#such an AMAZING song (one of my favorite title tracks from them and in kpop these last few years) that suits them & showcases their colors

[lilidawnonthemoon]

💫 𝓒𝓸𝓼𝓶𝓲𝓬 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓰𝓮𝓼 🌌

[byemambo]

We Are Lead Actors as K-Pop Boy Group Concept Photos: A Deep Dive [1/2]

Because I can't be normal about anything, I took it upon myself for self indulgence (rip We Are Wednesdays) to share my takes on which boy group concepts the We Are lead actors are based on their editorials/professional photographs (with my own ideas for future photoshoots). I had a lot of fun with this and if anyone has other comments to add, please feel free to do so!

Pond Naravit as NCT 127 - 2 Baddies

Pond is such an amazing performer (yeah I see them kpop covers!) and I feel like his vibe definitely suits the more modern take on the hip hop concept. His pictorials from ELLE Thailand suited this perfectly, especially with the accessories (the earrings are my personal favorite). I'd love to see Pond's future editorials showcase more accessories and experiment with pattern and cuts of clothing, but keeping it on the darker side. His hair is also his selling point so styling his hair to show his facial features more is a huge plus.

What I'd Love to See: NCT 127 - Favorite (Vampire)

Pond's features can be emphasized by playing around with lighting since his clothing is rather simple, or even utilizing motion blur like Taeil's image second on the left. It's also the era of vampire content in QL recently (still mourning over no Boss as a vampire but we have Zomvivor so I guess I'll let it go this one time) so playing around with set design and props would be interesting, even something as simple as the location of the photoshoot itself to take advantage of the architecture.

Phuwin Tangsakyuen as ATEEZ - BOUNCY (K-HOT CHILLI PEPPERS)

I feel like from the images that I've seen Phuwin in, from his editorials to the fashion brands that named his ambassador like LOEWE, they seem to keep him in a more dapper and polished style such as the Frank Muller photoshoot for the Vanguard Beach watch collection. The green background instantly reminded me of one of the various concepts for ATEEZ's THE WORLD EP.2: OUTLAW EP featuring BOUNCY (K-HOT CHILI PEPPERS) as its title track, but the clothing for ATEEZ is more cyberpunk influenced to fit their alternate universe in their music video and lore. I'd love to see Phuwin take on more experimental fashion for his future editorials but I'm sure that's a big ask given he's very set on what he wants for himself as a person working in the entertainment world, which I heavily respect.

What I'd Love to See: ATEEZ - 멋(The Real) (흥 : 興 Ver.)

Jongho's hat always sends me but to not take away from Phuwin's dapper style, there can be experimentation with color and pattern with minimal fashion statement accessories. From something as simple as including a turtleneck like San in the second image or adding mismatched pattern like Yeosang's dress shirt in the third image, I think his stylists could include more fun textures into his wardrobe without overwhelming or taking away from his established image.

Winny Thanawin as ONEUS - Baila Conmigo

I was torn knowing that Winny is overdue for a new editorial since L'Officiel and I need someone to get on the ball with that asap. Although I included both images, ONEUS's La Dolce Vita EP had gorgeous photos for their mermaid concept (which I'm still mad at RBW for not even including it anywhere except the story teaser images like bruh not even in the damn MV or physical album), so I can totally see Winny embracing a more oceanic and beach vibe (just from scrolling his Instagram feed with all sorts of photos of the beach or poolside). Blue being his favorite color is also just a no brainer for this type of concept.

What I'd Like to See: ONEUS - 쉽게 쓰여진 노래 (A Song Written Easily)

I need the photographer to take this man outdoors, preferably somewhere along the coast to really utilize the sun and ocean breeze. He also deserves to expand more with his blue tones, given that he seems to wear a lot of it just in every day life. If not a denim set, definitely in some cargo shorts with a Hawaiian inspired shirt.

Satang Kittiphop as P1Harmony - 겁나니 (Scared)

We need to give P1Harmony their flowers because when I saw these Satang photos for KAZZ Magazine, my mind really went to their DISHARMONY: BREAK OUT EP with Scared as the title track. He's also around the members' ages (born between '01 to '05) so if he really wanted to, he could be their secret seventh member (he blends in so well with Keeho in the second image my god). I also think GMMTV should continue marketing Satang's visual image as more tough and badass simply because I find it enjoyable to watch him in series like We Are as the silly goofy little brother archetype while also serving face.

What I'd Love to See: P1Harmony - 때깔 (Killin' It)

Y'all cannot tell me Satang wouldn't suit the best of both worlds with having his edge while also tying in his more silly image from the characters he's played that we know and love. Whether they achieve this look from fun statement pieces like fur coats or bold colors, I'd think seeing Satang push beyond his edgy image and becoming more experimental with his wardrobe would be insane.

If you made it this far, I really appreciate it! Y'all, I don't know anything about fashion like that so please: don't expect too much out of me. I recognize patterns because I'm neurodivergent and have a hyperfixations LOL so I have to split this post up into two due to the image limit (found here) but otherwise, I hope y'all get to check out new music or groups, or even the genre of K-Pop if you're unfamiliar and want to venture into it. All these groups are extremely talented and deserve all the love and support they can get <3

[what-if-nct]

hiiii today's reminder is i hate to say this but for the first time since I got into nct, i simply do not enjoy wayv's new song. it's too corny and the chorus is boring and it didn't utilise any of the members well enough and wayv has a signature sound that is SO good why are we straying so far from perfection? why has hendery only been sing talking random english words for two comebacks in a row? how did we go from the beautiful catholic dramatics to just "give me five !!"? i liked their japanese title track SO much and I was hoping for something like that but this is just… not them? and also not a great song just in general? like gimme that wasn't very wayv but it was still a good fun song, this is just kinda… eh. i hope the b sides are better.

Hiii, and I totally feel you the teaser pics excited me, I love them. But when I first heard the clips, I was sadly not really in love. And Wayv is my favorite unit I love their music so much. It's absolutely perfect, there was no need to change directions, just build upon what they have. High five is a cute song, and sm is most likely going in that direction for them since" gimme that" got them their first win. But to go from the theatrics and quality of on my youth and phantom to something more cookie cutter kpop does a disservice to their talent and abilities. One win shouldn't dictate the trajectory of their sound when they have so many amazing popular songs. High five is cute, but yeah, just not them, and for a title track, wayv has done so much better, but hopefully, the rest of the album is amazing. Like she a wolf was on repeat vs gimme that.

[randomobsessionsofa30something]

My top 15 kpop albums of 2023

It's been a year since I posted something. At this point, I feel I'm only writting to keep a record for myself of my favorites of the year. Still, if anyone cares to read this, know I've posted my favorite korean music and dramas of the year every year since 2016. First up, my favorite albums of 2023.

15. Heize-Last winter. I've honestly been in a Heize break for almost two years because I felt her songs started to sound too much alike but this album got me excited for her music once again. It has bearly been a week since it came out so I did hesitate including it but I think it portrays my favorite style of hers so at the end I was like "yeah, it deserves a spot". Forget me not feauturing BIG NAUGHTY's beautiful vocals is my favorite song of the album. However her title, a collab with 10 cm, is a close second. Picnic of the Night gives us a more uptempo beat and Chan's sweet vocals are so relaxing. I think I will be listening this album a lot in the next few months.

14. PENOMECO-Rorschach (Part 1). Ever since Penomeco entered my radar I have loved pretty much everything he has released. I do prefer his more chill music but this year he brought us more of his hip hop side and released two mini albums called Rorschach, both could have easily made my list but I think at the end of the day I like the album he released in april a bit more, and he does have two songs with Zico in this one, which did tip the balance for me. As I said, I do like his more layback music so my favorite song is Margiela feauturing Paul Blanco. The album starts with strong beats with Boy Pablo (2019) and stays on track with his title song Rindaman feauturing Zico. His other collab with Zico: Pew! is also a fiery song. As is Bubble. He slows down for his other three songs and they all are such a great listen.

