9. RED VELVET (레드벨벳) - BAD BOY

5. NCT U (엔시티 유) - BABY DON'T STOP

Fun fact: this was nearly an honourable mention.

...then I relistened to it and realised I was dancing in my chair like this.

[gif source]

I was legitimately surprised by "Baby Don't Stop" the first time I heard it - I didn't expect it to be this sexy. Like, they don't even TRY to hide it. It's "Whiplash" all over again! But this time with Ten's dancing skills added to the mix! Which, yeah, the dance to this song is absolutely incredible. That's no surprise. It might not be one of my personal favourites, but I can still appreciate it nonetheless!

The vocals are really interesting here too; a lot of the time they're either whispered or layered over each other in a way that gives the song a really nice sense of texture (if you know what I mean). I mean yeah, the lyrics are the definition of the Lenny face, but at least the vocal delivery matches it! As well as that, the final chorus builds up to a super satisfying conclusion. The way the percussion gets louder and there's extra vocal adlibs is honestly the perfect way to end it. It wraps everything up so nicely, and immediately made me want to listen to it again.

Also, singing Taeyong. Y e s.

4. HYO (효) [HYOYEON (효연)] FT. UMMET OZCAN - SOBER (ENGLISH VER.)

...I just realised whilst writing this that there are quite a few songs on my year-end lists that I haven't fully covered yet.

BUT I'M NOT LEAVING THIS ONE OUT, BECAUSE OH MY GOD IT'S WAY BETTER THAN IT HAS ANY RIGHT TO BE.

3. GUGUDAN (구구단) - NOT THAT TYPE

I was sooooooo nervous for this comeback. Gugudan very much delivered earlier on in 2018 with "The Boots", but after losing a member, I was worried about how they'd recover. I was also worried about what type of song they'd release, because they're known for being very versatile when it comes to concepts.

...but what they DID end up releasing is an absolute monster of a song.

"Not That Type" made my jaw hit the floor and gave me legitimate chills the first time I heard it. Like, can we PLEASE just talk about the pre-choruses. THOSE DAMN PRE-CHORUSES. WOW. They've got an immense sense of power to them, and if you weren't paying attention by that point in the song, BY GOD, SEJEONG WILL GET YOUR ATTENTION WHEN THAT PRE-CHORUS KICKS IN. Don't even get me started on the mixture of brass and synths. It's just... ugh. 👌 Combined with the rapid-fire lyrics, it's pretty damn close to musical perfection to me. I really wish the entire song was like that, because it would've been my #1 if it was - and I say that with utmost confidence! The best part is, that same momentum never. Lets. Up. This song just keeps thundering on, with more and more extra components to keep it interesting without feeling overcrowded. The harmonies in that final bridge are stunning, too.

Moombahton isn't the most common thing in K-Pop, so to hear Gugudan put such a refreshing and commanding spin on it is amazing! However, the lyrics are pretty standard girl crush fare, and the dance is good but not great, so that's why it's only #3. But goddamn, if those two aspects had been any better... this could've been higher. But for the sheer power of this song alone, it gets to #3. THESE are the kinds of songs I love when it comes to girl crush concepts. They don't hold back in any way, shape or form. They're just... raw energy. And it's a sight to behold when they explode the way "Not My Type" does. Fucking bravo, Gugudan.

(Also, IF THEY DID A REPACKAGE ALBUM WITH THIS SAME CONCEPT I'D BE SO HAPPY. PLZ JELLYFISH. 🙏🙏🙏)

2. MAMAMOO (마마무) - EGOTISTIC (너나 해)

...I really do love it when lightning strikes twice.

Back when MAMAMOO released "Décalcomanie" in 2016, I thought 'that's it. They've officially peaked. They can't get any better than this.'

OH MAN, WAS I WRONG.

"Egotistic" is... essentially my dream MAMAMOO song. It's fiery, it's brash, it's supremely confident and sexy, but... it's still MAMAMOO. It's still got gorgeous vocals, a strong melody, some superb lyrics and A-grade rap sections. If you ask me, this is MAMAMOO's evolution (as cheesy as that sounds). This is the concept that really shows their musical maturity, and just how far they've come since they released "Mr. Ambiguous" all the way back in 2014.

