1. Newjeans - Hype BoyNewjeans was a big paradigm shift in kpop not only in South Korea, but for me personally as well. Usually girl crush,
synthwave and smooth R&B stylings rule supreme for me (and they largely still do) but the expertly crafted kpop pivot
into retro y2k with a really fresh, fun sound got me good. Hype Boy is a perfect package of an infectious song,
choreography and style... rightly deserving the #1 spot on my list.
2. Newjeans - CookieNewjeans continue their dominance on my list with Cookie, a very "peak red velvet" tune with insanely good, whimsical
beats and my favorite dance break (and maybe stage, overall) of the year (the chair, is it cheating? more at nine).
3. Bibi - Animal FarmThe highlight of Lowlife Princess album is a mind-blowingly good anthem with a completely ridiculous and violent kill bill
tribute mv. Get into Bibi, if you know what's good (or bad) for ya. Oh, and outro of the year, no contest.
4. Newjeans - DittoThis song came out a week ago. A week. And it's here, and it could have been higher. A bittersweet, cute song with sparse,
jumpy-yet-relaxed beats juxtaposed against a very different, sad, amazing mv.. the contradictions, the feels.
5. Le Sserafim - Blue FlameMy fave Seraphim track is a mega-smooth slightly melancholic groove-fest, it has its flaws but as a package it's just... mwah.
I like it, I like it like that. I am completely thatisfied.
6. Newjeans - AttentionThe first song in the Newjeans repertoire was a declaration: Things are about to change. It took me a few listens to get into
the swing of things, but it didn't take long... just fresh, lovingly crafted, pure pop sugar. Brilliant.
7. IVE - Love DiveIVE solidified their echo-y dark pop sound with Love Dive, and while After Like was a step in the wrong direction for me,
Love Dive is a prime example of a group achieving complete mastery of a sound unique to them. Great song.
8. Billlie - A Sign ~ AnonymousBilllie is sporting one of the better discographies in kpop already after only a year of existence, even if this year didn't yield
a "Ring x Ring" grade masterpiece. "Sign" is a mega-smooth, subtly whimsical R&B tune.
9. Pixy - NaturalAs I mentioned earlier, Pixy has been through a lot and I remain... cautiously optimistic. This song kind of perfectly sums
up my feelings. "It's okay not to be okay" indeed, as this melancholic piece declares. The feels, I have them.
10. Le Sserafim - AntifragileI absolutely hated the antifragile chorus at first listen, but warmed up to it pretty quickly. I'm still not completely sure if this
song is good, but I kind of fucking love it and that's all that counts.
--
I wrote reviews for the rest of my top 30 as well, so here they are (or check out the
twitter thread)
11. Youha - SatelliteYouha's EP was one of my favorites this year. The opening track is the stand-out for me, a slow and smooth, sexy R&B banger
with this kind of a floating-in-space quality to it. So good.
12. Aespa - GirlsThe amazing nonsensical cosmic virtual space extravaganza continues. It's never a boring moment with these girls, and their
music (and that dance break, mmm) is just pure fun. It's a trip. It's an adventure. it's Kwangya™️.
13. Acid Angel from Asia (tripleS) - GenerationI kinda want nothing to do with this weird nft mega-collective loona 2.0 but I can't just ignore great music. A one-off
sub-group with a really solid EP, Generation the clear stand-out.
14. Fifty Fifty - Lovin' MeAmong the nice surprises this year was definitely this song by 50/50 that utilizes neat vocal sound effects, super solid stuff,
wonderful singing, kinda haunting. "It's tough right now, but it'll get better, right?" Love it.
15. Bibi - Motospeed 24Sublime album, another sublime album cut. The deceptively simple chorus is a merciless earworm living inside my head.
Most of Bibi is there, to be fair.
16. Billlie - B'rave ~ A Song for MatildaBilllie, thy name is smooth groove and thy vibe is exquisite. I'm repeating myself by now, but they're just really good at this shit.
17. (G)i-dle - EscapeMinnie/Breadbeat combo strikes again. From the very first notes I knew this'd be a song for me. Just a very sad, yet kinda
uplifting and transportative tune.
18. Aespa - IllusionCan a song that starts with "You're so yummy yummy yummy in my tummy tummy tummy" be any good? The answer is,
of course, absolutely! Follow me, come and get illusion. Easy peasy.
19. Stayc - Young LuvI was somewhat disappointed in most of Stayc's offerings this year, but Young Luv salvaged the situation a bit. The sparse
guitars, haunting melodies and vocals, it all works great.
20. Dreamcatcher - StarlightSynthwave is the easy way into my heart. It's cheating, really. Starlight isn't a very typical Dreamcatcher tune, but it's my
favorite of theirs this year.
21. Bibi - Sweet Sorrow of MotherWhile only a minute long, this song with a minimal piano accompaniment still manages to set Bibi apart and show again
why she's such a special artist in kpop.
22. Billlie - Mcguffins ~ Who's the Joker?Ah, it's Billlie again, taking us to distant lands for a musical adventure. All over the place in the best way possible.
23. Dreamcatcher - Locked Inside a DoorDreamcatcher shone with a couple of their unconventional album tracks this year. The beat and rhythms, switch-ups,
vocals, really fun track. "So baby let me go". Not just yet, song, not just yet...
24. (G)i-dle - ChangeSurprisingly, this year my favorite composer in Gidle was not Soyeon, but Minnie instead. Both tracks penned by her
made my top 30. Change is sung almost completely in English, but everyone does a good job. Sad vibes, great music.
25. Pixy - VillainPixy has been reborn, but how? Losing two members, gaining a new one... it's been a ride. Their music is as solid as
ever, however. The smooth beat and whispery-talky vocals crawl inside your brain... in a good way.
26. Billlie - Sun Palace (Stroop Effect)A certified Billlie-style smooth, whimsical banger, they have so many of these I've lost count. Just a pleasure to listen to.
27. Bibi - Wet NightmareBibi's album was sublime and my personal AOTY, and it's a little tough to pick my faves from it, but this track really...
stuck with me... "stuck inside my heart".. stuck inside my head, for sure.
28. Sunmi - Heart BurnI completely forgot to grade the Sunmi singles this year but I did not forget this song... or the music video, good god...
Anyway, another quality tune from Sunmi.
29. Red velvet - Rainbow HaloFMR was a really good EP and my fave cut from it, while not perfect, is a memorable, fun and quirky little tune.
I don't much go for sax usually but it definitely works here. Good stuff.
30. Blackpink - Yeah Yeah YeahFirst up is this little-known group called Blackpink. YYY is here mainly because of its wonderful (if woefully short) outro
and the chorus. Overall, very enjoyable though. Any flirt with synthwave is a flirt with me.
--
So yeah, this year I decided to make this a little easier for myself (sort of?) and I graded every release I was even
slightly interested in during the year. I ended up grading over 200 songs! You can check out my ratings here:
http://dakodako.net/review/Also making a top 30 instead of a top 10 was kinda helpful as well, because I was able to highlight many more of
my faves and didn't feel so bad about excluding them from the top 10. Was a good year for kpop, as well.
TL;DR01. Newjeans - Hype Boy
02. Newjeans - Cookie
03. Bibi - Animal Farm
04. Newjeans - Ditto
05. Le Sserafim - Blue Flame
06. Newjeans - Attention
07. IVE - Love Dive
08. Billlie - A Sign ~ Anonymous
09. Pixy - Natural
10. Le Sserafim - Antifragile