Kpop highlights #9 - November & December

We’re finally here, this is the very last Kpop highlights in this format. It’s bittersweet but I already got over the disappointment of not having enough time to continue and mostly I just feel relieved. Even if I won’t be able to share every little thought I have in the new format, it will leave me with much more time to hopefully create other content on here, not just lists. So to honor this feeling of relief, I first tried to keep it shorter than usual but in the end, I failed spectacularly and this is just as long, if not longer, than other highlights posts 😂

After I’m finally up to date with my monthly list obligations, I’d still like to get out a few end-of-the-year summaries that I’ve been working on. Following that, I’d like to devote my time and energy to the writing projects I’ve been dreaming about.

To those who have been loyal readers and commenters of this series, thank you from the bottom of my heart 💜You have no idea how much support like this means!

Here ends my year of documenting everything I liked and listened to in kpop in 2024.

*Note: the end of this post cuts off in the email so I recommend reading in a browser or the Substack app*

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November

Kep1er TIPI-TAP album

Seven out of nine members renewed their contracts as Kep1er, despite any previous expectations. Now they're partly signed with a new agency, Klap Entertainment, and the difference was already shocking just from the teaser. I'm happy for them that they're finally with a company that takes them seriously but it makes me sad that if they'd debuted with this image and aesthetic from the get-go, they could have been the it girls of the late 4th gen.

It's their best album, I'm obsessed! To think that we would've never had this if their contract ended when it was supposed to 🤯 Saying I'm obsessed is actually an understatement. They've never sounded better or looked more beautiful. My gigantic crush on Yongeun has somehow resurrected too, she slayed this whole comeback. I'm so thankful for Bahiyyih's center time too. And they’re finally letting Hikaru do real rap!

The title track TIPI-TAP and the B-sides sync-love, Drip are pure perfection but Bitter Taste and Heart Surf aren’t far behind.

As for the renewal, I wanted to add that they were saved by the fact that they're not super popular or super unknown, just right in the middle, and they're pretty well-loved in the West and Japan. Their companies didn’t have any plans lined up for the members (except for Mashiro and Yeseo who had to leave) because they don’t have a huge popularity they could bank on. This was lucky in an ironic way but I’m afraid it won’t save the other project groups I’m currently worried about. More and more, I feel that audition shows that aim to create temporary groups should just stop because we get too attached, just like the members get attached to each other.

Moon Jongup PETER album

Moon Jongup’s solo journey has been my favorite out of the ex-B.A.P guys—I liked basically everything he’s released so far. It might be because I’m a huge fan of his vocal color and because he’s drawn to the exact genres I enjoy listening to.

This whole album has that particular nighttime vibe I like to go crazy over. There’s city pop, R&B, synthwave, and dance music, so you could say me and this album are a match made in heaven. Plus, the aesthetic of the Twist Ya MV is so cool!

My most beloved tracks from the album are Room, Twist Ya, and Muazigyoung.

TXT The Star Chapter: Sanctuary album

Even though it’s a new chapter, this album feels like a thematic continuation of last year’s minisode 3: Tomorrow in that it’s a love letter to the fandom. I felt that the whole comeback was overshadowed a bit by how exhausted the members seemed but at least they got their well-deserved break after this.

The title track Over the Moon has the same kind of sentimental mood that we loved Deja Vu for but it hits with a bit less force. The choreography is just as beautiful though. As for the B-sides, Heaven is chill and comforting, and Higher than Heaven is a rock-based closing song that I can imagine being in a teen drama. As usual, the dynamic, hard-hitting songs that are Danger and Resist (Not Gonna Run Away) are more my style. They both remind me of R&B from the early 2000s, while Forty-One Winks sounds more like 90s R&B mixed with hip-hop, and is also a great song. The performance video I linked above made me appreciate it a lot more! The choreo is awesome and everyone looks so hot.

As a side note, I also need to mention that I love the deep house remix of the title track possibly even more than the original, it just hits the spot perfectly.

The album is amazing but I’m afraid nothing will ever top their previous one for me!