Breakup songs can certainly start to blend together when it comes to their subject material, but honestly, "Egotistic" is so good that it doesn't even matter. It's got so much raw energy to it that any sense of being boring immediately flies out of the goddamn window. The lyrics aren't quite as hard-hitting as something like "Hann (Alone)", but the girls' performances and pure charisma certainly make up for it. The venom isn't quite in the lyrics themselves - it's in the vocal delivery.

Oh, there's also the fact that the video made me forget how to breathe. Every single member looks fucking glorious here. I don't know who thought it was a good idea to 1) let Hwasa have a fucking pet tiger and 2) have Solar learn how to pole dance. But whoever you are:

I LOVE YOU.

BUT I ALSO HATE YOU.

BECAUSE I FORGOT HOW TO FUNCTION FOR THREE AND HALF MINUTES UPON WATCHING THIS VIDEO FOR THE FIRST TIME.

SO THANKS, I GUESS.



But that begs the question: what the hell can beat lion tamer Hwasa and pole dancing Solar?

Oh, only the song that made me cry like an absolute baby when I heard it for the first time.

1. DREAMCATCHER (드림캐쳐) - WHAT

7. (G)I-DLE ((여자)아이들) - LATATA (라타타)

I think we can mark (G)I-DLE down for having one of the best debut years yet for a rookie group. Both of their releases this year were absolutely fantastic, and while "LATATA" ends up here, we'll be seeing their other single very soon as well. 😉

I really didn't expect much from this routine when I started watching it for the first time, but I think that just ended up making it an even nicer surprise! These girls know their way around a clean choreo, because they all absolutely nail it here. The formations are excellent, and each one of them has a very distinct style that makes it hard to pick someone to focus on. "LATATA"'s dance is very elegant in some parts, and yet it's powerful and confident in others. It's got this really mysterious look to it, too, and I think that's because there's so many little hand movements that make it so much more charming.

This was just another tentpole in (G)I-DLE's remarkably strong debut year, if I'm being honest; if they keep showing this much potential in the future, we might have another one of the BIG girl groups on our hands. And from CUBE, nonetheless! That's just... weird, considering how shitty they can be. But let's hope they don't fuck it up here too, because these girls have too much raw talent to go to waste.

6. APINK (에이핑크) - I'M SO SICK

So uh yeah remember in my mid-year lists when I said Weki Meki were probably going to have my favourite dance of the year?

Oh, how the times have changed...

5. WEKI MEKI (위키미키) - LA LA LA

3. DREAMCATCHER (드림캐쳐) - WHAT

...do I even have to say anything about this song and dance at this point? It's the best thing Dreamcatcher have EVER released, hands-down. And originally, I was going to put "You & I" on this list for the pure surprise involved with that routine, but... goddammit, "What"'s choreo is just too damn good to ignore.

The synchronicity Dreamcatcher have here is insane. This is by no means an easy dance, neither is it one that's short on energy. And yet these girls make it look like they could do this in their sleep! It's exactly the sort of power and hard-hitting choreos that Dreamcatcher are known for at this point. They've finally gotten to a point where they know their concept inside and out; they're the masters of it. NOBODY can do a horror/nightmare concept better than they can. But even though their dances are all powerful, and they're all hard... no two ever feel the same. They're all so distinct from one another. And "What" continues that trend with pure and utter style.

Mark my words: this won't be the last time you see this song on my year-end lists this year. I'm not done praising it quite yet.

2. TWICE (트와이스) - YES OR YES

...talk about a turnaround from the start of this year, jeez.

I hated "What is Love?" as a song, but loved the dance. "Dance The Night Away" was, in my opinion, completely forgettable. The song was annoying, and the dance was good, but not as amazing as everyone made it out to be. But "Yes or Yes" is LITERALLY THE SONG I'VE WANTED TWICE TO DO SINCE FOR FOREVER. It's a confident love song instead of an overly-cutesy one. And that concept of confidence is cemented even further in what is - essentially - a perfect routine in my eyes.

