2021 was a bizarre year in the kpop world where nothing was as it usually should be. Girlgroups were at their all-time low constantly getting outperformed by their male counterparts being better than average which I can’t recall happening ever before, well-established teams often disappointed making room for new names to impress, for the first time ever Korean rock performed at a generally decent level and a lot of unknown bands and soloists caught my eye for the first time. Let’s see exactly how it all played out.
Before we get to what matters, we should get the stuff that no one who needs to read will:
- Eligibility period: December 25, 2020 until December 24, 2021. Here I usually say that the dying days don’t matter either way but not this year.
- Qualifications: music video or at the very least a proper live stage. If the group themselves couldn’t have been bothered to get the song out there then I couldn’t have been bothered to listen to it either.
- Stuff which has videos but is still inelligible: OST songs, Christmas music. Covers are on a thin line, I’ll probably include the ones released as official comebacks, anything uploaded as lazy in-between promotion activity may piss off.
- I copied and edited this list from last year and it had an additional point here which no longer applies now but I’m just going to leave it here because who gaf
- My opinions blah blah make your own list if you can’t handle it.
- Have fun.
- Or not.
Honourable mentions
Korea has this weird obsession with specific-sounding seasonal music, in that spring songs have to sound like this, winter like that etc. etc. and the worst of the bunch are probably the curated summer tracks which 99% of the time go for either the awful shrill brass Sistar type of sound or the equally dull tropical house. However, Band Nah just so happen to represent the missing 1% as their song is rocking quite the fair amount, partly due to just cool playing and partly because of the clever arrangement where the chorus actually only happens at the end after both verses which makes it feel as though the song is constantly evolving until the final explosion.
When this song came out, everyone pretty much completely ignored it showing they only pretend to be culturally sensitive for Internet points. Listen up, kids, professor Chungha is teaching us all an important lesson here. Pay attention to how she’s doing music entirely in Spanish but the song doesn’t have any moronic Latin-pop concessions or that stereotypical guitar sound at all. No, instead it has a very nice reggae rhythm with appropriate production choices which happens almost never with kpop reggae. This is what „cultural appreciation” looks like, all the other groups making terrible Hispanic-influenced music are the real racists in question. Be more like Chungha.
Kpop acts have been trying and failing to recreate Charlie Puth’s „Attention” ever since it came out and it took this completely nugu guy to finally do it right. Citi even improves on the formula by taking the good aspects of the original song – the tempo, guitar riff, slightly darker mood – and adding onto everything else so it’s a lot more melodically interesting and disciplined. Now we just need to work on the stage name because I feel like „CityinKid” which apparently shortens to „Citi” is the only thing standing on his path to success.
DPR Live – Yellow Cab
The official hottest person in all of kpop missed the list inclusion by a hair with his own song but he got on as a video director for his buddy from the same DPR team. Normally I wouldn’t really care about such detail but the video is seriously very well-made, with excellent shots and great colour grading. Of course not even the greatest video in the world would grant an instant pass to the list if the song was subpar but „Yellow Cab” definitely is not, being one of the only high quality cruisy and laid-back tracks released this year.
Duckbae, Hyojeong – Redemption
Okay so this should be mandatory listening to anyone who ever plans on using hard autotune in their music. Yes, it usually sucks but it doesn’t have to and Duckbae clearly figured it out by cleverly matching it up with the underlying chords so the autotune becomes a part of the harmony and elevates the understated backing track instead of completely overbearing everything else. Hyojeong’s clear singing part doesn’t ruin it but doesn’t add much either continuing the very unusual trend of male kpop artists performing on average better in 2021.
In case you still had any doubts how odd this year would sometimes get in terms of song quality, Everglow came out with a charity track here and it actually kicks a ton of ass. Maybe the clapping in the pre-chorus is a bit too generic and the dubstep rap breakdown is definitely straight up shithouse but it’s all easy to forgive as soon as the wonderful chorus cuts in. Suddenly the sky is just as blue as in this music video, Unicef has all the funds this song definitely did not provide them and Everglow have a legitimate Youtube view count.
From20 – Because It’ll Be Faster for You to Forget Me Than Me Loving You
Because It’ll Be Faster for Me to Make Fun of This Ridiculous Title Which Makes Zero Sense Than Me Writing a Proper Good Review This Song Deserves.
Hnie Hnig – Nero
Limitations are actually a really good thing sometimes because they can give a sense of direction to your work you wouldn’t have otherwise. Whenever I watch „Nero”, that’s the first thing that comes to mind cause what a brilliant idea it was to write a song about the colour black because the church you filmed it in would be too expensive to properly lit. Fortunately, the darkness extends onto the musical side of things, the song is moody, atmospheric, slow but interesting and really involved on the bass front, I could listen to the instrumental for hours… and frankly, maybe that’s what I should be doing cause the thing which kept it from advancing onto the real deal list are the completely unnecessary scat vocals right at the end of it.