13. TREASURE-Reboot. I think TREASURE has had really bad luck, from their delayed debut to the ups and downs lately. The thing is I've always prefered those groups I actually feel excited to listen to their whole albums and TREASURE has really delivered in all of them as far as I'm concerned. People keep saying YG is holding them back by making them have the typical YG songs like BONA BONA or STUPID on this album but since I'm a fan of those kind of songs so I really look forward to it. However it was the songs by their subunits I actually liked the most MOVE is just such an exciting song and THE WAY TO by the vocal unit is just my kind of ballad. To be fair listening to Jungwoo and Jihoon sing is such highlight for me on all of their songs. I just love their tones.

12. Taeyeon-To. X. 2023 was a year where I really got into Taeyeon's discography. So I was really excited for this comeback. The title To. X is a fun midtempo break up song. I would have liked Melt Away more as the title but I did love both songs. This is also a recent release so I moved it up and down in my list a lot. I'm also having a hard time picking a favorite song. I also enjoy listening to Fabolous with the quorky beat and witty lyrics but I think I actually liked all the tracks equally.

11. VIXX-CONTINUUM. VIXX has changed a lot over the last few years but somehow this album with only Leo, Ken and Hyuk sounds very much like VIXX used to sound in 2015. They really stand on their own and all of their voices are amazing. However I've always had a soft spot for Leo and his vocals in Lilac are just heavenly. Probably why I love that ballad so much. I was actually surprised with Hyuk's low vocals that give a needed twist to Leo and Ken's power vocals. All five songs in this mini album are so good. The title is Amnesia and the MV aesthetic is obviously inspired by the movie Dune.

10. NCT DOJAEJUNG-Perfume. This release kind of blind sighted me. I never thought Doyoung, Jaehyun and Jungwoo would come together in a subunit so in that sense they reminded me of the time I heard EXO CBX was debuting. I really love the title Perfume. It's one of those rare times the title is actually my favorite song of the album. I thought they would do a ballad for their title but the fact it was an upbeat sexy song was unexpectedly right. Doyoung is my favorite NCT vocalist so listening to him this whole album was such a joy. Jaehyun's vocals can be a bit overlooked in NCT127 just because Douyoung and Taeil are so amazing. Listening to him have more time in this album to shine was exactly what I wanted. I love Jungwoo's personality and honestly I was afraid he would get a bit lost in this album but my worries were unnecessary. Often I found his low notes were that little bit of spice the songs needed in this album. I loved all the bsides but Dive and Strawberry Sunday were specially a fun listen. And of course they had to do a traditional SM ballad (Ordinary) which is just beautiful.

9. D.O.- Expectation. I'll never stop wishing for EXO's Kyungsoo to do an r&b album but his heart is in easy listening heartfelt songs so I can't complain. I'm just happy to get anything from him as a solo artist. This mini album has so many pretty songs. I do is my favorite hands down and one of my most played songs of the year but Lost (both the acoustic and the regular version) is such a fun song to listen to and could have easily become the title. The vocals and the melody are so powerful. Ordinary days and The view also have a fun melody. The title Somebody is really catchy and the MV is so sweet.

8. TXT- The name chapter: Freefall. I have to confess I haven't gotten into TXT's content. I just came to like them gradually in the last couple of years and there was so much to catch up on that I haven't really get to know the members at all but the albums are a different story. Deep down is my favorite of the album but Happily Ever After is also a highlight. The title Chasing the Feeling gave us a fun retro beat and the chorus was really addicting. I also found Skipping Stones to be an interesting song. Love the guitar and bass on that one and the vocals by Beomgyu, Taehyun and Huaningkai are just heavenly. And of course the collab with The Jonas Brothers was a bit unexpected yet exactly what I didn't know I wanted.

7. Zion.T-Zip. This was almost out of my list because I just listened to it a week ago, but I had to add it. Zion. T is just so unique and entertaining to listen to. His collab with AKMU called V is my favorite. But as expected, this is a no skip songs with great use of instruments, beats, vocals and occasional rapping. He even released three MVs for this comeback (Stranger, V and Unlove). The album is 10 tracks long yet only sums up 26 minutes. Thank u featuring Yun Seokcheol is also a highlight.

6. V-Layover. To be honest, I was not excited for V's solo stuff. I was expecting a lot from Jungkook and Jimin but not from him. I don't know why. So it was so surprising when I actually wasn't excited with the songs they released but I really loved V's album. It's my fault really because I do tend to overlook Taehyun's vocals when listening to BTS. The sound he went for it's exactly my kind of music. Layover just feels sophisticated. Blue is definitely my go to song with its fancy r&b sound and Love me again has my favorite beat of the album. Slow Dancing is so sweet and For us takes you in a journey. The album is only 5 songs but from the first listen I knew it would make my top 10 of the year.

5. NCT 127-Fact Check. For me, this is the first NCT127 no skip album. I liked LIMITLESS a lot but even that one has a couple of songs that are just not for me. NCT 127's titles are either a huge hit with me or they rub me off, this time around I found Fact Check so addicting. I love Space's melody but Misty is my favorite overall. Everyone's vocals are on point but Taeil is such a wonder to listen to on that one. Love is a beauty is also a great ballad. Parade might be a hiphop heavy song but Doyoung's beautiful vocals really stand out to me. And Angel Eyes gave me a bit of NCT U's With you vibes. I love Mark's parts in Je ne sais quoi then again everyone sounds so good in that song.

4. Taeyang-Down to Earth. Taeyang came back with a bang. Every song on the album feels so big. I wasn't a fan of the title VIBE featuring BTS's Jimin on the first listen, but it really grew on me. The chorus just pops in my head from time to time out of nowhere. Shoong featuring Blackpink's Lisa is amazing, and the performance video is crazy good. Seed is the power ballad of the album. Nightfall featuring Bryan Chase is also a highlight with its retro pop beat and beautiful vocals.

3. Taemin-Guilty. The void Taemin left while he was in the military could not really be fulled by anyone else. He's just different. And yes, a lot of it is the performance but the music always comes first. This album is only six songs but they all are so good. Not gonna lie, the first time I heard The Rizzness I was confused because the strong beat and rapping surprised me. I didn't know if I liked it but it really grew on me after hearing it a couple of times. I'm obsessed with She loves me she loves me not and its playful melody plus it's definitely my most played track of the album. Not over you and Blue takes us in a dreamlike journey.

2. Red Velvet-Chill Kill. I was surprised to realize this is the only album from a girlgroup I liked this year. I even forced myself to listen to some albums of the most popular girlgroups right now but it's just not my kind of music. However this album is straight up my alley. A Velvet R&B album. I hadn't enjoyed a Red Velvet album so much since The Perfect Red Velvet. My favorite Red Velvet comebacks are always the one with a creepy twist so Chill Kill was on point with that strong beat paired with a sweet chorus. Knock knock (who's there) is a seemless follow up to Chill Kill. Underwater is one of my favorites for sure but these days I keep going back to Nightmare. Iced coffee and One Kiss have catchy chorus while Wings is uplifting with beautiful vocals.

1. EXO-EXIST. My Spotify Wrapped top 5 songs belong all to this album. It's actually the first time it happens. Despite me being an EXO-L, some pop or indie songs are usually in the mix, but I guess I missed EXO. They just did all the things I love in an EXO album: r&b, beautiful harmonies, and fun beats. I keep changing my favorite song of the album. At first, it was Regret it just because the production is so great. Then I was like, actually, all the falsetto and runs in Cinderella makes it my favorite. Yet I kept feeling No makeup was the perfect r&b EXO song, so I thought: that one for sure! But of course, the title Cream Soda is so catchy, and the chorus is expectacular, so obviously, that's the one. Nevertheless, Love fool is so much fun to listen to, and I do love Sehun and Chanyeol's verses in Another Day. Then why is my most played song of the year Let me In? And what about Hear me out that makes me happy every time I listen to it? Don't even get me started on Private Party's lyrics! Anyway, you get the idea, so just do yourself a favor and check out this album.