Minho Call Back album

I liked a few of his previous releases (Heartbreak is so good!) but I’m not overly familiar with Minho’s music outside of SHINee. Because I was overwhelmed with releases at the time, I considered skipping this but I’m glad I didn’t because it’s right up my alley! Probably because this album also has an overarching nighttime feel to it and I’m a sucker for that, I can’t help it.

My favorite moments are Slow Down (dreamy synths everywhere), Fireworks (he raps in this song and RIIZE’s Sohee provides the vocals, he sounds beautiful), Something About U (with a dominant bassline and a satisfying drop), Round Kick (honestly, this sounds like it was originally intended for Key!), Affection (sultry R&B, my weakness), Because of You (featuring NingNing of aespa, it’s romantic and soft but has an interesting beat so I like it), and Would You Mind (probably this is closest to my personal preference, it’s exactly the kind of R&B I’m always seeking out).

I’ll definitely have to check out Minho’s releases in the future because this convinced me that I actually really like his solo music.

XG AWE album

Unfortunately, almost all the songs on this album came out earlier as pre-release singles so there were only a couple of entirely new tracks. If there’s one thing I don’t like about XG’s artistic direction, it’s their reliance on singles instead of full albums.

But putting that aside, the album is fantastic. It follows their signature Y2K R&B/hip-hop style and I don’t think there’s a song on the album that’s weaker than the rest. Howling is the perfect title track and the MV is an absolute masterpiece. I’m so glad they’re continuing with the alien styling and aesthetic. In the Rain and Is This Love are the new B-sides that immediately got me addicted. Something Ain’t Right and IYKYK were released earlier and I loved both when they came out.

There’s not much else to say, the girls are still vocal and rap queens and they keep choosing the best concepts!

Babymonster Drip album

Babymonster’s previous releases didn’t urge me to look them up further but I’m glad I gave this album a chance because it’s a fun one.

Drip, Really Like You, and Clik Clak are my favorites of the new tracks but I basically enjoyed all but one. I have my opinions about some of YG’s stylistic choices (not just for Babymonster but all their groups) but all in all, it’s a great album. Both the vocalists and the rappers popped off! You can tell everyone’s extremely talented.

And more than that, I appreciate that we finally got a proper, full album by a rookie group where almost all the songs are totally new. It’s becoming a luxury these days!

G-Dragon Power

I’m not the biggest GD fan out there but I have to admit that the man can write hits and has a star power that’s hard to overlook. This was his first new release in a very long time and it made waves in the industry, so naturally I had to check it out. He’s also one of the ‘idol of your idols’ guys: I think I learned about this song because basically all the idols I’m following were talking about it.

The song is great, it really gives the same vibe as his older songs—like Crooked but more mature and chill. I know he’s coming out with a full album too and I’ll definitely be tuning in. And it’s always a thing to celebrate when idols have longevity so I’m rooting that he stays on the scene for a long time.

ENHYPEN Romance: Untold repackage album

While this is a repackage album with only two new tracks, those two were still enough to rock my world!

Like, wtf is daydream?? The aggressive whispering? I haven’t heard a kpop song yet that was 90% whisper singing but it’s working. And No Doubt is definitely one of my top songs this year, it's Bills all over again and it took me 1.5 years to more or less get over that song.

I say this every time they come out with something new, but ENHYPEN’s signature is sexy sadness and they excel at it more than any other idol group I know.

Stray Kids Japanese album GIANT

Stray Kids is one of the groups where I really look forward to their Japanese albums, almost as much as the Korean ones. The reason for this is probably that they produce all their music themselves and put the same amount of effort into their Japanese discography. Because it’s made by the same people, there is also no sharp distinction between their music in the two languages.

Two of these songs, Night and Falling Up are in the OST of Tower of God season 2 so they have the anime sound but they’re still quintessential Stray Kids tracks. Both of them are incredibly beautiful and they deserve to be mentioned among the finest pieces of lyricism by 3RACHA. Seungmin’s high note in Falling Up is mindblowing!

The title track Giant stands out with its insane instrumentation and creative structure. The MV also deserves praise, it’s very well-made and makes them look heroic.

I also like Why? (it’s not a new song though), Saiyan (I could tell after 3 seconds that Han wrote this, his style is so distinct), and the Christmas banger Christmas Love. Why are Stray Kids so good at writing Christmas songs? This one sounds like a classic that’s been around for ages.