Kpop albums are musically such a complete waste of time, I’m in genuine shock they still manage to sell so well. The pay-off of one maybe sort of not completely terrible album track out of every one hundred and twenty-seven is just not very appealing to me, you know? NCT have their odds double stacked against them here cause in the live performance they’re all sitting in plain white shirts which nearly always suggests an impending disaster but what you end up hearing is some cool groovy bassline which helps the song a great deal and even without it, it would stand its ground melodically. Don’t be fooled, however, pretty much every other live stage album track I happened to hear this year, including some of NCT’s own, was boring filler trash.
This is basically a tropical house song with marimbas and high-pitched synths replaced by electric guitars and a keyboard and it’s great, don’t get me wrong, but also makes me mad cause I now see how close tropical house was to being a respectable music genre.
Professor Lee’s Band – Honey, I Didn’t Buy This, I Swear
Korean variety shows are all completely unbearable bullshit that I don’t believe anyone except for fans forcing themselves to absorb any and all content from their favourite group actually enjoys. There’s never any good humour in them and what is shown is always just the very obnoxious „look how zany and crazzzzzy we are haha” type of deal which couldn’t possibly impress anyone above the age of 5. I’ve been so used not to having anything legitimately funny come out of Korea that I nearly fell off my chair when I realised this guy has a joke with a set-up, build-up and even a proper pay-off (turn subs on for this one). Even better that it’s paired with a really cool punk/ska hybrid song.
Purple Kiss – Cast Pearls Before Swine
Purple Kiss wear some truly hideous sports clothing here, their choreography is stupid but not in the Momoland way where it would be fun to follow alongside and they couldn’t even get to film the video at a nice-looking location. Fortunately, they also have a pretty damn great keyboard melody kicking at all of the song’s pivotal points which is just so infectious it’s really hard to be mad at anything else happening here.
Seoul Magic Club – Que Sera Sera
If I were to ever create a list of the most oddball kpop video concepts (and that would actually be a rank worth looking into cause boy, are there some weird ones), synchronized swimming would probably sneak its way on there. Seoul Magic Club seemingly agreed it was way too distracting cause soon after, they did another music video for it and that’s nice of them. You certainly don’t want anything to get in your way when you’re appreciating the amazing guitar work and clever strings arrangement.
Seventeen – Anyone
Seventeen look better than ever and having them hop onto a race track was also a fantastic idea cause it undeniably equips them with a styling better than their usual boring beige casual wear. They also just so happen to have interesting music for the first time in their career and most of what they did in the past few months have been considerably above average, with „Anyone” ultimately ending up as my favourite of the bunch with the excellent chorus riff pushing it above and beyond. More of this next year please.
Sinchontiger, Rani – Fill the Summer
I tend not to like disco as much as the next person because of its overreliance on rhythm. Sure, it’s always good to hear a good driving bassline but it often comes at a price of overlooking the melody and harmony. Not here, though – the ever-present piano creates a solid melodic foundation, upon which the strings further build. Everything moves at a brisk speed, it’s breezy, light and puts a smile on my face. Mind-blowing, I know, but worry not, I come back to being a grumpy asshole as soon as it is over.
Skull, Anthony B, Kannon – Ganja
Now pause… a song about loving weed? In my kpop?? That can’t be. I have been told the Korean music industry is entirely drug-free and there is surely no problem with it whatsoever. So many controversies in kpop happen pretty much on a daily basis yet I have never read on even a single one regarding marihuana, this has got to be a mistake, right? I better tell everybody about this filthy music with cool reggae groove and some delicious bass sprinkled in there too so that everyone knows about this shameful track their favourite idol would never relate to and avoids it just as much as a label like YG avoids weed itself.
A major problem which has been a constant in kpop since „I Got a Boy” (and I really wish I could finally lay that shit song to rest and not have to mention it ever again) is the need to always change tempo, genres and moods in really haphazard ways which aren’t earned and don’t make much sense. It’s almost refreshing to hear a song like this now – one that remains consistent from start to finish and instead of flashing quick quirks focuses on actually being a song, with proper melody and harmony. I guess these dudes are some crypt keepers – you know, around 34 years old – who remember better days.