[bewby]

this is not intending to be mean whatsoever - but you/your anons are confusing me a bit honestly? it's normal to not like every single song from an artist - but that doesn't mean that they shouldn't have made it. it's just personal preferance and you can just dislike it and move on! to say that they're "running out of good songs" and should do their early songs again is really weird. especially about a song proudly declaring "this is our sound." idk you wouldn't say to a painter/fanartist/etc, 'hey i hate this one, do it like this other one in the way i like' would you?

hm. i don't know how to answer this because i've also talked multiple times on here about how it's okay to dislike most of your artists discography and to be dissapointed but i think we were just discussing what we didn't like about it and we just found ourselves really enjoying what they were doing in specific eras and it came up alot in the process of talking about our dissappointment. it doesn't make me love them less or makes me see them as amazing artists any less but of course i have my preferences too and i really wish they would give us more of a sound that got me into them in the first place. i have liked some of their recent songs alot but when i think about my ultimate favorite title tracks, my mind goes back to miroh/side effects/double knot/gods menu/back door. there's a pattern here! i love their concept albums! exploring unusual genres (for kpop)! i don't know. i don't think i expressed that they shouldn't have made it i just said i'm like not really enjoying it at all which is fine. skz makes all kinds of music and i know you can't pin them down or put thwm into one box but they still had a specific skz sound unique to them that i'm missing ESPECIALLY in the sound. multiple friends of mine have now mentioned their dissapointment in the mixing, how it feels kind of empty. obviously that doesn't represent everyones opinion but it's an opinion alot of us share and it's nice to talk about. i am used to not always liking their songs because i have my own tastes and no artists can always really cater to that it's impossible lol and that's okay, i like skz for reasons more than that but i'll still talk about it. they should do whatever they wanna do and whatever feels right for them but that also means i can share my own thoughts/opinions that aren't always positive..

[yukiakaren]

Kpop title track ranking: GFRIEND

In this series I’ll be ranking kpop groups/soloists title tracks based on my taste.

I was a huge Buddy and GFRIEND is still definitely one of my favorite girl groups. The sudden disbandment was definitely a hit that I wasn’t expecting and that was quite hard to take.

Apple - There is something very enchanting about Apple for me. And oh this mature GFRIEND sound was sooo good, I can’t even. I love it.

Fingertip - This is such a bop! I fell in love with it immediately. It has more attitude compared to the earlier songs and I absolutely were all for it. And  it still really holds up!

Crossroads - Title track of my overall favorite GFRIEND album, and I’m happy to report that I actually purchased it quite recently! (this is a note worth to mention, as my album collection is quite moderate and definitely male group heavy) As a song this has a potential to get me teary-eyed if I’m on the right mood for it for sure.

Sunrise - I absolutely loved this from the first listen! It’s so so pretty. And I have to say I love that Eunha’s high note! Another one that has gotten me teary-eyed at some point listening to it.

Sunny Summer - Oh Sunny Summer is so fun! I love the member names being part of the lyrics, it’s so witty and cute! This is truly the summer song that I come back to year after year. This just puts me in a such a good mood!

Time for the Moon Night - Oh this is so so pretty! I just enjoyed the song instead of being able to come up with anything else to add to that.

MAGO - This is such a perfect way to do retro! It just really is a shame that this ended up being the last one... The mature sounding GFRIEND had so much more to give.

Rough - Rough era was when GFRIEND clicked with me for the first time. It’s such a lovely song, how could I not like it? And very quickly I ended up really liking the girls, and especially my bias Yerin, after watching their older variety show appearances and such.

Fever - I have to again admit that I ignored this song when it came out. But luckily again at some point I realized my mistake and started liking it quite a bit!

Navillera - My first comeback as a fan. It’s just very catchy and fun.

Me Gustas Tu - This was the era that I paid attention to GFRIEND for the first time but actually that was because I disliked the song xD I just found it really annoying. After becoming Buddy my opinion on it first mellowed down and now I can say it’s cute and enjoyable. 

Glass Bead - Very cute. This pre-dates me being a Buddy and hence it doesn’t quite have a fighting chance against those songs that I really really like/liked that came after it, but there still are couple below it as I don’t really dislike it either.

Love Whisper - Oh no this was such a disappointment style-wise for me coming after Fingertip that was awesome to me. And it clearly hasn’t ever really gotten many plays from me as I only remembered the chorus as I listened to it for this list. Not a bad song but not one for me.

Summer Rain - Basically the same comments apply to this that did to Love Whisper. In addition I’m so baffled by the fact that despite me disliking this title track, the same album has two of my absolute favorite B-sides from them! And I’ll get to those next.

And here are the foreshadowed B-sides:  Ave Maria, Rainbow - These two I absolutely love from the Rainbow repackaged album that has both Summer Rain, as the title track, and Love Whisper. I really just find this so baffling. Labyrinth, Here We Are, Eclipse, Dreamcatcher, From Me - All of the songs from Labyrinth album are so good and that’s why I had to get the album. Mermaid - This one is actually the reason for me to do this list, as I was watching an episode of Amazing Saturday that featured this song and it inspired me to do the list for GFRIEND. Mermaid as a song tells way more dramatic story than I expected/had realized.  Neverland - It’s an young love type of song that usually isn’t necessary my thing but this just is so catchy I can’t deny it xD  Gone With The Wind - Most recently added to my list actually. I originally had not realized how great this is when I checked all of their songs years ago.

[milkwaydreams]

My favorite Kpop songs/albums of 2022!!

Stay around and read if you want, maybe we can be friends🥰

(Reading time: +/-10 minutes).

I looove talking about it, showing it, so I'm going to put it out here.

*There are no specific order for this, this are my favorites, if I didn't mention yours, feel free to comment or send me a message 🥰

If You Leave Me - Seventeen

I'm OBSESSED with this song. Their vocals, the structure of the song, how they sang it, I don't know. There is something there that got me addicted to it. For 3 months straight, this song wouldn't step out of my top 3 most listened songs on Spotify 🤣

- Other Seventeen 2022 songs I listen too much to: Don Quixote, March, Hot, Cheers and World; also, the boys solos, Ruby (Woozi), Limbo (Jun) and Black Eye (Vernon).

Childhood - The Rose

I know The Rose is not Kpop but, you know that songs that finds you at the time you need the most? That's Childhood for me.

It took me a while to listen to Heal album, though I was really excited for their comeback, I only really listened to it a month after the release, but it was the day I needed the most. The Rose is a really good group, their songs, their personalities, the way they interact with their Black Roses, it's so nice and cute.

When I listened to Childhood, it was like they were telling me not to give up, to not lose myself, and it was exactly the day I started loosing hope again. Woosung's Come Down also did the same thing to me months before and again with Childhood. Though I'm not a active Black Rose, they are for sure REALLY important to me cause without them, my year would've be way worst.

Thank you The Rose, for being my anchor, for keeping me going one more time.

- Definitely check their whole album and Woosung's solo album Moth. They are both really good, every song are so real, if that makes sense 🙈. Besides Childhood, my favorite is See Saw and the title Sour from HEAL. From Moth, Side Effects and the title Phase Me I never skip any of them.

Child, Ghost (Station), Candy (Album) - NCT

As a NCTzen myself, I was a little disappointed with the albums songs from both, NCT Dream and NCT 127. Don't get me wrong, I did liked some of the songs, but compared to last year, I would choose Hot Sauce/Sticker over Glitch Mode/2 Baddies.

BUT, I must say that the NCT Station is PERFECT. I loved every single song from it released this year, especially Mark's Child. This song touched me so much in ways I didn't even expected to, cause I can see myself on that same place, people expecting too much from me...

And speaking of NCT solos, I always loved Taeyong's songs from SoundCloud. Then he released Ghost on TY Track and, WOW. Ghost is perfect, the song, the dance, the performance video. I wish it had more views cause it's really good😍😍

And then, there's the winter special NCT Dream album, Candy, and I fell in love with the whole album. I'm completely OBSESSED with the concepts, they all look so cute. All the songs are really good, their vocals are perfection too. But I must say, Graduation... Wow. I'm graduating from college this year and one of my ULT groups releasing a song about it at the same time was just perfection for me🥰🥰🥰

- Other NCT (Station) 2022 songs I'm addicted to: Forever Only (Jaehyun), Birthday (Ten), Love Theory (Taeyong X Wonstein).

