There's been so many incredible comebacks over the past few weeks, making it impossible to review every single one - So I thought I'd gather my personal favourites up into one thread, so you can see what's popping in Korean music right now.
The majority of these tracks can be found in my K-Pop: 2020 Spotify playlist, so give it a follow if you'd like to stay updated with the freshest and best Korean tunes.
K-POP
I thought it'd be difficult to top 'Gods Menu', but 'Back Door' is absolutely addictive - the instrumentals are so unique and the sampled sound of the creaking door pulls the whole concept together well. The music video is incredible - the transitions are so smooth, the choreography is captivating and the styling is beautiful. I can't wait to read all the theories, as it seems this video links up to all previous Stray Kids eras (Miroh, Yellow Wood, etc.).
Stray Kids "Back Door" M/V
I fell in love with 'Sacrifice' the first time I heard it - Han Seung Woo's first solo work outside of VICTON does not disappoint. Every track on 'Fame' is un-skippable and utterly beautiful in terms of production, vocals and rap. He's an all-round player, that's for sure!
한승우 Han Seung Woo Sacrifice MV
ITZY are consistently smashing their comebacks - I truly think they have the potential to gain as large a following as BLACKPINK. I love how ITZY's concepts focus on independence and confidence, rather than the cutesy, girly attitudes which JYP forced on all their previous girl groups. The K-Pop summer trend of 2020 seems to be a Wild Wild West theme (take a look at SF9's 'Summer Breeze'), which is a nice change from the overdone Latin American style tunes. 'Not Shy' is super catchy; the vocals, rap and dance are FLAWLESS!
ITZY “Not Shy” M/V
A.C.E are the most underrated boy group in K-Pop: I think they're singlehandedly pushing K-Pop forward with their unique concepts, androgynous styles and ridiculously awesome instrumentals. I love how A.C.E doesn’t make drastic changes to their sound, but know how to switch up their style/instrumentals each comeback in a way which keep you captivated. 'Favorite Boys' is such a mishmash track - from those spooky-Halloween like instrumentals, to A.C.E wearing modernised Hanbok with Guns & Roses/Oasis/Metallica tops. It weirdly works incredibly well?
A.C.E - Goblin (Favorite Boys) M/V
I've never seen a violinist in a Korean band before, so finding LUCY was a pleasant surprise - I think it's probably why I get Eurovision vibes off this particular track (who could forget Alexander Rybak's legendary song entry 'Fairytale'). It's such a fun, jolly song - I LOVE IT!
[MV] LUCY _ Jogging(조깅)
After not really vibing with previous single '2 KIDS', I had high hopes for 'Criminal' - rightly so as this track is a banger! In typical Taemin style, 'Criminal' is a gorgeous, sensuous track, driven by his deep, whispery vocals. If only SM Entertainment promoted this track as thoroughly as they do for SuperM's releases :(
TAEMIN 태민 'Criminal' MV
CLC is another girl group who always kill it - The styling of 'Helicopter' is so classy and the instrumentals are spectacularly strong. I just love the contrast of those strong, fast raps, with the beautiful high tone vocals.
CLC(씨엘씨) - 'HELICOPTER' Official Music Video
K-HIPHOP/R&B (sorry I'm guilty of loving Jay Park's labels way too much)
I just discovered this song the other day and I instantly fell in love with the chill vibes, and how Mia and nafla's voices blend so well together. Definitely one to listen to while relaxing.
[MV] 미아 (Mia) - 오늘은 다를거야 (Like a fool) (Feat. nafla) @ Mia
In typical GRAY fashion, the production value of this track is phenomenal - 'Stay The Night' sounds like a song you'd hear in American/UK charts during the summer.
[Official Audio] GRAY - STAY THE NIGHT(Feat.DeVita) (취향저격 그녀 X GRAY)
As you can tell from my previous blog post, I'm absolutely loving VINXEN right now. His voice works so well with these chill instrumentals. I also want to get into Leellamarz more, as it's unhealthy how many times I've replayed his verse in 'Beer'.
LIT (Feat. VINXEN)
I can't even begin to explain how excited I've been for 'H1GHER: RED TAPE' album; it feels like a goodbye present from Sik-K now he's left for his military service. 'How We Rock' is my favourite track off the album; there's such great chemistry between the label-mates, but their individual styles still shine through. HAON & Woodie Gochild in particular killed this track!
How We Rock (Official Video) - Jay Park, pH-1, Sik-K, BIG Naughty, TRADE L, HAON, Woodie Gochild
I was so excited when they dropped the teaser for this, and the full version does not disappoint. Nafla and Bloo's styles are quite different, if you're comparing 'Wu' & 'Jail' to 'Downtown Baby' and 'I'm The One', but they work so well together!! Nafla's verse brings hype to the relatively chill/slow beat, and Bloo's deep vocal tone and consistent referencing to his favourite drink Henny make this song so addictive.
BLOO (블루), nafla (나플라) - 내 탓 (Nae tat) [Official Music Video] [ENG/CHN/JP]
This is the collaboration of the century - legendary Korean rapper Tiger JK, with one of the most lyrically interesting rappers in K-HipHop right now, Woo. I adore the beat and how it intertwines with the lyrics; it kind of sounds like a factory worker line. It's similar to how NCT 127 incorporated sounds of pots & pans being hit in 'Kitchen Beat'. Also, love the thumbnail for this video, Woo looks undeniably creepy/scary with that beanie but also utterly cute holding that lamb - I don't know how to feel!
우원재 (Woo) - 'JOB (Feat. Tiger JK & 김아일)' Official Music Video [ENG/CHN SUB]
I absolutely adore LEE HI's voice, it's incredibly beautiful and 'HOLO' precisely shows off her vocal range. This might be 2am thoughts, but when I first heard it I instantly thought of the Shrek soundtrack - upon deeper investigation, 'HOLO' seems to use slightly similar chords to Rufus Wainwright's 'Hallelujah', so I'm not entirely insane lol.
LEE HI - HOLO Official Music Video (ENG)
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