Alright, time for the big one - my top 10 songs of 2019.
Not going to muck around for too long, so just keep one thing in mind - I'm putting a limit of one title track per artist on this list. Otherwise, the list would be made up of the same two or three groups, and I really don't think that's fair.
As well as that little side note, I have another huge list of honourable mentions! Apart from one or two exceptions, they're in no particular order, as always.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS:
CLC (씨엘씨) - Me, Devil ("Devil" is the main exception here - if there's any song on my honourable mentions list that I would add to the main list, it would be "Devil"! It'd be my number 11; it got pushed off the list last minute by another song.)
(G)I-DLE ((여자)아이들) - Uh Oh, Lion (..."Lion" would be my #12. 😅)
Hyosung (전효성) - Starlight
Red Velvet (레드벨벳) - Psycho
Sunmi (선미) - Noir (누아르)
R.Tee x Anda (안다) - What You Waiting For (뭘 기다리고 있어)
BLACKPINK (블랙핑크) - KILL THIS LOVE
Jung Daehyun (정대현) - Aight (아잇)
Hyorin (효린) - youknowbetter (니가 더 잘 알잖아)
Chungha (청하) - Snapping
3YE (써드아이) - OMMM
SuperM - Jopping
Seventeen (세븐틴) - Fear
With those out of the way, let's actually start the list properly, because there's some amazing stuff here I can't wait to talk about!
10. DREAMCATCHER (드림캐쳐) - DEJA VU (데자부)
It wouldn't be one of my year-end lists without some Dreamcatcher, right? And dare I say it, "Deja Vu" is one of their best title tracks to date. It's symphonic, it's melodramatic, and it's full of electric energy from start to finish, even in the slower piano sections. The song is one big buildup that constantly feeds back into itself, and even though I thought the organs in the pre-chorus sounded cheap initially, the more gothic vibe is something I really hope Dreamcatcher continue to pursue. It's more of a step into symphonic metal than their standard thrash metal-inspired music, and it's gorgeous. Listen to this if you haven't already - it's worth it for that beautiful modulation at the end!
9. HINAPIA (히나피아) - DRIP
...well, this was a surprise.
This was a song I nearly forgot to listen to - but holy shit, am I glad I did. If I had listened to it sooner, it would be higher, I can guarantee you that!
"Drip" is what I mean when I say I like girl crush concepts in K-Pop, because this song is beautifully pu(t together. It's got this beautiful melodic cadence that threatens to modulate, but never does, creating a real sense of tension that keeps you hooked from moment one. Every single girl is a charismatic performer, too, which is no surprise considering some of the Pristin V members are indeed part of this lineup - Eunwoo and Minkyeung (Roa, aka my PRISTIN bias) are major standouts here. It's the sequel to "Get It" we so desperately wanted, but with a glamourous, glitzy coat of paint that makes it stand out in the middle of such a busy year. It's goddamn brilliant, and I can only hope HINAPIA's music is this great going forward. If it is, I may have just found a new girl group to stan!
8. EVERGLOW (에베글로우) - ADIOS
To everyone that says "Bon Bon Chocolat" was EVERGLOW's best release this year, I'll say one thing: I disagree with you. Hard.
"Adios" is the EDM-fuelled shocker that I really didn't expect EVERGLOW to release, but that first verse tells you everything you need to know - these girls did NOT come to fuck around. It's got a massive synth-led, bigroom drop that appeals right to my EDM-loving heart, and the other elements of the song are just as impactful and surprising. Yes, the rap should have been longer, but when the rest of the song is this good, I'm willing to let it slide. "Bon Bon Chocolat" was good, but in my opinion, "Adios" is just superior in every damn way. EVERGLOW really filled an EDM void in K-Pop that T-ARA left behind this year, and I can only hope they continue to fill it in comebacks to come. This is great!
7. TWICE (트와이스) - FEEL SPECIAL
And I may as well continue to buck the trend of popular songs this year, and be honest - yes, I think "Feel Special" is better than "Fancy". By a great margin, actually!
