2023 kpoprates

Username: vayyiqra

Month: July

NMIXX - Roller Coaster: 10 I've been super into Nmixx this year after finding them only a novelty group before then, which I did enjoy because they're super funny in that mode. But their music whips now I'm not sure what they did but they have been on fire lately. This song also rules because it's house-influenced and has sick bass and I never get tired of that in K-pop so

Kiss of Life - Shhh: 9 I can't listen to this group without thinking of the Sade song of the same name - just me? No but they're good I haven't gotten too into them but I've liked what I've heard. The vocal harmonies are smooth, the bass is chunky, this bangs

NewJeans - Super Shy: 10 Get Up was my favourite K-pop project of last year (as well as Unlock My World) and I listened to it dozens of times and every track on it rules and this is no exception.

EXO - Cream Soda: 8 I don't listen to these guys enough but these lyrics ... I'm giving them a good score partly because I lolled

ZEROBASEONE - In Bloom: 8 They were bold as hell to try that sample but somehow it worked

Odd Eye Circle - Air Force One: 10 I wasn't super into OEC when their first album came out but they grew on me a lot and this mini was one of the best of last year and while it's not my favourite track (that's Je Ne Sais Quoi), it is a slapper

Jungkook - Seven (ft. Latto): 4 This is a cursed collab and the lyrics are not good (listening days of the week then "fucking you right" what?) but the beat is alright so it's not unbearable

MISAMO - Do not touch: 6 Being real for a long time I thought Misamo was some J-rock group and not a subunit of Twice and I am a fairly big fan of Twice so that's embarrassing but anyway this is alright

NCT Dream - ISTJ: 8 I like NCT but can't support the Myers-Briggs typology, sorry I have a degree in psychology and it is bunk, but this song bangs so

NewJeans - ETA: 11 Recyling my comment: "Get Up was my favourite K-pop project of last year (as well as Unlock My World) and I listened to it dozens of times and every track on it rules and this is no exception. Sound of the summer."

Treasure - Bona Bona: 6 I have a pet hypothesis that K-pop songs with reduplication in the title are highly likely to be bangers and have a whole playlist of them and this does have those uptempo parts that do bang but also those parts that are like a knockoff of Kill This Love and the rock part at the end is kind of cool so it's like. overall an alright song I guess

ITZY - Cake: 10 Yeah it's dumb but I have this love of Itzy both when they're unironically good and also when they're very silly and goofy (example: Sneakers) and this is basically a meme song to me that's catchy and not serious. It gets stuck in my head and the video is fun so screw it it's a 10

Month: August

Kwon Eunbi - The Flash: 9 I am a big fan of Eunbi and really wanted to like this song when it came out and found it kind of mid and yeah it's not on the level of Glitch but what is? So I am liking it more now! It's pretty good the production is great and it has the energy I want from Eunbi so

Jeon Somi - Fast Forward: 10 I don't like a lot of Somi's music but I heard this one time while I was eating noodles in a Chinese restaurant and thought this bangs what is this I have to hear this. Then I looked it up and saw it was Somi and lolled because it was unexpectedly such a banger ! You might derisively think "H&M music" well do I look like I care

V - Love Me Again: 2 I have nothing against this man but I have been avoiding this song since it came out for no reason and having heard it it's rather underwhelming

STAYC - Bubble: 9 Idk why I don't listen to this group more they're fun and this slaps

tripleS - Girls' Capitalism: 10 This is brilliant, lmao, I love this group's whole concept and yeah I know something NFTs but whatever they make good music

aespa - Better Things: 8 I really like aespa but this isn't one of their best tracks, but still it's fun

Everglow - Slay: 8 This is like a Blackpink song (complimentary) wow that bass is crunchy

Jihyo - Killin' Me Good: 9 Jihyo is my bias in Twice but I haven't bothered with her solo music a lot which was a mistake because this is a slapper

AKMU - Love Lee: 8 I don't know this group very well (know the name from somewhere) but this is really cute? Into it

XG - New Dance: 9 I thought this group made all electronic hiphop kind of music that was all futuristic or something so this was unexpected and yeah it's not the most deep song ever made and a few lyrics are a bit cringe but it's a fun summery dance track and I live for that so

NCT U - Baggy Jeans: 7 I love NCT (which NCT? all of them.) because they're so unserious and make songs that make me laugh so I'm into it, brain off, lolling. Update: okay I hit diminishing returns on it after a while but still fun ditty. Also the outro is wild wtf did I just hear. Baffled but not mad.

Month: September

BOYNEXTDOOR - But Sometimes: 6 I don't know these guys but this is alright

Kim Sejeong - Top or Cliff: 8 Very unexpectedly with that intro I found myself back in the 90s as a kid listening to singer-songwriter music but now it's in Korean and I'm into it

RIIZE - Get A Guitar: 8 Dudes rock. No - dudes funk.