I’ll admit I was quite put-off by the trap beat on my first listen of this but I quickly warmed up to it because, and you may need to hold on to your chair right now cause this is going to be a shocking statement, it was used sensibly here. I would never think matching trap with classical music would be the way to go but it very much works in a way neither of those styles do by themselves. The trap sections add a bit more groove to it while the classical elements make the melodic grounding up and both of those elements cancel each other’s weaknesses out making for a cool, if unexpected combination.
Although it certainly may seem so, I don’t actually hate excessive vocalisations as a rule. It’s just that hardly ever do they actually match within the musical context of what they’re performed in. Here’s how to do it properly – there’s quite a bit of vocal dramatics in the chorus but it goes so well with the guitar riff I wouldn’t mind it pushed even further in that direction. Then again, the solo here is so good too, maybe I’d rather have more instrumental sections in it. Surely either way would work and fortunately, so does how it actually turned out.
A direct rip-off of Ava Max’s „So Am I” with the same weaknesses (the verses being just sort of random and not ending up amounting to much) but also with the same strength which is the killer of a chorus. Both songs are roughly equally good but if I were to choose, I’d probably say I even like the Weeekly variation a little more. It’s just a bit more well-written and features a great outro where the harmony gets even better that Ava’s original did not have.
Dishonourable mentions
2PM are now considered pretty much geriatric by the industry standards which has its perks – they can finally look and dress like grown men and probably won’t have to worry about fitting into ridiculous stage outfits ever again. However, that also means no one will ever care to writer a proper song for them again and for however long they decide to keep the train going, it’s only going to be jazzy slow shit like this which probably wouldn’t even pass as acceptable background material for your grandma inviting her friends over to a cup of tea.
For a lot of people, vocals are what they notice about a song first and I understand that. It’s often the element of the track pushed front and centre and it’s in fact the most human element of it as well, which I suppose resonates more strongly than the more musically involved parts. I happen not to care most of the time – give me a poorly sung but well-written song any day – but sometimes even I can’t get past some things. It’s not even the vocal tone that bothers me, it’s how these guys use their voices and what came out of my speakers were some really pathetic whimpers that really just sound ridiculous and make it a serious challenge to focus on anything but them. Granted, there’s nothing worth your time in the instrumental side of things, either, so let’s just move on.
South Korea has time and time again proven to be a very misogynistic anti-feminist country. You’d think in the 21st century, it wouldn’t need to be stated but as it appears differently, let me be the one to remind those awful pigs that women are just as valuable as men! For example, Since is a female rapper and throughout the year she gave us more than enough evidence that she can make shitty trap just as well as any of her male counterparts, and this just so happened to be the worst of it. In Korea, most people would probably walk right past her but here, I’m proud to announce female artists are capable of making some of the year’s worst music much like anyone else.
The Boyz – Thrill Ride
The Boyz kick off with an excellent beat, making you think you’re about to embark on a real thrill ride… but as soon as the singing starts, it’s a one-way ticket straight to Children TV Land. To pull this off, the song would require either a stronger – way stronger – melody which doesn’t sound like some awful twee or, even better, no melody at all and just become a 100% rap track. As it stands, no amount of Eric’s armpit flashing can quite salvage the pure annoyance of listening to it.
The sound that NCT tried about 78 times in the past 5 years and had maybe three successful attempts total shockingly isn’t any better when you’ve got maybe a tenth of the budget.
The trend of idols turned children TV singers continued throughout 2021 and united pretty much every group, from the ones who made the honourable mentions list to some other ones who made the dishonourable mentions list, everyone wanted their own cartoon theme. Enhypen happened to have some of the very worst of it and frankly, I don’t even need to explain why this sucks as much as it does. It takes just about 5 seconds of listening for you to figure that out on your own.
If you’re going to make a song that exists for no other purpose than to vocally impress, first, don’t do it, second, don’t do it and third, make sure what you’re singing may actually vocally impress someone. Grand Beauty failed on all three levels and the multiple layered vocal tracks are all for none as all of them are made to sing the same terrible nursery rhyme melody without any sort of technical difficulty and the vocal engineer seemingly wisely decided not to even bother correcting or enhancing any of that and good for their saved time, I guess, but poor anyone who stumbles upon it expecting anything worth their time.
Gray, Coogie – I Don’t Love You
Being attractive in my book isn’t always a good thing for the artist in question, as it means I’m probably more likely to remember when they do that inevitable crappy R&B/trap-infused filler track that never should have left the studio. It’s hard for me to even find any visual value in this as the video is mostly unnecessarily dark and when Gray actually does appear on screen, he’s shot from quite the distance so I can hardly see him even then. Go back to flashing your tits and don’t waste my time.