Yes, "Fancy" is undeniably iconic, and it'll be remembered for years to come. But "Feel Special"... this is a once in a blue moon song. It's an upbeat dance-pop track with some glitzy synths and a beautiful melody, as well as some of the most sincere and tear-jerking lyrics that I've seen in a title track for a while. Seriously, I cried watching the MV with English subs for the first time, and I'm not even a ONCE!
On top of that, the girls of TWICE themselves are in their absolute element here - the amount of gasps I let out at their vocals was far more than I expected. So yes, it may not be the most culturally relevant TWICE track this year, but "Feel Special" is a goddamn stunning song that really shows how far TWICE have come. And hey, it's also the title track to my favourite album this year, so I think that says everything it needs to. I cannot fucking wait to see where TWICE go from here.
6. MAMAMOO (마마무) - HIP
Just like with Dreamcatcher, it wouldn't be one of my year-end lists without MAMAMOO - and boy howdy, they made this year their bitch.
"HIP" is one of those clapbacks that's exceedingly rare in K-Pop, but all the more welcome. I feel like it's important to reiterate that these girls do not give a single fuck any more. They've been in the industry for so long now that they know how it all works - they know what feeds the trolls, and what really grinds their gears. So they made an entire title track telling them to fuck off! And it's amazing!
Not only that, "HIP" is a self-love anthem in the same vein as "Yes I Am", albeit with a much more performance-oriented sound. It's got trap snares, a killer saxophone hook, powerful guitars, and some really playful and creative melodies that make this song addictive as hell. It's still MAMAMOO, but a different type of MAMAMOO. And it's one that I love just as much as I ever have. 💚
5. KARD (카드) - DUMB LITTY
Alright, let's start the gushing, shall we?
Please don't let the title fool you - "Dumb Litty" is KARD's best title track. Hands down. I never thought they'd be able to match or even surpass "You In Me", but if they were going to do it, it was with a song like this one. And I can't even begin to describe how good this is. The blaring synths, the flute-driven melodies in the verses, the Bollywood-influenced bridges, the dirty melody, the members' charismatic performances, the sirens... "Dumb Litty" is insane. BM needs to produce every single KARD song from here on out, because he really gets the group and the concepts that they do well. This is fucking brilliant.
4. ATEEZ (에이티즈) - WONDERLAND
Ah, ATEEZ. The underdogs of my 2019.
I went from not knowing who ATEEZ were at the beginning of the year to having them as one of my ultimate groups in K-Pop. If that doesn't convince you to listen to them, I don't know what to tell you at this point. Every single ounce of hype you've probably seen around them is completely founded. None of it is being blown out of proportion - and "Wonderland" is a fantastic example of what I mean by that.
It's a marching band inspired title track, with some powerful synths and prominent drum lines that really pull you in. The raps are also fucking amazing as well, with Mingi having his best verse to date, in my opinion. The members trade lines back and forth to increase the tension, the high notes and adlibs are triumphant and euphoric, and that final chorus. Ohhhhhh man, that final chorus. The amplified drum line and Mingi's coarse shouting cutting through Jongho's high note is just... holy shit. That was the point where this song made it into my top 5. And it's a mark of quality that ATEEZ have really proven to have this year.
May 2020 be just as good to them as 2019 was, because... Wow.
3. RED VELVET (레드벨벳) - ZIMZALABIM (짐살라빔)
Alright, now we're getting to the part of the list that's completely arranged on personal preference. That's not to say the rest of the list isn't, but most of the songs here are ranked based on a little scoring system I came up with, just to keep things as fair as possible. But for my top 3, I... literally couldn't find any flaws. So I just picked my favourites!
"Zimzalabim" is the first of those favourites, and I quite frankly don't care how divisive this song is, it's a fucking revolutionary title track. I could write an actual, physical essay about this song's structure, and how it's perfect in every way, but we'd be here all day if I did that. So, I'll leave the gushing for my full Reve Festival review, and I'll say one thing: "Zimzalabim" is an innovative song that really didn't get the love it deserved.