- Other 2022 NCT/WayV songs I like: Glitch Mode, Saturday Drip, To My First, Designer, Crash Landing, Phantom, Good Life, Broken Love.

OK Not (Album) - CIX

CIX is one of my favorite Kpop groups, and they are still so underrated. If you don't know them or don't listen too much from them, I would recommend you to. They are so talented and cute, everything I need to make them one of my ULT groups 🤣

They didn't released too much songs this year, but this album is AMAZING. I was sad cause there is only 4 songs after so long, but they are so good😍😍

I got addicted to all 4 songs of the album, but Drown In Luv have my whole heart. If you ask me how many times I listened to it, the answer will be "Yes" 🤣🤣🙈 Please, check them out, I promise you won't regret it🥰

Also, the physical album?! Are you kidding?! IT'S SO PRETTY!! Both version are really gorgeous and so high quality. I new it was pretty but, when I had it on my hands, I was shocked and completely in love. It's by far the prettiest album I have until now.

- Title song: 458

INVU (Album) - Taeyeon

Taeyeon will always be one of my favorite Kpop singer. Her vocals and presence are just perfection.

Her discography is really amazing and I already new that in INVU wouldn't be different. And I was right cause I LOVED the whole album, so many good songs, wow😍

My favorite would be Ending Credits, but to be honest, it was hard to pick one🤣🙈

- Other SNSD/Taeyeon 2022 songs I loved: Lucky Like That, Seventeen, Can't Control Myself, INVU, Some Nights, Timeless.

Taste - Stray Kids

Both Oddinary and Maxident was really good albums. I got addicted to both of them🥰 But Taste... This song attacked my h*e side SOOO hard🤣🤣🙈🙈 It's such a good song, wow.

One thing that made me really happy about this song was Minho's vocals. Because he normally doesn't have that many lines in Stray Kids songs, I sometimes forget that his voice is so angelic and I love it. My favorite part of the song is his "즐겨 baby, baby don't test me, oh no. Baby, baby don't get me wrong" I don't know how many times I repeated this line, I swear 🤣🤣🙈🙈

Anyway, one of my favorite songs of the year for sure 😍😍😍

- Other Stray Kids 2022 songs that are constantly on my mind: 3Racha, Case 143, Venom, Maniac, Charmer.

- Also, really glad with SKZ-Replay cause we FINALLY have Drive on Spotify 🤣. And I love Jisung's Alien and I Can't Admit from Chan, I'm really glad I listen to it on Spotify now. For the new ones, I love Felix's Deep End😍

Opening Sequence - TXT

I first met TXT through Can't You See Me and it became one of my favorite Kpop songs instantly and, even though I love other TXT songs, none of them could even get close to Can't You See Me. Until Opening Sequence appears.

I wasn't expecting much from this album of them because the last albums before it, didn't actually get me, so I listened to Good Boy Gone Bad on the release day and liked it, but that's it. Later, I saw people talking about Opening Sequence and decided to check it out. It was love at "first sight" and easily took Can't You See Me place.

TXT is not one of my ULT groups (cause I already have too many) but, if I were to pick another it could be them. Because of Opening Sequence, they came back strong to my radar 🙈🙈

Survive The Night - The Boyz

I knew Be Aware era was going to be a little sad because Eric wasn't there. I was really excited for their comeback since Maverick but not having him there... Something was missing (I'm really glad he's back now. Hope he is feeling better 🥺).

But, they still gave me one of my favorite songs of the year. Survive The Night is such a good bside track. It's somehow comforting, though the lyrics are not that bright, their voices helps me to calm down. If you like ballad songs, love songs, I would recommend you to listen to it 🥰

- Other song from Be Aware I would recommend is Levitating. This song reminded me of Maverick era and that is my favorite The Boyz era so far, it was easy for me to like it 🙈

28 Reasons (Album) - Seulgi

Seulgi had one of the best solo debut of 2022 for sure. 28 Reasons is SO good, I loved everything about it, the theme, the clothes, her vocals, everything is perfect here. Dead Man Running is definitely my favorite bside of the album, and because I'm going through a situation similar to the song, I got too attached to it🙈 If you haven't listened to the full album yet, go check it out cause you won't regret it.

And still in Red Velvet, I'm still so addicted to In My Dreams. That song is SO good. I'd love to listen to it live😍😍

- Also loved: Birthday, Bye Bye, Beg For Me (Red Velvet).

Don't Regret - Wonho

I'm quite new to KPoP life to be honest and my first favorite Boy Group was Monsta X. My first bias was Kihyun and Wonho, but I arrived here too late🥺 When I joined this life was just a few months after Wonho leave the group and I was so sad when I found out. Then someone told me he was going to debut as a soloist and I've been following him since then and I Don't Regret it (no jokes intended 🤣🙈)

I love Wonho's songs so much, I love his voice. And when this song released I didn't realized it was a new song (that's how dumb I am🤡). I loved this song so much, it's really touching how his thoughts change through the song.

I'll be waiting for him to come back from military service 🥺

There are so many songs I loved this year but these was the ones that marked me the most 🥰

Now let me tell something that is really sad for me. There are so many Japanese releases and they are SO GOOD, but they are not used that much, no big promotions and the physical album are not that good/pretty and too expensive. I love this songs so much🥺:

Ateez: Paradigm (it's so catchy and I love Yeosang's whispering)

CIX: Pinky Swear (everything about this song is so cute. Please check it out)

Red Velvet: Wildside (my favorite RV song)

Seventeen: Dream (to be honest, all SVT Japanese songs are really good)

Stray Kids: Circus (one of my favorite SKZ song)

The Boyz: She's The Boss (Jacob's rapping is so cute on this song)

But because I still have many songs left, I'm going to leave some other groups here:

(G) I-DLE: Tomboy, Polaroid, Villain Dies, My Bag, NXDE, Dark (X-File), Love. I love IDLE, they are my favorite GG and I think they had really good albums this year.

aespa: Illusion🥰. I don't listen aespa too much but this song is really good.

Astro: Candy Sugar Pop, Story (MJ's Solo), Who and Ghost Town (Moonbin Sanha Unit).

Ateez: Guerrilla, Cyberpunk, Sector 1 and Halazia😍. Halazia is SO GOOD, I'm obsessed with them saying this word😍😍😍

BIBI: BIBI Vengeance (I got really addicted to this one), Animal Farm. Her Noir album is amazing, she's a really good artist😍 Also, I love the way she sings, is really unique, her voice is amazing.

Blackpink: the whole Born Pink album. This is my favorite BP era and my favorite song is Typa Girl.

Enhypen: Blessed-Cursed (NIKI looks so gorgeous on this MV😍), Future Perfect (Pass The Mic).

GOT7: the whole GOT7 album is so good. My favorite is Two. I'm so glad they released a new album😍. Cruel (Jackson) and Slow Mo (Bambam).

Itzy: Cheshire and Snowy.

Key (SHINee): Ain't Gonna Dance (perfect), Villain, Burn and Bound are my favorites.

Kihyun (Monsta X): Youth.

Le Sserafim: Sour Grapes, Fearless, Blue Flame, Antifragile, Impurities. Their debut was the best GG debut of 2022 for me, and Antifragile just keep up the great sound from them (I hope Sakura gets more spot in the future though).

Mamamoo: ILLELLA, Honey (Solar's solo).

MCND: #MOOD

Minho (SHINee): The Chase album is so good😍 I'm obsessed with the song and MV, he's so gorgeous 🥰

New Jeans: Attention.

Oneus: Gravitation. Seoho vocals on this song are just perfection 😍

Onew (SHINee): Dice is so cute and bright🥰.

OnlyOneOf: skinz and Gaslighting. Also their solos are really good. I love the little BL stories of the MVs😍😍.

P1Harmony: Do It Like This, Doom Du Doom.

Pentagon: The Game, One Shot, Feelin' Like, Pose (Kino's solo).

Treasure: Jikjin.

Twice: the whole Between 1&2 album. My favorite songs are Basics and Gone.