The video opens with a shot of a band and someone tuning their guitar and you just know you’re in for a rock explosion. It surely must be coming in just a bit. This part right here can’t be anything more than an intro before the real rock starts. Man, I just can’t wait until the song truly takes off, I’m positive it will be moshing like nothing I’ve ever heard before. I can feel it’s just about to begin… wait, why is the video suddenly over.
When I first heard „Mafia in the Morning”, the only thing I could think of was that I was unnecessarily harsh when I put „Icy” on this same list two years ago. While I still don’t like that song one bit, it’s honestly solid gold compared to „Mafia in the Morning”. The same three notes repeating all through the thing get nauseating before you even get to the pre-chorus which usually suggests a breath of relief in the song of this sort but here, that’s just sub-bass and nothing else really going on, making the entire thing feel like an incredibly weak, limp version of Blackpink’s „Ddu-Du Ddu-Du”. And speaking of, buckle up, blinks. Your favourite girls are quite the theme of this year’s low end of the list.
The inclusion of Jay Park in the music video for this creates for a really interesting contrast. As a „free” artist of over a decade, Jay Park is able to at least pretend he’s a real hip-hop and most of his stupid arms flapping seems fairly natural. Contrary, JayB comes straight from rigorous idol training and without a set dance routine, the scenes where he stands beside Jay Park reveal how awkward and out-of-place he really looks. Apologies for focusing on that instead of the musical content but if such a decidedly unimportant detail was able to catch my attention to a far bigger extent than the song, you can probably tell what I’d think of it.
Only just far enough from being a Christmas release to qualify for the list, Hyewon must have heard me complain about how nearly all of kpop ballads have a problem with excessive layering where actually a lot is happening but it’s all introduced in such small ways it amounts to pretty much nothing and wisely attempts a different approach – having all the instruments play at the same volume all the time creating a mix so cluttered I didn’t even know was possible for a ballad. The only saving grace here is that Hyewon can’t sing at all so she mostly just leaves the mess behind her to do the work. Imagine how much worse it could have been.
I usually just skip the „official visualiser” songs altogether cause if you don’t think your track is worth the effort of giving it a proper video, why should I think your track is worth a proper review. However, I decided to slip this one through the cracks just because it seems too shit to even exist, and that needs to be called out. Pretty much a spiritual opposite of the Duckbae song from honourable mentions, autotune fills up every free space of the track and instead of being just a little flavour, it becomes the appetizer, main course and dessert and no one wants to hear that.
Leenalchi – Please Don’t Go
I’m sure one day this group are going to come out saying they were a Harvard project or something like that and we will all laugh. One day.
Some Loona stans complained about this song when it came out but nearly all of their concerns summed up to two things: Middle Eastern appropriation and some members having no singing time. Obviously, both of those were unimportant details – for once, if I were in Loona, I’d want to have as little to do with this shit as possible and no actual Middle Eastern person was in any way offended by the instrumental choices. What Loona should’ve appropriated instead, however, is some good music cause this shithouse, half-speed version of „Kill This Love” doesn’t quite cut it.
Some songs you just know right from the very first second are going to be terrible. Majors certainly don’t make a great case for themselves starting off with a cheap-sounding brass sample which wouldn’t even have been acceptable a couple years back when hooks like that were in and from then on, it descends into other equally trashy past pop trends, resulting in a track which provides a real challenge to like even for someone who actively wants to support the less fortunate.
I was ready to write this bland Bigbang circa 2010 balladeering off as nothing to get worked up over either way but then I got to the chorus where a thousand weird and awkwardly placed keyboard notes started playing, suddenly a drum appeared and this dude tried his best to vocally rise above this wall of noise and it quickly turned into a really quite painful listen.
Shin Hyunhee – Happy!
Shin Hyunhee is a half of Seenroot, a duo occupying a lower tier of the AKMU/BOL4 mansion of duos Korea actually listens to sometimes but no international stan gives a solidary fuck about. While they never managed a song as good as „Travel” or „Happening”, they were also never quite this shitty. As soon as those awful nursery rhyme melodies start, you know it’s a trip straight to the kindergarten except children don’t actually really want to listen to anything like it and anyone above the age of maybe 8 would just actively hang their head in shame.
Too many cooks spoil the broth and although the three hundred invited guests here, among whom there’s Dami from Dreamcatcher and a bunch of other people no one gives a crap about, don’t get to do anything beyond some barely audible backing vocals, it seems as though the track is entirely coasting on the slight ray of hope you might give a rat’s ass about it because of who is featured. Bad luck here cause I do not and what I’m left with is a dull beat and some pseudo-artistic self-important rambling over it. „Buffalo”, alright.
Where’s the airport security when you need them.
kpop for the average joe 