It's also incredibly creepy, which is right up my alley, sooo... yeah. Those lyrics just about gave me an aneurysm when I read them, but in the best way possible. MORE CULT CONCEPTS PLEASE RED VELVET THANK YOU.
2. CHUNGHA (청하) - GOTTA GO (벌써 12시)
Rarely do I find a song that is just... flawless. It doesn't necessarily innovate, or do anything crazy new or special, but it's just a masterclass in making great music. That song this year, at least for me, was "Gotta Go".
I don't say it lightly when I say this song is my favourite female K-Pop solo I've heard. Like I said, it doesn't do anything new to reinvent the wheel, but what it does do is create a massive, emotional pop song that just about blew my fucking face off when I first heard it. It WILL give you chills - it definitely has with me a few times.
I think the biggest testament to its quality was that "Gotta Go" was my benchmark for songs this year. When a new song came out, and I really enjoyed it, I'd sit and think, "Okay, but is it as good as "Gotta Go"?" THAT'S how you know a song is special. And Chungha knocked it out of the fucking park here. Long live the queen, bitches, cause she's here to stay!
So, while "Gotta Go" is a flawless song, I did say it doesn't reinvent the wheel. It didn't necessarily change the way I look at music, or even just K-Pop. It's a master at what it does, but it doesn't have any massive surprises up its sleeve that really challenge the listener. For a song to top my list this year, it had to do exactly that.
So, um... remember how I said I had strong opinions about EXO in my b-sides list? Well...
1. EXO (엑소) - OBSESSION
This is it. This is what I meant when I talked about changing the way I look at K-Pop.
To start with the basics, EXO's entire concept for "Obsession" is LITERALLY my fucking dream come true. Dark personas, creepy makeup, a gorgeous MV with stunning visual effects, and a really dark, disturbing and just plain horrifying concept? YES PLEASE.
But that's not why "Obsession" is my #1 this year.
It's #1 because it's innovative. It's #1 because it took my expectations going in, and threw them into a goddamn blender.
When SM described this song as having a "monologue" structure during the teasing phase, nobody really knew what they meant. We all just assumed that it was PR speak, which is a fair assumption to make. But no, not with "Obsession". No two parts of this song sound EXACTLY the same. Yes, they share a similar structure, and share some core elements to not make the song sound like an unstructured mess, but NONE of them are exact copies of one another. Some lyrics are changed, or a different member sings the part, or the melody is given a new spin, or some adlibs are added on top of the melody towards the end. It always keeps changing, innovating, and trying something new. No other K-Pop song has attempted this sort of structure, at least not to my knowledge. And to achieve that in just under three and a half minutes... I'm honestly still speechless every time I listen to it.
On top of that, it's just a fucking amazing song. The distorted, unnatural effect on the members' vocals in the verses is just brilliant. As well as that, the looping vocal sample, while grating to some, hammers home the concept of obsession beautifully. It's haunting, almost psychotic in a way. But that's exactly what they were going for! For once I'm not grasping at straws trying to find creepy things where there are none! I FEEL SO VALIDATED.
Never have I been so floored listening to an EXO song. Dreamcatcher's "What" held this title for quite a while, but I can confidently say "Obsession" is my new favourite song released by a K-Pop group. Ever. That's not to say I don't love "What" anymore, of course I do! But "Obsession" is just... so ridiculously, insanely perfect in my eyes. I WILL still be listening to this for years to come, I can guarantee you. Well fucking done, EXO.
...and to think we may still get a repackage of this album...
SOMEBODY FUCKING HOLD ME I'M NOT READY.
•••••
Well, that's it! Another year, another set of year-end lists done. I can only hope 2020 is as good of a year for K-Pop musically, because we're in for another doozy if that's the case. But I think I speak for everyone when I say that I hope it's a LOT better in terms of everything else. When it comes to non-musical affairs... I'm glad to see 2019 go. Good riddance. May we never have another year like it in K-Pop.
...keep the music though, that was fucking great.