A.C.E Pinata comeback

This came out not long after I saw A.C.E live and the magic of the concert was still buzzing in me, so the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

Pinata gave me original, pre-Covid kpop feels—the excitement I feel when I think about those times simply can’t be explained. This song somehow summoned a strong nostalgic feeling, even though it’s not sentimental at all. But if you’ve been around as a kpop fan between 2017 and 2019, you’ll get what I’m saying, probably even after hearing just a bit of the instrumental.

To quickly get out of the way the only brief criticism I have: the chorus lyrics are not my favorite but everything else about the track is beautiful and majestic. The hate this song received online is totally unjustified and those people are only advertising their ignorance about kpop. To not like a song is totally fine, but to ridicule a group as longstanding and talented as A.C.E? Embarrassing.

A.C.E’s longevity as a group in the face of indifference and animosity is nothing new by the way. Pondering on it made me realize—along with January's big 3rd gen moments—that I'll forever be a 3rd gen kpop fan, no matter how much I’m also into newer generations. I guess you’ll always feel loyalty toward the generation through which you entered kpop.

I specifically recommend watching the video too because their choreo is so powerful, synchronized, and difficult. And the glamor shots in between are incredibly sexy! Additionally, I’m glad to report that watching this MV (and a few analysis videos on how it was made) reignited my enthusiasm for kpop’s technical aspects. It seems really simple at first glance, but some of the tricks they used blew my mind.

All in all: I’m so freaking proud of A.C.E, they still have it after all this time 💜

Yves I Did album

I loved Yves’s debut Loop and the follow-up didn’t disappoint either. It’s an album that boasts many influences: R&B, funk, soul, indie pop, jungle, etc. so it’s inherently exciting and a treat for the ears. The feelings this collection of songs evokes in me are very personal: I associate the moods of the songs with very specific chapters of my past, probably because Yves takes her inspiration from genres I used to like when I was younger.

As for Viola, even though I’m not sure what the genre is exactly, it gives me the same vibes as something I would have listened to in the late 2010s, maybe like synth-heavy British electro-pop. If I found this track back then, I would have eaten it up.

I sort of feel the same about Dim: I don’t know the exact words to describe it but the feeling it gives me goes back even earlier, to the mid-2000s, when I mostly listened to trip-hop, jungle, and experimental electronica. I am obsessed with this song, especially the ending!

Gone Girl sounds like the songs my best friend used to learn to sing and play on guitar, back when we listened to Morcheeba and Norah Jones the most.

I probably love the I Did album so much because no matter how wide their palette is, not many kpop artists draw from these obscure musical sources that are so close to my heart.

ATEEZ Golden Hour pt. 2 album

Even though Ice On My Teeth is not my favorite ATEEZ title track, the album itself is perfect and I can’t stop listening to it while I’m preparing to see them in February. By the way, I do enjoy IOMT but it’s just not among my all-time favorites of their titles. It is catchy, the MV is cinematic and beautiful and the choreo is insane, as usual. And I’m happy to see them experiment with different concepts and sounds that they haven’t done before!

That said, my highlights on this album are Deep Dive, Selfish Waltz, and Enough. I really like the pulsating, Latin-inspired vibe of Man on Fire as well, but Deep Dive and Selfish Waltz are more my jam. They fit into the synth-heavy, futuristic line of ATEEZ songs in the fashion of Cyberpunk and Silver Light, which will always be my personal preference. It’s also not often that the album-closing, healing-themed song becomes my favorite, but Enough really found me at the right time and I’ve been getting a lot of comfort from it. The minimalistic clip they made to accompany it is really cute.

Jin Happy album

Jin’s Happy is another album where I liked the B-sides more than the promoted songs. I’ll Be There was fun and I wrote about it in last month’s highlights post, but Running Wild is not exactly my style, it’s too British pop which we know Jin loves but doesn’t resonate with me that much. There’s nothing wrong with that though!

Another Level, on the other hand, is a monumental classic rock-inspired song that takes the language of video games to convey a deeper message. I’ve been enjoying this one tremendously!

However, I like Falling even more, it’s probably my favorite on the album. Genre-wise it’s alternative rock but I find the melody extremely pleasant and comforting. It also really fits Jin’s voice and singing style.