If you made this far, I LOVE YOU 😭😭❤️❤️

Thank you for reading it, hope your new year is blessed.😍😍

And remember, you're amazing and don't let people say otherwise ❤️🥰

[sanyaaaaaaaaaa]

Top 10 2022 title tracks:

 Personally, 2022 was an amazing year for kpop imo. A lot of loves on first listens and some growers here and there too.  (in no particular order)

• Cheshire by ITZY: An amazing recovery after whatever Sneakers was. This is classic itzy. Love on first listen.

• MANIAC by SKZ: possibly my favorite title track by them now? Another banger by them. It aged like fine wine imo. 

• RUN2U by STAYC : Once again , their best tt for me. Maybe my personal soty too! It makes me wanna dance so bad.

• Copycat by APINK CHOBOM : One of the best chorus of the year and the choreo just made it 100 times better.

•HOT by Seventeen : The first SVT tt I ever liked lmao. From the choreo to the song, everything is top notch. An earworm for sure.

•Glitch by Kwon Eunbi : She may have made her place for me as the best post izone act. Would also like to mention Underwater, which is another banger, but I didn’t want to give two spots to one artist.

•Wildside by Red Velvet: Their best release this year was this Japanese title track for sure. 

•BTBT by B.I : Another soty contender. Suggesting everyone to check out all his music. Very earworm-y!

•ANTIFRAGILE by Le Sserafim : Nothing to say about this. It’s still on repeat. Addicting as hell. Another soty contender right here.

•Vengeance by BIBI : My favorite bibi track for now. Makes me feel like a bad bitch lol.

Honorable Mentions : After Like by IVE, Bugaboo POP, 28 reasons by Seulgi and Shut Down by BP

[moscnios]

ONE PIECE CHARACTERS AS KPOP FANS+ / ☻

☻  /  commentary . . . full title would be one piece characters as kpop fans i’ve encountered. being kind of in and out of that community for the past 7 years now, i’ve encountered my fair share of fans. plus i just wanted to make some kind of shitpost between posts. kind of a call out post but all in good fun

NAMI

solely a girl group stan !!

doesn’t have anything against boy groups but she prefers girl groups

has a soft spot for 2nd and 3rd generation girl groups

her fave groups would be sistar, after school, t-ara, and exid

she knows their most popular choreographies

she would eat up touch my body by sistar

buys albums, lightsticks, and other merchandise in BULK, just to scam...i mean sell them to other fans online

ROBIN

a casual listener

she’s more of a ballad person as they soothe her and make nice background sounds

btob and iu are her go-to’s.

doesn’t have a preference over boy or girl groups. she’s honestly just there if the music is good

i like to think of her being a fan of groups with brighter/cuter concepts

enjoys late 3rd and 4th gen groups despite all of them being younger than her. she’s like a little proud mom watching them achieve their wildest dreams

“good for them”

SANJI

like nami, solely a girl group stan but for all the wrong reasons

is like those male fans you hear at the beginning of an idol’s performance who are screaming the fan chants. he knows all of the fan chants by heart

loves all girl groups

his fave group would be twice and no one can tell me otherwise

his phone wallpaper is a picture of either sana or nayeon during the feel special era. yes, feel special is his favorite song

camera roll is full of female idols, he could run his own update blog/fansite

album collector. buys all his merchandise from nami who overcharges him BIG time. but he’s too busy trying to buy every version of each album that comes out to add to his photocard collections

ZORO

could care less about actual fan culture, he’s just there for the music

was an AVID hater of kpop, thought it was dumb and he didn’t understand the appeal of it or why people dedicated so much of their time and money into these groups

until he discovered ateez through a fancam and he’s been a fan ever seen

his favorite song would definitely either be wonderland or answer

listens mostly to the title tracks, could hardly be bothered to listen to the b-sides

has a workout playlist full of energy-boosting songs that he listens to while he’s training

definitely shows luffy ateez music videos

USOPP

the gatekeeper.

you would think it’s his goal to go out of his way and stan groups who are underrated

and when they finally blow up, he’s always quick to remind people how much they slept on them

his pfp is definitely somebody from loona holding a gun

is a tiktok editor. all of his edits are amazing and always get a lot of love within the community

also posts videos of him doing girl group choreographies with chopper and nami

cannot name a single member of any boy group

CHOPPER

teen crush concept/bright concept enthusiast !!

his fave group is stayc

“stayc girls...it’s going down”

pretty much the opposite of usopp in this regard. he loves when his favorite groups get more attention and love because they really deserve it

definitely helps new fans with learning members’ names and personalities

is always getting into concerts, fan meets, and fan signs ( spending robin’s money on getting into these )

carries a photocard in the back of his phone case that he switches out every two weeks

LAW  (  me lmaooo  )

the secret stan who would rather die than admit they are a fan

looks around and makes sure everyone else is not around before he slips in his earphones and puts to love bomb by fromis_9

so help no one discovers he loves cute girl groups.

on the outside he’s just 😐😐😒😒 and then the music in his earphones is ✨🌸🎀🍬💖

supper yuppers is his most listened-to song right now, knows the choreography by heart, and every time he hears it he can’t help but do it. secretly he’s a really good dancer

has been caught by the other heart pirates who never let him live in down

KID

the toxic twitter fan who uses charting and views as a defense against other groups and their fans that he doesn’t like

“FLOP”

not only is he fighting other fandoms, but he is also fighting other fans within his OWN fandom

refuses to accept the fact that his faves have released a song he doesn’t like. therefore he will force himself to listen to it 20 times and like it just to be different

broke as hell. will probably never be able to get tickets to any of his faves concerts, is always watching them illegally on someone’s live stream

has a fake light stick because he’s too broke to buy the official one plus it looks real enough 

VIVI

the dance cover stan who learns the choreographies the day they are released and post them on tiktok and instagram

tends to dress in similar outfits as the members of the group

she posts a lot of those “kpop in public” videos to her youtube channel of half a million subscribers

was a big wiz*one. was absolutely devastated when they disbanded

loves female soloists, chungha and somi are her faves

JINBE

the well-seasoned fan who has been here in the community for YEARS

misses the good old days of when 1st gen was coming to an end and 2nd gen was starting up

a sechskies fan, nearly cried when they got back together for a reunion

is still around, isn’t really stanning any new groups though. kind of just there for the music. last group he stanned was probably girls’ generation

the one at the concert who doesn’t record or hold his phone out because he just wants to enjoy the moment

also, the protective one at the concert who doubles as security and makes sure everyone around him is safe and not in any need of medical attention

KIKU

the stan that other stan look up to and aspire to be despite her usually always being broke because she spends any money she has left on merchandise

she’s the one who has a fandom of her own somehow

has the aesthetic room you’d see on pinterest with posters, tapestries, and vinyl on the walls

is always dressed her best

she’s an f(x) and red velvet fan. f(x)’s pink tape was the first album she ever listened to and she hadn’t looked back since

does the fandom selca days with all of her biases from every group she stans

decorated her photocard toploaders with cute little stickers and they always look so pretty

© MANGEKYUOU. / ☻

[seokwoosmole]

Thoughts on Xdinary Heroes' "Overload"

It's been a bit since Xdinary Heroes dropped "Overload" so thought I'd drop my opinion on it.

Zzz... - Not gonna lie, I did not get the hype with this one at first. It took a few listens for me to understand its charm. I listened to it with the English lyric video and learning the song's meaning definitely helped in my appreciation of the song. Is it my favorite song on the album? No. But I like it a lot more now than I did on the first listen.

Hair Cut - So good. Like amazing. Literally, the only cringey/objectively bad part is the "Get a haircut!" part in THAT voice. I love Gun-il and I wanted him to have more lines but this is not what I meant haha. If that line was said in a Strawberry Cake-esque screamo-type tone instead with more edge then I think it would have been waaaaay better and cringe eliminated. I want to love the song 100% cause the lyrics and the meaning of the song are super good. I love listening to the whole song then the chorus comes around and I'm like "oof". I know it will grow on me, but I was expecting show-stopping award winning from this album and show stoppers don't have to grow on you. However, the delivery, performance from the boys, and music video, and again, the lyrics (beautifully self-written by them) are more than enough to win me over. It's still a great quality song from them. A bit campy? Yes, but still good.