Like. GODDAMN. This routine just looks exhausting. I don't know how they sing while doing this. Between the little individual hand movements, the changes in formation and positioning, the staggered movements and wave effects... this is top-tier stuff. I don't know who TWICE's choreographer is at this point, or how they're coming up with this stuff, but they really deserve so much more credit for creating a routine like this. The members themselves do, too! They all perform this excellently, let alone with the energy and vigor the song itself demands. It's upbeat and cheery, and the girls certainly carry that in their performances.

This was a comeback that really surprised me overall, and I can't wait to talk about it in the winter comeback review. But at least know you know what I think of the dance - it's superb, and one of the best things TWICE has done!

But if it's not my #1... what is?


I know I talked about (G)I-DLE blowing me away when it comes to debuts this year, but... they never quite reached the level that these girls did. Just... hoo boi, excuse me while I rant about this dance again for a hot minute.

1. IZ*ONE (아이즈원) - LA VIE EN ROSE (라비앙로즈)

There have been K-Pop songs that made me cry before. But there has never been a dance that made me cry when I saw it for the first time.

BUT THEN IZ*ONE DEBUTED AND DECIDED TO CHANGE THAT.

Yeah, I'm not joking. I shed literal tears when I saw this dance for the first time. That's how excellent it is. TWICE were top-tier, but THIS. This is god-tier. 

This is one of those dances that's so stunning and detailed that I never quite know how to talk about it. You just... HAVE to watch it for yourself to get the full effect. Some of these moves are so damn hard that I don't know how the girls even manage to pull them off. They confuse me by just watching them. But it's a beautiful sense of confusion - I'm always just so damn perplexed whilst watching this routine, because comprehending its intricacy is something I have a hard time doing. 

Basically, in non-flowery and incredibly basic language:

THIS DANCE IS FUCKING INCREDIBLE.

It's... honestly one of my favourite dances, not just of this year, but in K-Pop in general. I've gotta say, this year provided some real highs for me in terms of music and choreography. And this was one of those absolute crowning moments - you'll see another one in my final year-end list! 😉 I cannot fucking wait to see what IZ*ONE do next. Yes, I know it's probably not going to be as mind-blowing as this, but goddammit I can hope!




Only one more list to go now! And I'm hoping to have it up relatively soon, I'm really in the mood to talk about it haha. It's exciting! I love doing these, they're a hell of a lot of fun. 😄

3. RED VELVET (레드벨벳) - SASSY ME (멋있게)

2. DREAMCATCHER (드림캐쳐) - TRAP

Man, it was Dreamcatcher's YEAR this year. With every single comeback they had, they absolutely shone. But Alone In The City was, as a whole, just mindblowing for me. I said it in my review - it's one of the closest things I've heard to perfection in a looooooong time. This album's contents will absolutely be appearing in my other lists, mark my words, but... I think "Trap" is a pretty damn good place to start.

This song is the equivalent of an emotional gutpunch delivered by Thanos.

...that's it, that's the song.

The guitars, the girls' vocals, the change-up to an EDM-style beat in the choruses, thE GIRLS' VOCALS, the lyrical content... this is fucking gorgeous. It's a bait and switch in the beginning, for sure, but "Trap" takes you on the same emotional rollercoaster these girls are on following an awful breakup. It puts you in their shoes like very few other songs can. There's also the song's climax, which actually brought me to tears when I heard it for the first time - it's impactful in every single goddamn way. 

This is, by far, Dreamcatcher at their best. It's a fucking sin that we didn't get a music video for this. I mean, I love "Wonderland" just as much as the next person, it's creepy as hell, but... Happy Face, what were you thinking?! THIS IS TOO GOOD TO PUT TO WASTE, DAMMIT.

But, in the end, it wasn't as good as my #1. Because even though I love it when Dreamcatcher experiment and do something different, I do still love their creepy/horror-themed content the most. So, since Dreamcatcher chose not to make a creepy side track...

...MAMAMOO decided to step in and fix that.

