Crawling into my second decade as a Korean music listener feels, well, a lot like I expected, actually. The signs were there from as early as 2017 that as I got older, I would likely float away from the scene’s glitzier offerings and gravitate more towards the R&B side, where the production is often just as good but the vocal talent shines through more and the moods vary more widely. This is still unquestionably a K-Pop list first and foremost, but you may notice the soloist-to-group ratio increase and the overall energy mellow a little this year.
It’s just as well, because among other garbage news 2023 gave us a record-time collapse of the most promising girl group in years – Fifty-Fifty went from viral worldwide hit to Barbie movie soundtrack to contract lawsuit to 75% member exodus in well under a year. Not that there wasn’t plenty to enjoy at the forefront of mainstream K-Pop this year, but the increasing brutality of the business is making it more difficult to invest in newer groups over time.
To reflect my growing appreciation for the less mainstream corners of the industry, I’ve decided to relax my decade-long rule that songs have to be accompanied by music videos in order to count for this list; but if they don’t have one, then they need to be the lead track off their respective album or EP.
As always, only songs with Korean lyrics count, but you should still definitely check out Le Sserafim’s Japanese song Choices, Jungkook’s all-English effort Standing Next to You, Riot Games’ Baekhyun-backed PARANOIA, æspa’s remix-friendly Better Things, and everything Forestella released this year.
Put on your good headphones, turn off those pesky auto-captions (if you want), and let’s step into the groove.
-◊-◊-◊-◊-
VR BEST OF 2023 DISCLAIMER
This list represents my opinion only. I am not asserting any kind of superiority or self-importance by presenting it as I have. My opinion is not fact. If you agree with me 100%, go buy a lottery ticket. Respectful disagreement is most welcome.
-◊-◊-◊-◊-
15. What’s Happening – Min Kyoung Song
We start a little bit spicy in 2023. “This isn’t K-Pop!” you may cry, “It’s clearly a traditional Korean trot song!” Well firstly, over eleven years into this hobby I kinda find all the melting genre lines to be almost pointless; secondly, this isn’t even the first time I’ve included trot stuff on this list; and most importantly, that chorus breakdown is just full-steam modern K-Pop anyway. The trot strings in the background may as well be stylistic window dressing by the time the full EDM sound wall hits, and the combo goes surprisingly hard. There’s even some simple point choreography at the chorus, and because Min Kyoung Song doesn’t have much else to hide behind in her field, you get uncommonly powerful vocals to go with your filthy drops. Give it a go.
14. Boogie Man – LUCY
We transition from a trot song to a band that includes among its ranks an honest-to-goodness violinist unafraid to show off; Lucy’s Boogie Man is a touch of Halloween on Christmas for you. K-Pop bands are usually a bit hit-and-miss for me, but Korean band songs I’ve enjoyed have historically had the kind of bouncy rhythm that Boogie Man provides. But there is oh so much more to enjoy on top of that rhythm: the funky guitar lick after each chorus, the Persona 5-esque violin response after the chorus call, the two separate incidents of headphone-trick knocking, the full violin solo bit, the ghostly wails in the back. No one is going to accuse the creepy music video of being low-effort either; top effort from the Lucy lads.
CLICK HERE TO KEEP READING
Vagrant Rant 