LUNATIC - This song was so reminiscent of western rock songs I loved listening to before I got into kpop and I adore it so much!! I'm not totally obsessed with it, but I can't find fault in it either. Solid song overall.

Crack in the mirror - One of my favorites. Not only is the song good just listening to it, I absolutely love the lyrics as well. Similar to LUNATIC, I love the 2000s rock vibes. Might be one of my favorites on the album.

GHOST - THIS is my #1 favorite on the album for sure. I keep saying it and I WILL keep saying it. I love a group that writes their own lyrics and I'm so glad that XH does their due diligence by contributing to song writing. Also, I just love the way this song sounds. Alternating between this edgy singing style and the falsettos is just soooo pleasing to the ear and instrumentally, this song is amazing too. I can see why it's not the title track cause it's not as explosive, but it is an A+ B-side to me.

X-MAS - I am such a sucker for 21st century Christmas songs. Especially Christmas songs by rock groups. I will absolutely be banging this during December. It has enough holiday vibes to make it on my Christmas playlist, but also it sets a far enough boundary from your average Christmas song for it to be played anytime of the year. The vocals are just AHHHHHHHH. So amazing. Also the beginning feels like it was sprinkled with MCR vibes. I can't put my finger on it, but it just has the vibe and I love it.

Overview - Despite any criticisms I might have said about some occasional cringe and campiness, I can't be mad at it. One of the great things about rock, is that it is unapologetically honest, loud, and rebellious by nature. And I love that Xdinary Heroes so far, at least in terms of their discography and the themes in their concepts, has stayed true to that sentiment. They're shamelessly bold and embrace the weird. Concept and genre changes are not uncommon with music artists, but I hope they always stay true to that inner weirdo rockstar because if this album did anything, it was show that Xdinary Heroes is a talented and unique group of musicians and very much so needed. It felt like the music jumped right out of a Tim Burton film and the freaky carnival/Edward Scissorhands aesthetic was something I'd have never expected but I adored it and it worked in their favor so well. The over-arching message of Hair Cut – breaking free from the darkness in your mind that holds you back (and putting that metaphor in the form of hair) is not only really genius, but so important for the youth (their primary audience) to hear. They're making their mark in the industry and I love being apart of that journey.

[jwoongz]

Hello. I've been wanting to get into SF9 for awhile now and I was wondering, what would you recommend variety show wise / music wise.

Hi, hi!! Welcome new Fantasy so happy to have you here. I hope you know that getting this ask makes me immeasurably happy. My sf9 boys are beyond talented and it brings me a lot of joy to be able to recommend things to you!! I'm sorry this ending being horribly long and has a million links, but I hope you find it helpful!

Variety Shows:

League of SF9egends

Secret Code 9

Trip With Fantasy

SF9 Fact in Star <- Be prepared to die of laughter.

Mafia Dance (Poor Chani this whole episode ;-;)

SF9 Sangsa

They will also be on Weekly Idol next week, July 13th, so check them out!! :D

Title Tracks: These are personal favorites!

Summer Breeze

RPM

Mamma Mia (They said their new comeback has a similar style and I'm excited)

Easy Love

Savior This is actually a Universe release! But the video and song are sooooo good.

B-Sides: These are some that I really love. I tried to pick from a variety of their albums so there is a good spread. :)

My Song, My Story (It's actually one of my favorites in all of kpop)

Shadow

On and On (Inseong and Youngbin)

Fire

Jungle Game

Play Hard

Love Again

Liar

Some Really Amazing Performances: Quite a few of these are covers but, I feel like you get a better idea of a group's talent when they are out of their elements so I wanted to include them. :)

"The Stealer" Kingdom Legendary War

"Move" Kingdom Legendary War (Best performance from the whole show imo)

"Love Shot" KCON 2019 NY × M COUNTDOWN

"Good Guy" Comeback Stage

"RPM" SF9 LIVE FANTASY #2 UNIXERSE

"Fanfare" Debut Stage

"K.O." Debut Stage (Literally some of the most insane choreography in kpop)

"Be Mine/Growl/I Need You" KCON Japan 2017

Dramas: This may be a little on the extra side since I know that watching dramas is a whole new level of commitment, but SF9 are frequently in dramas... likely more than any other group. It feels like such a huge part of who they are so I wanted to include it! These boys have been in so many!! You can get a full list here, but some fantastic dramas they have been in are:

Hwiyoung & Chani / Imitation - they were part of a project group called "Shax". Hwiyoung even gets his own romance sub-plot, and it is just the CUTEST.

Rowoon / Extra-ordinary You - He has been in a ton of dramas, but this one is my favorite. It's about comic book characters who are trying to change their destiny.

Dawon /Doom at Your Service - This one is about a girl who is dying who makes a deal with a god of doom. Dawon plays the little brother and has an adorable bromance with the male lead. It's such a cutesy character, but the show is pretty top tier and he does such a good job!

[ithinkilikeit-reactions]

My Top 15 Boygroup/Solo Songs (2021)

Remember guys, this is just my personal list.  Let me know what yours are! Love sharing music with eachother etc so let’s all just have fun. 

TOP 15 

1. Beautiful Beautiful - ONF (ONF:MY NAME) April 28th

This is truly no surprise. Anyone who has followed me for a little while knows the way I feel about ONF and their music. As far as ONF goes, this is their best title track yet. It’s fun, upbeat and encouraging. It’s such a hopeful song and something very needed in 2021. The acapella and harmonies throughout the song make it unique and have added to the reasons this is  my favorite songs/albums of 2021. The repackage as well is absolutely genius with songs that connect with eachother like The Realist and The Dreamer. Not to mention the fun pre-release My Name. I can’t imagine the next 1,5 years without new ONF music but I truly will be sad. 

2. Nerves - DPR Ian (Moodswings in This Order) March 12 

Not really Kpop but it’s here. DPR Ian made his long awaited solo debut and holy shit. This album is the most raw, emotional thing I have ever listened too. Every song on the album is so well done, but Nerves is probably my favorite. The raw emotion and the sound of Ian’s voice cracking at his words. It hits my soul. He’s also just so incredibly open with his mental issues and he really let his feelings out in this album. Not to mention the visuals with the album are stunning. Honourable mentions: Welcome to the show  Dope Lovers  Scaredy Cat  He said he’s working on another one and I can’t wait, like really can’t wait. 

3. Moonshot - N.Flying (Man on the Moon) June 7th 

I also don’t think this is a surprise. N.Flying finally got their first full album and I just think it took entirely too long for them to have one. But it totally didn’t disappoint. I have an emotional attachement to N.Flying and for them to release such an empowering song when I really needed it, meant alot. N.Flying always hit and their other song from this year Sober almost made this list, but I decided to put in Moonshot because it resonates a little more. Other songs on this album I recommend are: Comma,  Flashback  Blue Scene I even ordered both versions of this album to support them. I also recommend watching their process of recording this album, it gave a lot of perspective. 

4. 0x1=Lovesong - TXT (ft. Seori) (The Chaos Chapter: Fight or Escape) August 17th

Now, I only really got into TXT this year. It majorly has to do with their change in sound. I love the rock elements and the feeling this song gave me. It gave me goosebumps the first time I listened to it. Sadly, the rest of the album wasn’t for me but Lovesong made up for all of that. I listen to this song soooo often, I even enjoy the remix with pH-1 and Woodie Gochild it’s just sooooo good. I hope they keep up this sound, like they did LO$ER=LO♥ER. This music video is also my favorite of theirs, the colors, the found family feeling. Truly amazing. 

5. Paranoia - Kang Daniel (Yellow) February 16th 

Daniel is also an artist I got more into this year, mainly because of Paranoia. Paranoia was a great choice for pre-release and this song gave me goosebumps. The visuals with it, the hard work Daniel put into it, he deserves the recognition. The theme is so dark but so honest to how he feels and it just hits so hard. Not to mention the song is just so good and he looked absolutely stunning. I’m not above superficial reasons lmao. Antidote and Save U (ft. Wonstein) are other amazing songs on this album. 