1. MAMAMOO (마마무) - MIDNIGHT SUMMER DREAM (여름밤의 꿈)

As I mentioned at the start of this post, I said I'd be going through some of my favourite Christmas songs as well - and where better to start than with an f(x) song? These girls have been one of my bias groups since I found out about them, and I actually didn't know about this song until last year! I legitimately didn't know it existed, and I remember freaking out over it when I found out.

Even though I didn't know what to expect when I listened to it for the first time, it's f(x). They're always going to end up blowing me away somehow. And yeah, they did! It's a lovely change of pace from the stereotypical stuff, as the girls ended up putting their own spin on a Christmas song. I'm not entirely sure if they produced it or not, but it's got this LDN Noise sound to it that f(x) were born to have. It's very modern and refreshing, and even though these types of dance songs tend to be hit and miss for me, this is absolutely a hit.

The bright melody and sleigh bells in the instrumental of "Wish List" make it a really ear-catching song, and it all meshes really well with the girls' vocals. I wasn't sure if they would particularly fit this vibe, since their vocals can be so powerful and commanding, but all four of them sound great here! They retain their trademark power in some places, but in others they're very subdued and delicate. (Ironically enough, I feel like Sulli would have really fit a song like this... but oh well.)

Lyrically, this song's got one of my favourite traits of a Christmas song - child-like wonder. I LOVE those kinds of Christmas songs that are full of expectation and excitement for either Christmas itself, or the return of someone you care about, since that just sums up the holiday perfectly for me. And this song has it is in spades. There's some really heartwarming lines that stole my heart the minute I read the translation, and f(x) pull it off incredibly well.

Sometimes you need Christmas songs that are just pure fun, and TTS certainly delivered on that front when "Dear Santa" came out. If you can't seem to get into the Christmas spirit when December comes around, listen to this ONCE and I guarantee you'll be more excited than a 6-year-old. Well, that's how it is for me, anyway! This is a near-perfect Christmas song for me - it sums up the entire atmosphere and excitement surrounding Christmas perfectly, and it's one of my absolute favourites. (Even if it does make me quite sad now that Seohyun and Tiffany have left SM. 😢)

Just to quickly mention - I was kinda hoping that Tiffany would take this sort of direction with "Peppermint" this year, and I was planning on covering that song on this list, but... I hate it. I absolutely hate it. I don't know what sort of direction she's trying to take with her music, but I don't like it. It doesn't suit her at all. But that's alright, because I can just go back and listen to this instead!

And that's without mentioning that "Dear Santa" has got two versions - one in Korean AND one in English. Which, considering Seohyun wrote the lyrics to both versions, is massively impressive! I know that Girls' Generation are probably more well-versed with English than most groups due to how long they've been active, but it's still amazing to me either way.

But no matter how many times I listen to both, I find myself returning to the Korean version time and time again. The lyrics are just so much sweeter and a bit more original than the English... plus, Seohyun's "하얀 눈이 내려와" at the end never fails to make me cry for some reason. I think it's because of how she sings it in the live performances, honestly. 😅

First off, we've got the intro, "From Autumn to Winter". And if you've already heard the title track, the first thing that'll jump out at you here is the vocals - the first vocals we hear here are actually the prechoruses in "Wind Flower"! This sort of foreshadowing is something I really like to hear, and it's also something MAMAMOO's done before - remember when they hid the bassline to "New York" in Moonbyul and Hwasa's "Dab Dab"? I dunno, I thought that was awesome when I heard it for the first time.

But other than that, it's pretty standard fare for an intro. It's very minimalistic and subdued, but that sets the album's tone really well if you ask me. And yet, that just gives the girls' vocals a chance to shine even more.

Speaking of which... remember how I mentioned that this is Solar's album? Since blue is her colour and all that? Yeah. That shows in her vocal performance. She shines here - and that'll be a recurring theme in this review, at least for me. Her vocals in this intro are so beautiful and soft, yet they're still really enjoyable to listen to. That's not to say the other girls do a bad job - it's MAMAMOO, they're all incredibly talented, after all - but I just feel like Solar really stands out here.