I’ve been vibing a lot to Jin and Wendy’s duet Heart on the Window. I’m usually not a huge fan of male-female duet songs in kpop because the genre is often too sappy for my taste but this one is not a ballad and has a dynamic melody. Their voices just go together so perfectly.

I will come to you is so pretty but I only added it to my sleep playlist because it’s too ballad-y.

Badvillain - Zoom

Badvillain is one of the most promising rookie girl groups with talented members and a distinct musical identity. Zoom is just as catchy and fun as their earlier songs but now I want more!

They released three singles in 2024 so I hope the fact that we haven’t heard from them for a while means they’re gearing up to release an album. I think they reached a point where they need that to establish themselves.

WayV Frequency album

WayV walked the same path in 2024 as aespa: they released albums in June, August, and November, followed by a borderline incomprehensible promotion schedule. And the weird thing is, all these albums are top-tier so the quality didn’t suffer on the altar of quantity.

Out of the three releases, Frequency must be my favorite. ALL the songs on it are 10/10 which isn’t something I say often, not even for my ult groups. All the songs are heavy on hip-hop and R&B so that probably plays a part in why I enjoy them so much but they’re also just masterfully crafted and performed.

Frequency is the most fun title track with unhinged energy and a bouncy choreography. High Five and Twist are my absolute winners, especially the latter with its empty sound and mesmerizing adlibs but High Five has insane vocals too. Filthy Rich is an R&B piece with a prominent Y2K vibe with the kind of lyrics I love: it’s like something an extremely romantic fuckboy would say and for some reason that appeals to me. Finally, Call Me is a slower track but the sensual beat and lazy rapping make me like it.

These men have had me in a chokehold recently, so I guess I have to get into them even more now? I’ve always liked them and I know they’re the funniest but I don’t think I can go on much longer not officially stanning them 💁🏻

TWS Last Bell single

I’ve liked TWS’s music just fine until now but I often felt that it just isn’t for my age range, which I almost never think when listening to kpop, no matter how young the idols are. I was glad to hear that they’d be trying something a bit more mature for their next release and I guess I like Last Festival the most out of their title tracks so far.

It’s a summery, afrobeat-inspired song and it would have been wiser to release it in the warmer months, but I’m on the lookout for this vibe all year round, so I don’t mind. The performance is breathtakingly pretty. The B-side I like is Comma, a very groovy, energetic number with great synths, bass, funky percussion, and 80s guitars. I kind of wish they went with this for the title.

Jay B Archive 1: [Road Runner] album

Let me preface this by saying that I absolutely love this album! It may be my favorite solo release ever by any GOT7 member. It’s made up entirely of the sultry, sexy R&B that I live and breathe, that I love listening to at night. But let me also add that I can’t differentiate between the songs, even after so many listens 😭 I always listen to the album from start to finish because it’s such a vibe, but the tracks are all very similar in their mood so my brain just can’t tell when one ends and the other begins. Archive 1 is more a state of mind than an album, to be honest. I did a quick run-through just now so I can name favorites but when I listed eight out of eleven, I just stopped 🙃 So I’ll add a few randomly to the monthly playlist but know that I love them all.

Jay B’s voice is like a balm for my soul, like dripping honey in my ear. It’s such a unique and charming timbre and never fails to make me feel things. Also, I’m eternally grateful to every artist who still releases proper full albums with 10+ original songs. It’s kind of becoming a lost art.

Jay Chang - La Salle Avenue

Jay Chang is extremely busy, he’s currently in two groups and also active as a solo artist. I’ve liked all his solo releases so far and the new Neighborhood album is pretty fine too but the only song that made a big impression on me was La Salle Avenue. It’s an old-school soul song, a genre that’s really close to my heart. Jay must be one of the most talented singers of the 5th gen and this song plays into all his strong suits. If you enjoy this genre, it’s a must-listen.

