Review: Teenage K-Poppers 15& Find Chart Success And A Wide Groove On 'I Can't Hide It' [AUDIO]

Look out Akdong Musician! Fellow "K-Pop Star" winners, 15& are gunning for you.

The group, also a K-pop duo, knocked Akdong out of the number one spot on eight Korean music charts, Olleh, Genie, Mnet, Bugs, Soribada, Naver Music, Daum Music and Monkey3, with their single "I Can't Hide It," when it was released earlier this month.

And this is one rare instance where a group lives up to the hype.

Comprised of two sixteen-year-old girls, Park Jimin and Baek Yerin, 15& has the sound of singers twice their age, with a tasteful restraint and emotional directness that it takes most artists years longer to acquire.

And though the singing is sweet and dreamy on "I Can't Hide It," the thing that really sets the song apart is the production, which is spot on.

The spaced out keyboards drift and lavish string arrangements swirl beneath the vocals, yet are kept perfectly at bay, by some downright excellent mixing.

In the hands of a less skilled producer the many layers of instruments of this song could have gotten out of hand, but they are handled gracefully here and to maximum effect.

The highlight of the song though has to be the bass drum and snare sound, it's big and warm and the perfect springboard for this song.

None of it would matter of course, if the singing wasn't delivered with a simple grace that is quite striking.

Though Akdong Musician is clearly the crowd favorite and the band of the moment, there is something about 15&.

For this reviewer's money, they show as much promise as any group on the K-pop charts right now.

And they're only 16.

Listen to the new single by the teen K-pop duo "I Can't Hide It" RIGHT HERE

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15&
I Can't Hide It
I Can't Hide It
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