Though a song from 2012 is a bit recent for a K-pop throwback, "Day By Day" by six member South Korean girl group T-ara falls strongly in the "in case you missed it the first time" category.

More relevantly, the song far surpasses anything the band has released in the months since.

And as "No. 9," T-ara's most recent offering, debuts this week at number six on the Billboard K-Pop Hot 100, it is worth remembering the group's career high point that was "Day By Day."

T-ara's strongest musical moments have always been their rapping and this is truer than ever on "Day By Day.

Every blast of rhyming on the song is a burst of energy that is difficult to ignore.

But the melodic vocal moments, particularly in the hooky chorus are well executed and for the most part executed nicely without much showboating.

There are a couple of power ballad moments (particularly the over-the-top bridge), but overall "Day By Day" is the kind of track that could start a dance party out of mid air.

The beat is heavier than anything typically heard on a pop track and the chord progressions are surprisingly inventive.

It is a winning choice to include a healthy dose of live instrumentation on the track as the producer did here.

There is also a more indigenous Korean folk sound as well on the track, as well as, at the risk of being accused of cultural reductionism, seemingly a nod to classic Japanese film scores.

If Britney Spears and Lily Allen wrote the soundtrack to a Akira Kurosawa film, it would probably sound a bit like "Day By Day."

And while many cinephiles might find that idea blasphemous, it might make for some very interesting grooves.

And considering the ambitious 15-minute music video for "Day By Day," with its large-scale production values and dark imagery that would make Michael Jackson proud, T-ara might consider doing some soundtrack work of their own, or making a movie.

Listen to the 2012 track "Day By Day" by T-ara RIGHT HERE

Experience the dystopian future of the 15-minute long music video clip for "Day By Day" RIGHT HERE