6. Popping! - ONF (Summer Popup Album)  August 9th

Shouldn’t be surprised this is here either. ONF really outdid themselves this year. They worked so incredibly hard and this album shows it. They went through alot of trials this album as well but they worked through it and dropped my favorite summer song possibly ever. Summer Shape  Dry Ice  Summer Poem are amazing songs on this album, totally worth checking out. Please do, they worked so hard. I guarantee at least one song will make you smile. 

7. Hula Hoops (ft. Hwasa, Beenzino) - DPR Live (Iite Cool) July 23rd

DPR Live, sir where do I start. DPR dropped this album with the notion that they just wanted to have fun and have fun they did. This album is fun and lighthearted, just what everyone needed in this last year. The whole album is a fun party and the DPR crew worked so hard for this. Listen to this album for a fun time, I recommend: Yellow Cab  Summer Tights  Boom (ft. DPR Ian) All fun songs with totally different vibes. Music videos are perfect too. 

8. Cinema - CIX (`HELLO' Chapter Ø. Hello, Strange Dream) February 2nd

I’ve mentioned this song alot on my blog, Cinema feels like a warm hug. The best way I can describe this song is, going on your first date to the movies and being too shy to even look at eachother and going in for your very first kiss. Just such a wholesome song. I listen to it for comfort and watch CIX’s content for comfort as well. Stairway to heaven and Young are great songs on this album, I highly recommend. I also have gotten into CIX wayy more this year and to say I adore them is an understatement. 

9. Do or Not - Pentagon (Love or Take) March 15

Pentagon and their amazing songs. Look songs like this tickle that special part in my brain. Do or Not is the perfect song, it’s fun and colorful while not being overbaring. All members got their moment to shine and it’s just so good!!! 1+1 Sing-a-song and Baby I love you are great songs on the album. The album is also just so cute, the whole design of it even. Can’t wait for them to come back. 

10. Advice - Taemin (Advice) May 18 

It’s not a list without something SHINee related and low and behold here it is. The piano in Advice is really what does it for me, not to mention Taemin’s styling to be totally honest. I loved everything about this video. It’s the clean white background while he’s covered in paint and then the other way around. Sad Kids and If I could tell you (ft. Taeyeon) are beautiful songs that show Taemin’s artistry. 

11. Inside Out - Nu’est (Romanticize) April 19th

Nu’est have become one of my favorite groups of all time. I love that their songs are so lowkey and they aren’t in your face. They’re calm and relaxed and just very good like background music. I love Inside Out a lot as the concept really sat with me, not to mention the vocals and visuals that came into play. Not to mention every member got a solo this album: here is Aron’s because I’m so biased: I’m Not . Another good song on the album is Black. Shoutout to Aron for climbing into my ult list as well. 

12. Outsider - BtoB (4U: Outside) August 30th

BtoB had a comeback and I am the happiest person ever. Anyone who has followed me for a few years will know my connection to BtoB and I missed them. Outsider follows that jazzy vibe they’ve always had and emphasized it. Changsub and Eunkwang’s vocals are truly magical and the music video is so insanely fun. My baby Peniel absolutely dominated his rap, especially with the adlibs. Can’t Breathe and Traveler are my favorite b-sides.

13. Teardrop - SF9 (Turn Over) July 5

Runway song of the year, ass shaking music but make it high fashion. Not to mention the choreo. Icons and icons only, this being their comeback after Kingdom too. SF9 forever not getting the attention they deserve. Ughh I love them so much. Love Again, Believer and Off My Mind are amazing b-sides I highly recommend. I also recommend watching every Hwiyoung fancam of Teardrop that you can. You know  for clean skin. Here is a playlist where you can do that

14. All In - DKB (the dice is cast) March 30th

DKB, my sons. They dropped this absolute banger. It gives me old kpop, like 2013 - 2015. DKB are so well developed already, sound wise and choreography. They are so impeccable. I really loved watching them grow from their last comebacks. I hope that with Brave Girls’ recent success that people will check out their little brothers. Anyways, I recommend Flower Less and Real Love off of the album. Please show DKB a lot of love!

15. Atlantis - SHINee (Atlantis) April 12th

Okay it was a toss up between ‘Don’t call me’ and this, but I picked this because it gave me more the authentic SHINee sound. I loved the music video and all the fun little details in it. Also this isn’t a list without SHINee, it’s not valid if they aren’t on it. Body Rhythm, CØDE and Kiss Kiss  are my favorite songs on the album but Body Rhythm takes the cake, never have I heard a more wavy song. 

Favorite debuts

Kingdom ‘Excalibur’ February 17th

Kingdom really got me this year. Their music is absolutely impeccable, the boys are amazing, they’re concept is insane and I love it. I found them to be entirely unique even in dynamic and they have made one of my favorite songs of all time Night Air (Acoustic Version) I can’t wait to see where their concept takes them, because it’s just so interesting. 

Mirae ‘Killa’ March 17th

Mirae are another one of my favorite discoveries. DSP Media sucks, but their groups don’t. This song reminded me of NCT 127′s Superhuman and I think that’s why I enjoyed it so much. The futuristic vibe to the video and everything also really tickled my pickle. Not to mention I also just adore their content on their channel, it’s just so fun and comforting. 

D.O ‘Rose’ July 26th 

Now, the long awaited solo debut of D.O. This was right up my alley, the acoustic guitars and the comforting lyrics just hit me in the feels. I’m so sad he didn’t promote. This album was also just impeccable and managed to make me absolutely sob my heart out to one specific song: Dad. I hope D.O has more solos in the future because I just adore his voice so much. 

[donghyuckkies]

Hi there!

Seventeen, Ateez, and Shinee for the ask game if you haven’t done them already?

Also, a photo of Seungkwan just for you!

omg hello that seungkwan pic is lowkey making me blush 😳😳😳

seventeen:

favorite member / bias line kwan > chan > cheol

which member I’d fight (& why) chan cuz he just has that "it's on sight" effect on me

favorite song(s) so so so many of them ;A; here's a playlist i made of my faves

favorite thing about the group they're literally sooooooo in love with eachother and work together so well as a cohesive unit despite the amount of members it's really amazing. like they each have such distinct personalities and i'm sure it must've taken a while for them to learn to appreciate eachother but it's one of their greatest strengths cuz they all contribute their own colours to create amazing works of art. they're another group who continue to raise the bar for kpop groups when it comes to performances with their steady vocals and insanely detailed choreographies. there also isn't a single weak link in the group, like regardless of units each member is a strong dancer and singer. i was late to the carat live but i don't think i'll ever leave cuz i love these boys so much <3

something i’d like to see from them more vacations for them please

ateez:

favorite member / bias line woo > joong > hwa

which member I’d fight (& why) woo and joong lol i feel like i could take them and also would enjoy it

favorite song(s) one again i have a playlist here of my faves

favorite thing about the group they're just so??? dumb and lovely and cute??? and their concepts fucking slap lbr similar to skz they've really got a handle on their sound and it's so uniquely theirs. like they're still pretty young so ofc there's going to be releases that might be more "commercial" in sound as they're trying to expand their audience (imo this was fireworks and deja vu, and maybe even thanxx and inception) but even then they still stick to their style and i love it so much! they're just really cool and fun

something i’d like to see from them moooooore spooky edgy space pirates pls omg

shinee:

favorite member / bias line jonghyun > key > taemin

which member I’d fight (& why) taemin cuz who wouldn't fight taemin

favorite song(s) yes you've guessed it: i've got another playlist here

favorite thing about the group they were the very first group i stanned when i got into kpop back in 2012 and omg they've never let me down we ignore 2013 title track everybody in this house trough the years they've consistently been releasing my fave albums. and don't even get me started on how much i love these boys outside of their musical talents! i'm just so incredibly proud of them and will cry if i think too much about all the things i've been through with them. they've also just been pushing the boundaries of kpop and raising the bar for the industry since debut (which btw was the best debut in kpop fight me). on top of that they each have incredible solo careers! (oh and never forget that their first solo albums were all connected to eachother in design and titles ;A;)

something i’d like to see from them literally nothing but good things for them please they deserve all the love and admiration and happiness in the world

[bisexualhobi]

aespa savage quick review, track by track

aenergy: perfect intro. it sets the tone for the entire album and it's a really good hype song. would never work as the title track tho (as I've seen people say). it's short and sweet and definitely packs a punch. favorite part: the put your hands in the air! bit

savage: whoever came up with oh my gosh don't you know I'm a savage for the intro is a genius. very anaconda. gonna see it in a lot more kpop songs now. people are saying it's sticker all over again. it is not. this is actually good for starters. savage is what any other group couldn't make work if their lives depended on it but for aespa it feels natural and effortless. noise music for ggs done right is a rare sight but I wouldn't even fit this in the noise category. it's just a good mix of trap and hyperpop elements. pussy part of the song: ningning's high note and giselle's second verse.