Hwasa - I Love My Body: 1 Sorry Hwasa I fully support your self-love with your body and hearing about it, but this is so bad

Key - Good & Great: 9 I haven't been super into Key other than Bad Love, but bro said "I'm epic" and "coffee's the only reason I function" and you know what that's a mood

Loossemble - Sensitive: 9 I don't remember listening to this before but I know who they are so I must've and it's good

TXT, Anitta - Back For More: 8 One of many bizarre collabs on this list but it's not bad and works better than it sounds, I mean TXT doing disco is also new to me but sure

EVNNE - Trouble: 9 Idk who these guys are and am not sure what they're talking about in the lyrics exactly but this bangs

Kep1er - Galileo: 10 After being a skeptic at first last year I got super into Wa Da Da and Mvsk and that converted me to Kep1er and convinced me they have a lot of bangers and I like their space theme

Billlie - BYOB (bring your own best friend): 4 I keep hearing how awesome this group are and sometimes they make tracks I like but this isn't doing much for me

Month: October

IVE - Off The Record: 6 IVE are hit or miss for me sometimes but this is okay; not one of their best songs though

Jennie - You & Me: 7 I like Jennie and don't dislike this but I am kind of a purist about English songs in K-pop (I get why they exist, it just feels a little weird when the main version of a song isn't Korean) and besides that, why is it so ... screechy ... but I kind of like how willing to be kind of weird it is? Or maybe I just like the aesthetic with the moon and stuff I don't know what to think this song has kind of broken my brain. I don't know what score to give it I'm going on vibes.

NCT 127 - Fact Check: 10 As I said elsewhere I love NCT (all of them) because they are unserious and make me laugh and this song goes hard and that's all I want from them

JINI - C'mon (feat. Aminé): 9 Once again I am a bit weirded out when songs are 100% in English (I know, it's my toxic trait I guess) but this does slap a lot and out of all the non-K-pop collabs, this is my favourite I think, I am easily baited by synthy stuff

IVE - Baddie: 10 In my head this has the energy of Aespa - Savage and it's not just because of the clanky snare drum although that helps. This is a banger I am super into this and its weird melody

TXT - Chasing That Feeling: 7 I don't mind it but it's a fairly typical synthwave-ish song.

Sunmi - STRANGER: 6 I love Sunmi but the structure of this with the tempo changes is too weird, every time it gets good it turns into a different song

Chuu - Howl: 8 I've never heard this but I like it, it's got atmosphere

Young Posse - Macaroni Cheese: 0 Feeling bad for this group, it isn't their fault this was made, they are way too young to get it, but this feels like a cynical attempt to cash in on Newjeans and make "K-pop: the girl group: the even younger one". Unethical.

Seventeen - God of Music: 9 This is just fun idk again I love summery funky jams maybe because I love Daft Punk whatever

LE SSERAFIM - Perfect Night: 10 I like this group a lot and their era right now is controversial but I love this song (even if again, all English, eh)

RIIZE - Talk Saxy: 2 This isn't good but I do like the funk guitar but otherwise it's annoying

NiziU - HEARTRIS: 9 Idk what this is but it's cute and it bops

Taemin - Guilty: 5 I don't hate it but I don't care for his voice

Month: November

WayV - On My Youth: 6 :(

Golden Child - Feel Me: 8 I love synthwave

VIVIZ - Maniac: 10 I'm easy to bait with ~ethereal songs like this

Jungkook - Standing Next To You: 10 Again more Korean please but this is a SLAPPER

aespa - Drama: 10 This isn't even one of their best songs it's just stuck in my head all the damn time

Stray Kids - LALALALA: 8 weird banger

Red Velvet - Chill Kill: 8 I didn't expect this album to be good then it was I love RV

Enhypen - Sweet Venom: 8 slapper

Dreamcatcher - OOTD: 9 Bonkers I love this

Babymonster - Batter Up: 4 I want more from them this is weak imo

Taeyeon - To. X: 7 coffeeshop core

Month: December

ATEEZ - Crazy Form: 8 Weird but kind of goes hard tbh

NMIXX - Sonar (Breaker): 10 I've been listening to this mini nonstop since it came out, stuck in my head all the time

BONUS TRACKS

Kiss of Life - Sugarcoat: 10 I see why Natty seems popular this is smooth as hell

NewJeans - Cool With You: 10 Again this whole mini rules

Queendom Puzzle - Bad Blood: 8 synth idk

Jungkook - 3D (ft. Jack Harlow): 2 Another unholy collab that should not Be

VIVIZ - Untie: 10 huge slapper

The Boyz - Watch It: 8 slapper

END