're good for me.
02:06I've been hoping to change, now I know we can change, but I won't if you're not by my side.
02:14For Hallyu fans, one of the fun aspects of KDH is seeing some tried-and-true K-drama tropes turned on their heads
02:21to add even more antagonism to the natural divide between Hunter Rumi and Demon Jinu.
02:26But the two are uniquely bonded almost from the start,
02:29and we all knew it was just a matter of time before these two enemies became something more.
02:44After gradually making little cracks in each other's armor,
02:50Free is the moment when the walls between Rumi and Jinu start to crumble.
02:54They finally give voice to the confusing emotions they've been fighting against,
02:58and imagine a future where they can move beyond their shames and secrets.
03:08The ethereal vocals, combined with the emotional weight of the lyrics,
03:12gives us a dreamy duet that goes beyond romance.
03:15Free shows us these two characters finding a hopeful connection
03:18that gets us as deep in the feels as any K-drama ever has.
03:29Number 5. Soda Pop
03:42If there's one thing in KDH that's 100% believable,
03:48it's that a group could rise from obscurity to instant fame with a debut like Soda Pop.
03:53Inspired by real-world mega-hits like BTS' Butter,
03:56Saja Boys introduced themselves to the world with a summery bubblegum bop,
04:01engineered to earworm its way right to your brainstem and get those shoulders going.
04:05That opening whistle draws you in,
04:17the hooky patter of the verse has your head nodding,
04:20then those smooth ooh-ahs of the pre-chorus get you anticipating the moment
04:23it all releases in the joyful catharsis of the chorus proper.
04:27It's a very effective snare, isn't it?
04:29The real genius of Soda Pop is that it kind of tells you up front
04:32exactly what Saja Boys are really after.
04:43Yep, we were warned, but we're having too much fun to notice.
04:46Like a real soda on a hot day,
04:48this song goes down sweet and cool and leaves us thirsty for more.
04:52You're my Soda Pop
04:53My little Soda Pop
04:55You're my Soda Pop
05:01Gotta drink every drop
05:03Number 4, How It's Done
05:05You wanna get wild?
05:07Okay, I'll show you wild
05:08Better come ride, better not try and get into a level
05:11Cause we're dying every time
05:13Trying to start a butter
05:14Bleeding is into my blood
05:16Beating you is what I do, do, do, yeah
05:20Yes, first impressions are important.
05:23And Huntrix had us seated from the opening riff of the film's first song,
05:27How It's Done.
05:28Well, seated and then standing and jamming along.
05:30It's impossible to resist the relentlessly pounding pulse of this beat.
05:43But How It's Done levels up with unexpected touches,
05:46like the panpipe through line on the verses.
05:49Then it knocks us out with the virtuosity displayed in the vocals
05:52and machine gun syncopation of the lyrics.
05:54Melt it to us
05:55Run up, you're done up
05:55We come up from sun up to sun up
05:57So come out to play
05:57Wanted away
05:58We wanted a million
05:59We kill it
05:59But really you want it okay
06:00It's confident, addictive, peak Girl Crush K-pop.
06:05That's no accident.
06:06One of the song's producers is Teddy Park,
06:08the man who made an unbroken string of hits for Girl Crush Icon's Blackpink.
06:12And it's hard to miss his touch here.
06:14It's the effects, you know that's how it's done, done, done.
06:17Okay, like I know I ramble
06:18But when shoot my words, I go ramble
06:20To bust with him, just look natural
06:21It's how it's done, done, done.
06:23By the end of How It's Done,
06:25not only do we understand why Huntrix runs the town,
06:28but we've become full-on stans.
06:30We're locked in
06:31and hyped to follow them through the movie for more high-octane action,
06:34whether it be on or off the stage.
06:37Turn it up, it's going down
06:40Huntrix, show it
06:41It's how it's done, done, done.
06:43No song from the K-pop Demon Hunter soundtrack
06:54has been shining on the real-world charts like Golden.
06:57An anthemic victory lap celebrating the strengths and skills of Huntrix.
07:02This is the song the trio were convinced
07:03would finally seal the Hanmoon barrier between the human and demon realms.
07:07And based on its success, we see their point.