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December

TWICE Strategy album

Here’s another album where the title track is a collab with a Western artist. I don’t have anything against Megan Thee Stallion and she was very nice to BTS in the past when they worked on a song together, so on a personal level, I have zero issues with her being in a TWICE song. This isn’t an extremely important album in their discography either, so all in all, it’s fine. The song Strategy is okay but I generally feel that these collaborations sound a bit forced and Western rappers’ verses don’t fit with the rest of the song because of their choice of themes and language. At least we got an OT9 version of the title track and that just sounds more natural to me. If Strategy was a B-side, it would be even less of an issue.

The album itself is here because I enjoyed all the B-sides. My personal highlight is Kiss My Troubles Away, it has a groovy base and the 80s style percussion I adore.

Cravity Find the Orbit single

I’ve been following Cravity for ages and for the longest time I always named them as my favorite underrated boy group. But these days I’m not even sure if they’re that underrated! They’re really coming into their own, finding their style, and from what I heard, their popularity in Korea has been soaring since the Kingdom: Ace of Ace win.

There are only three tracks on Find the Orbit but it’s such a beautiful single. The title track Now or Never is so pretty that it makes my heart hurt and is full of youthful yearning. The MV is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen in kpop and I say that without any exaggeration! It was made by Rigend Film, my favorite Korean video production crew, so it’s no wonder I like it so much. Their videos are always so crisp, succinct, and emotionally charged.

I love the B-sides, both Secret and Horizon feel like the continuation of Now or Never, and in that sense, this is probably the most thematically coherent release by Cravity to date. I’m always a fan of that! These three tracks are just all so beautiful and I’m really impressed with my boys. I hope only good things are coming their way.

The8 Stardust EP

One of the biggest surprises of the end of 2024 was SEVENTEEN’s The8 dropping this fantastic EP without any fanfare. Even though it came out in December, it’s one of the strongest contenders for my “favorite release of the year” title. If I do end up making a list, you can bet it’s going to be there.

I love how the title track Orbit sounds like it’s a spiritual successor of Spell, the song that turned my world upside down for a few months at the end of last summer. As someone on Reddit said, “these two songs take place in the same world” and I love the idea of sub-realms existing within a group’s discography that expand into the members’ solo works.

Another notable fact is that Vernon contributed to two of the three songs on the Stardust EP: he has writing credits and raps on 54321 (Lift Off) and also has writing credits on Orbit. He did the ethereal background vocals on the latter which I never would have guessed if I didn’t see the making film! In addition to that, I certainly didn’t have it on my 2024 bingo card that I’d hear him rap in Chinese but here we are 🤯

The8 is a great artist with a distinct vision and this EP reflects that perfectly. If anyone’s at least a bit interested in him, I highly recommend checking out the 2-episode making film because it’s fascinating to see how he prepared and what he contributed.

Stray Kids HOP album

Aaaand the second biggest surprise of December was Stray Kids dropping a full album during their world tour going on! They promised a special album for the end of 2024 but I thought it’d be another Christmas album at most, not a proper release with a promotional period.

In good Stray Kids fashion, it’s a masterpiece that a lot of work and personality has been put into. That’s one of the things I love about this group: they can always be trusted to release something awesome that no one else on the scene but them can do. Yes, they’re one of my two absolute ult groups, but regardless of that I just trust them unconditionally when it comes to music. That’s also why I pre-order all their albums before I even see any concept photos or hear a snippet of anything.

The first four tracks on the album see the kids return to their hip-hop roots and it’s a joy to behold. It has always been one of the most important weapons in the arsenal of genres they play around with, but they haven’t released anything as hip-hop-forward as these tracks.

Walkin On Water is a fun take on old-school hip-hop mixed with traditional Korean culture and has one of the most exciting choreos of the year. Lee Know caught my eyes in all the performances, he looked like a fish in water while finally showing off his superior dance skills. Bounce Back showcases Stray Kids’s more aggressive side, while U is an airy, drum&bass-heavy piece, featuring Tablo of Epik High. I love that it’s a real collab, not just an afterthought, and he has three verses! There is also a Hip version of Walkin On Water, which is more explosive than the original and has impressive mixing.

The second half consists of eight solo tracks by each member, respectively. This is where the concept of the album comes into play: it’s called HOP in English, alluding to the hip-hop focus, but the album also has a Chinese character title, 合, which is pronounced similarly to the English title and is also used in Korean as 합. It means harmony, synergy, or an aggregate of many elements and that is exactly what they wanted to express with this collection of songs. To illustrate how all eight members are individuals with their own worldviews and artistic visions but come together to create Stray Kids, something that’s bigger than the sum of its parts.