I'll make you cry: amazing vocals. ningning and winter didn't come to play. you can tell they graduated from the yoo young jin school of vocals WITH HONORS. probably the weakest song in the album structure wise. it's a bop but the instrumental feels lacking in some parts. love the little 80s synth throwback tho. overall it's still good but something about the melody isn't clicking yet for me

YEPPI YEPPI: I'm screaming, any company would KILL to get this as a title track for their groups and here is sm throwing it in the middle of the album as a b-side 😭 they said rip to all ggs but aespa is different. you can tell they had the most fun recording this and I love how you can feel the girls' personalities shine through in this (which is something they've been criticized a lot for cause apparently they're not very relatable). this is a banger and they absolutely devoured but nothing outstanding or innovative. just good old classic gg music

iconic: this is so fucking good, yg samples included. definitely similar in style to your classic bp song but it provides a punch that only aespa can work. really sets them apart from other ggs and it's all thanks to giselle who single handedly beat the SM has no female rappers allegations. we love to see it. it's the perfect badass girl song and I think they're definitely gonna perform this in music shows

lucid dream: the crown jewel of the album. red velvet, snsd and f(x) are looking down from the heavens proud as shit. one thing SM singers are gonna do is take an r&b song and MAKE IT THEIRS. this is my favorite song off the entire album and I would actually love if it had another beat layered for added depth, cause it really gets me where it wants to but it leaves me wanting even more. also, ningning is gonna be the first aespa girlie to have her solo. calling it right now

this is a 10/10 for me. aespa are monster rookies and you should talk to them VERY nicely

[yukiakaren]

Kpop title track ranking: NU’EST

In this series I’ll be ranking kpop groups/soloists title tracks based on my taste.

As someone who has been into Kpop around ten years at this point (oh do I feel old saying that) and knowing them pretty much from the moment I became a Kpop fan, ranking NU’EST songs makes awful lot of sense, right? And they truly have a nice title track selection, so it’s just about how I feel about these great great songs.

Good Bye Bye - Oh I’m so biased for this as this was my first NU’EST comeback as a fan. I also have the tendency to gravitate towards dark and moody songs like this one.

Love Me - It’s so good! So sweet, so cheery and so catchy!

Inside Out - I’m blanking out. It’s just so good.

Sleep Talking - Oh I’m so biased for this part 2. I don’t know why I have such a soft spot for this one, as I have nostalgia for all their other earlier songs too, but this is just somehow more special. It’s just so cheery, up-beat and fun, I love it!

I’m In Trouble - I’m blanking out. It’s just so good part 2

Bet Bet - Oh Bet Bet is just so good. I’ve really got nothing to say here other than that.

Overcome - Why haven’t I listened to this more often? It’s soo good! I’m baffled right now. Yes, I’ve listened to it when it came out but I definitely haven’t given it as much love as I should have over the years.

Hello - For some reason the young me really didn’t like this music video and that made me avoid the song all together for the longest time. Luckily at some point I realized that I should give the song a fair listen and I realized how great of a song Hello is. And this song is so timeless. It could be released today and it wouldn’t sound dated. It’s such a pretty song!

Action - Now I have to say that I always was more the Action-person in the Face vs. Action comparison. And I have to say it seems that I still am. Even with that crazy dance break that maybe hasn’t aged perfectly.

Face - What a way to debut! Such memorable song. Even though it has been years since I’ve listened to it more actively it does hold up quite well even now.

Love Paint - Love Paint is one that never quite clicked with me. The chorus is really nice but as I full thing I don’t find myself wanting to listen to it. Just not one for me I guess.

I left I’m Bad and Alone out as they weren’t really promoted songs. If they were to be on the list Alone would be right above Love Paint and I’m Bad would be on the bottom. Alone truly feels like the beautiful disbandment song that it ended up being and I’m Bad is a fine song, but I just prefer everything else above it.

Couple of amazing b-sides that deserve a shout out:   Love Without Love (aka Darkness) - If I have to name a favorite NU’EST song this is the one I’ll go for. I just love it to bits. But also: Hello Hello, Beautiful Ghost and VVITH

Also, here’s a quick and unexplained ranking for the NU'EST W title tracks: 

Help Me

Dejavu

Where You At

[commajade]

omg amber can u do recommendations for new listener for f(x) and boa too? for boa i know like 3 songs and i like it all, for f(x) i really really like rppp and dracula but i tried some other songs and they dont vibe with me, i feel like im missing out haha. thank youu

omg!!! i would love to!!!!!! honestly for getting into them i recommend just skipping whatever songs u feel like skipping, with older kpop ur ear starts to change and u start to appreciate different things at different times once ur more familiar with the genre/era.

let's go f(x) first!!!!! definitely start with 4 walls (2015) it's the twin of view by shinee and they're both such a cultural reset it started the house music trend in kpop and are kind of the best of kpop house music still tbh. definitely a good first album to try though it's not my fave from them, it's a good way to ease into their sound. watch the 4 walls mv then try glitter, deja vu, and papi.

then i would recommend red light (2014) the title track/mv is so iconic and PLEASE watch the live rock version with luna's incredible bridge it's amazing. if u like dracula you'll like the rest of red light it has most of my favorite bsides, milk butterfly all night vacance dracula spit it out summer lover are all BRILLIANT. all the songs are so successful in experimentation and so well rounded. they use such unexpected sounds in cool ways and the composition/production is so clever.

then u gotta go the myth the legend the unbeatable pink tape (2013). i'm glad u already like rppp!!! if u don't like that kind of pop it's hard to recommend f(x) cuz half of their songs r that kind of high energy edm. pink tape is one of the finest most complete and coherent kpop albums of all time, a lot of people cite it as an example of the ideal kpop album. it has a good balance of edm midtempo pop experimental and ballad and the album sequence tells a complete story. i don't love every song on it but it's one of my top kpop albums of all time. shadow has been my favorite f(x) song forever, it's their best bside for sure. signal, goodbye summer, no more (look up the lyrics for this one it's hilarious) and snapshot are my other recs.

and then the mvs hot summer and electric shock for the iconic catchy choruses and then move on to NU ABO. the sequence of nu abo to mr. boogie to ice cream is like the best sequence of songs in their discog like the first time i heard mr. boogie i had to listen to it 40 times just to get over how much i love it and luna's yelling in the back of ice cream is what made her replace krystal as my bias.

if u listen through the songs i listed u should find at least something u like and you'll have a good base for getting into the rest of the discog if u want to!

now boa!!! for f(x) i just kinda went through most of their discog but it is not possible to do that for boa and so many of her songs are great and i haven't even heard half of them yet so i'll just list some of my faves! this is gonna be both korean and jpn.

start with better!! and try the whole album it's amazing.

then go back to her early hits so u can appreciate her consistent excellence and sheer iconicity. watch the mvs for no. 1, atlantis princess, listen to my heart, my name, girls on top, eat you up, hurricane venus, only one, one shot two shot, and woman. that's literally just all her career defining smash hit genre shaping title tracks.

then for slightly deep cut high profile tracks with mvs try eien, valenti, moto, the shadow, sweet impact, camo, nega dola.

she has so many good bsides it's very difficult but just try putting on the no. 1 album and love and honesty album and kiss my lips album. also watch the live stage for fox (the one with her red flannel fit) and the dance studio video for black! misc other bsides i love: lookbook, always all ways, GARDEN IN THE AIR, rock with you, midnight parade, SOME DAY ONE DAY, like it!, love and hate, all that jazz.