07:09We're going up, up, up, it's our moment
07:13You know together we're going
07:15Gonna be, gonna be, gonna be
07:17The sweeping number is certainly the most vocally impressive on the soundtrack,
07:21with both evocative low notes and truly astonishing high ones.
07:25It feels grand in scope and scale,
07:27representing the moment when the Hunters
07:29finally ascend to a place that's all but completely out of reach.
07:32The really brilliant dimension of the song is that Golden is out of reach.
07:44Not only does Rumi physically struggle to sing it throughout the movie,
07:47but thematically it represents Huntrix's denial more than their success.
07:51Golden is what they all desperately want to be.
07:54Meanwhile, the struggles they sing about overcoming are ones that,
07:57in actuality, they are still grappling with.
08:00We get it though, we all wish we could be only our best, most perfect selves.
08:05Which is part of the reason why Golden has struck such a strong chord with fans.
08:18Number 2. Your Idol
08:20Soda Pop gave away Saja Boyz's true goal in a subtle, flirty way.
08:35By Your Idol, they're ready to say it out loud, and no one is safe.
08:39This number is chilling, make no mistake, but it's also unquestionably seductive.
08:56It's hard to tell if the shivers it induces are from fright or delight.
09:00The spooky siren song gets in our brains every bit as deep as soda pop,
09:04hitting those pleasure centers dedicated to risk-taking behavior.
09:07Behavior like, say, giving a group of attractive strangers your unreserved devotion?
09:12Listen, cause I'm preaching to the choir
09:15Can I get the mic a little higher?
09:19Give me your desire
09:20I can be the star, you're a liar
09:23You're a liar
09:23Your Idol speaks to the dark side of any fandom.
09:27The same beat that has us grooving along
09:29has an ominous undercurrent of impending disaster
09:31that we just can't find it in ourselves to be concerned about.
09:34When Saja Boys sing their promises to take away all our faults and fears,
09:38One Little Soul doesn't seem like such a big trade.
09:41Considering it became the fourth-ever K-pop song to top US Spotify charts,
09:45Your Idol proves that we truly would be cooked if Saja Boys ever manifested for real.
09:50Now we're on the train, yeah, you can't look away
09:53No one is coming to say, no
09:56Now we're running wild
09:58You're down on your knees, I'ma be your idol
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10:17Number 1. What It Sounds Like
10:20The song that brings Huntrix back together and ultimately saves the world
10:33never fails to give us goosebumps.
10:35Golden showed us a gleaming, aspirational facade.
10:38But in What It Sounds Like, the members finally accept themselves,
10:42imperfections and all, and discover that's where their true strength lies.
10:46So we were cowards, so we were liars
10:50So we're not heroes, we're still survivors
10:53The dreamers, the fighters
10:55No lying, I'm tired
10:58But dive in the fire
11:00And I'll be right here by your side
11:03This number marks the only song on the soundtrack that Rumi sings fully in her chest voice.
11:09There's no vocal tricks to hide behind,
11:11no suggestion of some superhuman perfection.
11:14What It Sounds Like drives forward on the force of her heart
11:17and the harmonies of the three Huntrix members together.
11:20Show me what's underneath
11:21How about your harmony
11:23If you listen up to find
11:26This is what it sounds like
11:28As if the song couldn't go any harder,
11:30the climax has the fans joining in as an epic, swelling choral accompaniment,
11:35lending their voices to help the hunters defeat the demon king, Gima.
11:38The implication is that everyone on screen is going through the same journey of self-acceptance,
11:43turning their flawed humanity into the power to save each other.
11:46It's a beautiful, poignant idea that sends us out of the movie feeling as invigorated as the newly reforged Hanmoon.
11:53Just after all this time
11:55Our voices all combine
11:57When darkness meets the light
11:59This is what it sounds like
12:02Which K-pop Demon Hunter song would make your Hanmoon the happiest?
12:07Or is the entire soundtrack golden as far as you're concerned?
12:11Let us know in the comments.
12:12It was truly an honor to share the stage with you.
12:15So hot!
12:16And respectful!
12:18Oh no, the honor is ours.
12:20No, it was ours.
12:21No, it's ours.
12:22Ours.
12:22Ours.
12:23Ours.
12:23Ours.
12:24Ours.
12:24Ours.
12:24Ours.
12:24Ours.
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