I love all the solo songs, they do a beautiful job expressing the members’ styles and where they currently are in their artistic journeys. If I had to choose a few favorites, I’d name Railway by Bangchan (sleek, erotic electronica); Hallucination by I.N (the other slutty song on the album 🤭it’s a fun and unique blend of R&B, hip-hop, and dance music); Youth by Lee Know (omg such a fun song, a soft, danceable synth-pop, I never expected him to go for this genre, and he’s so gorgeous in the MV that it makes me cry); and Hold my hand by Han (not just because he’s my ult bias but he can do no wrong musically, seriously! I love everything he puts out and this emotional pop-punkish track is everything + it means so much to us queers, iykyk). But I seriously enjoy all the solos and I’m really proud of them for taking on the writing and producing (in some cases) aspects too, even the members who usually don’t participate as much as the others.

GFRIEND Killing Voice

These Killing Voice episodes are always emotional for me, even when the groups they invite are still together and thriving. I haven’t mentioned here how much I love GFRIEND because they disbanded many years ago but also because it’s a painful memory. I never in my wildest dreams imagined that they’d be back together for their 10th anniversary 🥹

Watching this was like a bittersweet walk through the past. They have such a fantastic discography and so many great songs that I imagine it was hard to choose which ones to feature here. I still believe they are THE 3rd gen girl group representing the quintessential Korean sound and it’s such a loss for the Kpop industry that they haven’t released anything since 2020. It’s just so sad to think about what could have been if things didn’t turn out this way.

But this temporary reunion gave me hope that maybe they’ll get together from time to time. Back when the disbandment happened, there were no alternative ways to stay together yet. It was before GOT7, MONSTA X, EXO, BLACKPINK, and others paved the way in staying together, even though some or all members are signed to different companies. Now that the industry landscape has changed a lot thanks to that, maybe they can figure out something. Just the fact that they released two tracks and did a full promotion was nothing short of a miracle, so who knows?

RM Right People, Wrong Place movie

The two main reasons I wanted to watch Right People, Wrong Place (besides never missing a BTS movie, of course) were 1) I’m working on a long-form essay about RM’s artistry and 2) I find it hard to imagine how he will go back to being an idol after his last two releases and his time in the military, and I was hoping to gain some insight about this.

I can’t say I got any answers about the latter—he only mentioned this topic when he said making music as an idol was a very isolating experience whereas making this album was a community effort. I could tell through watching the movie that this was what he needed and he seemed genuinely happy.

He shared a lot of thoughts that I wish I could remember well enough to convey here because RM’s impressive intellect really shone in the movie. I tried but couldn’t take notes in the theater so now I’m just hoping the movie will appear on one of the streaming services.

To answer my own concern above, I’m pretty sure RM will not stop being an idol, or leave BTS, or the industry. It seems a lot more likely to me that he will transform further and expand what being an idol can mean and the members will follow his lead.

SM Game Caterers

I’m an avid watcher of Game Caterers and I especially like the episodes focusing on entertainment companies. It was high time they did one for SM and it ended up being as fun as I hoped. I can’t believe we got idols from all five generations! There’s not much I enjoy more than listening to 1st and 2nd gen veterans talk about their experiences in the industry. I could seriously just sit and listen to them all day relaying anecdotes that happened behind the scenes or stories from their trainee days.

It was also cool to hear how long each of them has been signed with SM (you can see the numbers over their heads in the thumbnail above) and it’s kind of funny to me that being an idol actually can be a very stable job 😄I’ve personally always thought SM was a really bad company; I still maintain this opinion in many aspects but I guess a certain type of person can thrive there. The guests here all seemed genuinely happy (except for maybe Wonjin but RIIZE is going through tough times so that’s understandable) and that was so satisfying to see.

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As always, here’s a playlist of everything I mentioned that can be found on Spotify:

As always, thank you for reading, if you got this far, I love and appreciate you 💜

Let me know in the comments what your November and December favorites were or if you discovered anything new through this post!