Stryfe's top 10 for 2021:1. Billlie - Ring X RingWhen I first heard this track it blew my mind so hard that wasn't even sure if I liked it. It was such a unique sound for a
kpop track that I couldn't wrap my mind around it. Very quickly I realized that it was the best track I had heard all year.
Extremely adventurous, complex song with numerous interesting layers, barely controlled noise at its finest.
2. Aespa - SavageFight for the top spot was pretty fierce for a while, and Savage ends up as a close second. This is kpop space opera,
a virtual superhero symphony. Supremely talented, completely ridiculous, 100% awesome.
3. Purple Kiss - Can We Talk AgainPurple Kiss is such a delightful group with many solid tracks already, but their pre-debut R&B semi-ballad
"Can We Talk Again" hit exceptionally hard. Great vocals, super smooth, never gets too boring.
4. Billlie - Flipp!ng a CoinTakes the momentum built by Ring X Ring and doesn't lose a step. I love the entire Billage EP but I keep going back to
the two openers that are full of so much cool, strange, unbridled energy. And
the performance, ahh...
5. WJSN The Black - EasyJust the smoothest, grooviest shit.
6. Pixy - WingsAll Pixy tracks suffer from a mild case of "flawed gem" syndrome, but the "Spread my Wings" pre-chorus section
of Wings is such a cool, dramatic, goosebump-inducing moment for me that it has to make my top 10.
7. (G)i-dle - HwaaAnother quality track from gidle. Dramatic, sad, beautiful. The only "knock" against it is perhaps how familiar it sounds
at times. Also, a swansong for this line-up. :(
8. Everglow - First2021 could be called a "drought year" for Everglow and they still only put out quality, which says a lot about the strength
of their discography. Really fun mv, memorable rapping, big vocals, such dramatic much wow.
9. Dreamcatcher - BEcauseA really good, original, consistent tune from Dreamcatcher. I always sing along to "Ocean View", A+ rap interlude. Gahyeon. Good times.
10. Stayc - Slow DownMy favorite Stayc track includes such lyrical highlights as "haste makes waste".
Jokes aside, I really dig this one, it's simple, but the beats, the vocals, it's good stuff.
Closest contenders aka 11-15 unordered:Aespa - Next Level - A harbinger of things to come (even more so than Black Mamba), half cover, half another song, all awesome. If Savage didn't happen I probably would have included this one.
Bibi - Life is a Bi... (the ep) - This is like one long song for me, pity the single tracks are so short. Anyway, Bibi is a (very naughty) experience.
Dreamcatcher - Odd Eye - I kept flip-flopping between this and BEcause and I feel like my preference largely depends on my mood. Super solid track.
IVE - Eleven - My first impressions for Yujin/Wonyo + tol girls debut were fine, but after a few listens I thought they hit it out of the park, especially with the echo-y parts that really elevated the song.
Sunmi - Tail - Sunmi put out a lot of "ok" songs in 2021 but Tail almost made the top 10. Sunmi in this mv, tho, good lord
Honorable mentions:Aespa - the rest of the Savage ep
Bibi - Eat My Love, Pado
Billlie - The Eleventh Day, Everybody's Got a $ecret + the rest of Billage ep
Dreamcatcher - Poison Love, 4 Memory
Everglow - Pirate
Itzy - Kidding Me
IVE - Take It
Jeon Soyeon - Is this bad b****** number? (feat. Bibi, Lee Young-ji), Psycho
Loona - PTT (Paint The Town), Dance On My Own
Pixy - Let Me Know, The Moon
Purple Kiss - Zombie
Stayc - Stereotype
Sunmi - You can't sit with us
Youha - Abittipsy
TL;DR:01. Billlie - Ring X Ring
02. Aespa - Savage
03. Purple Kiss - Can We Talk Again
04. Billlie - Flipp!ng a Coin
05. WJSN The Black - Easy
06. Pixy - Wings
07. (G)i-dle - Hwaa
08. Everglow - First
09. Dreamcatcher - BEcause
10. Stayc - Slow Down