As for the lyrics, I do feel like they're a bit of a prequel to "Wind Flower". I feel like this is right after the breakup, where she's starting to realise she misses her partner, and thinks about them admist all the autumn weather. It's very poetic actually, it's lovely.

Anyways, moving on!

2 - NO MORE DRAMA

No more drama, I gave you enough chances
Time is over
I can't do it anymore

"Wind Flower" is this album's title track, and I'll say it straight out of the gate - it's my favourite song on this album. I'm SO glad this was the title track. Like I said in my preamble, I was expecting this album to be full of ballads and slow, miserable songs; that's not what this is at all! It's a mid-tempo guitar song that you could sing to at the top of your lungs on a car ride. It's got that sort of carefree vibe to it, and it's incredibly refreshing to listen to.

The girls themselves also nail it here, their performances are all stellar - but yet again, Solar in particular knocks it out of the park for me. This really is HER album, and she's stood out to me here more than she ever has. I don't know if it's the concept or what, but this is her era and I'm fucking living for it.

I feel the need to mention the video though, cause it's amazing. Fuck being sad and miserable after a breakup - MAMAMOO are gonna get drunk, eat a bunch of good food and forget all about it! This video is just... pure MAMAMOO. If you've ever wanted to know what the girls' personalities are like, but you don't want to spend ages scrolling through fandom videos on YouTube, this video captures it perfectly! It looks like they had a shitton of fun filming it, and that really comes across from start to finish. Even though it's a long enough music video - 5 minutes long, to be precise - it really doesn't feel dragged out or boring. It's just good, old-fashioned alcohol influenced fun. 😊

The lyrics are actually quite melancholy, but in a very... hopeful way? Yeah, going through a breakup is hard, but it's not going to be hard forever. The initial pain and sadness that comes with a breakup is  definitely tough to deal with, but what we need to remember is that it'll gradually fade, and you'll be able to cope with things better in time. Recovery doesn't happen overnight; it's a process. Like I said, very reflective yet hopeful and encouraging at the same time. They're perfect for the autumn weather without being too depressing - I like it!

So we've talked about the song, the video and the lyrics - what about the dance?

4 - HELLO [SOLAR SOLO]

Every now and again, you find one of those songs that you feel like you can just... zone out to. You know what I mean, right? The kind of song you could just sip a cold drink to while lying on a beach? Or when it's a wet and windy day but you've got to walk somewhere wrapped up in a jacket and scarf, so you listen to music to make the walk better?

That's what "Better Than I Thought" is for me. It's chill, refined and SUPER pleasing to listen to. It's got this beautiful easy-breezy vibe about it that would possibly fit better in a spring album rather than an autumn one! Maybe it's because it reminds me so much of "Spring Fever" from Yellow Flower - which, for the record, is one of my favourite songs from that album.

That's not to say it feels out of place though - it continues the trend of unique breakup songs on this album. While I'll admit the theming is starting to get a bit repetitive for my tastes at this point, this is probably my favourite breakup song on this album so far in terms of the lyrics. It takes the hopefulness of Solar's "Hello" and the confidence of "No More Drama" and combines them into one laid-back song. It's very... sweet, and sentimental. They're doing fine after their breakup when they thought they'd be heartbroken, and they hope their ex is doing just fine as well.

Since the material is starting to become a bit samey, it lets me hone in on the girls' performances a bit more. All four of them have really smooth performances here, and their vocals only add to the chill vibe. I'm also a huge fan of how Moonbyul's been singing more these past few albums? I'm glad we're getting to hear her voice more! 😁

The girls' voices just serve to compliment this song's instrumental, which has a greater sense of progression than anything on this album so far, if you ask me. (Well, maybe with the exception of "Wind Flower".) Even the chipmunk vocals aren't annoying or distracting! Everything just comes together and blends beautifully. It's certainly nothing new, but it's definitely enjoyable nonetheless.

6 - MORNING

Quick question: who remembers "Sting/A Little Bit" from MAMAMOO's Pink Funky? Because this is essentially "Sting" pt. 2!

...no, I'm dead serious. They sound so similar, it's crazy.