2025 In Review: Day 2 – The Awards

2 weeks ago 24

2025 In Review

1. Introduction + Best Album Art
2. The Awards
3. The Honorable Mentions (January 29)
4. Other Recognition (January 30)
5. Concluding Remarks (January 31)

Ahn Da-young – Where Is My Friend?

Through her work with In the Endless Zanhyang We Are and in her solo discography, Ahn Da-young has built up an inscrutable, almost stoic veneer. Given that, Where Is My Friend? was an unexpectedly accessible album. The opening troika of “Happy Asphalt”, “You Can Change Nothing”, and “Came from the Mattress” popped off instantly with Britpop-like verve and downright danceable rhythms, while the emotional notes of “Grave of Light” and “Orange Sunrise” landed easily and viscerally. Despite this, the album still retained Ahn’s penchant for satisfying sound and lyrical heft, with its sere, urban meditations on “The despair of the world before dawn breaks” (“Orange Sunrise”) and “You, a breath of my prayer that calls out to silence” (“Happy Asphalt”) colored by unpredictable language and expansive instrumentation.

The Runner-up

Kirara – Kirara

Few albums in 2025 could match the sheer entertainment value of Kirara. The producer’s big-beat roots continued to undergird this fourth studio album, and while those grinding mechanical synths and abrasive textures were always good listens, Kirara soon opened up into something more than just that. The midsection of the album is a constantly unpredictable roller-coaster, hopping from the bouncy recipe-toting “Salad” to the gas-and-brake whiplash of “Fragments” to the explosive yet sentimental “Bird’s Eye View” to the postrock-infused “Evaporation”. A dazzling crew of featured performers completed the unique character of these tracks, all tied together with a shared orientation for catharsis.

Effie – Makgeolli Banger

2025 was the year of hyperpop in Korean music, with everyone from Sion to Yves to Chaeyoung pushing their sounds forward, and so it stands to reason that the year’s top song would come from there too. Effie became an underground sensation through her two Eps on the year, and “Makgeolli Banger” was her crown jewel. Producer Kimj’s synth progressions and brass hits sound as if plucked straight out of the early 2010s, and the glittery avalanche of a beat is a heady playground for Effie’s spunky Busan-repping rapping. Call it the year’s most banger hook, the most meaningful homage, and the most fitting title.

The Runner-up

Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami as Huntr/x – Golden

The breakthrough of Kpop Demon Hunters, “Golden” becoming the most successful K-pop song of all time, its Grammy Best Song nomination – the whirlwind of it all would have felt nigh-impossible even a decade ago, but today it feels like a logical culmination of the history we’ve observed. So “Golden” was another step forward for the field, a validation of yet another way in which it has “arrived”. The quality of the track spoke for itself, a layered narrative and soaring melody reflecting songwriter and frontwoman Ejae’s own story, and it would be tough to ask for a better standard-bearer.

Don Malik, DeVita – 사랑은 노래와도 같이 (Love Is a Song)

Love Is a Song wasn’t completely out of the wheelhouse for either Don Malik or DeVita, but it was also less-trodden ground for each: beats smoother and softer than the boom-bap rapper’s usual fare, moods more subdued than the vocalist’s usual dramatic range. This middle proved fertile ground for a rich and impossibly chic soundscape. The crackling chemistry and the dry yet earnest language of these co-stars filled that space, punctuated with standout moments like the heady outro of “Dap” and quietly ferocious flurry of “Name Cost”.

The Runner-up

Yoon Da-hye – 개미의 왕 (Wang)

The Next 10

A.Train – Povidone Orange
Aiowell – Valentine
Bibi – Eve: Romance
Crush – Fang
Jeebanoff – Misery
Jinbo – Jbfm
Junny – Null
Katie – By You
Leeyunjae – Dream of Soul
Sun’stroll – Distorted Diary

Yoon Da-hye – 그녀의 손가락 금붕어 (Twin Flames)

Adorning the center of one of the year’s more experimental R&B albums was the confusingly-similarly-titled duology of “그녀는 손가락 금붕어 (Twin Flame)” and “그녀의 손가락 금붕어 (Twin Flames)”. In the second of these, heralded by the crumbling outro of the first, Yoon Da-hye lets “Twin Flame”’s uneasy tension crash down. Playful rhythm gives way to fissures, synth notes peeking through the veil and wailing backing vocals; lyrics once hyper-focused on the muse of “Twin Flame”, with no room for anything but rapt observation, here turn into emotion and expression as if to snap out of a trance. It’s a dream of three minutes to inhabit.

The Runner-up

Junny – Sour

The Next 10

Bobby Kim – Morning Routine
Crush – Up All Nite (Feat. Sumin)
Don Malik, DeVita – Dap
Jeebanoff – Boyfriend
Jinbo – 느낌이 와 (Feelin’ It)
Jung Il-hoon – Mind
Katie – Take Control
Yerin Baek – In the Middle
Yoon Da-hye – Wang
Youra – 15살 (15 Years Old)

Bye Bye Badman – Bad Timing

Bye Bye Badman broke hiatus with a vengeance and returned with about as close to a no-skip record as we got in 2025. The band’s summery and refreshing soundscape got an extra jolt of adrenaline in this album, most noticeably in the spacious, hurtling pairing of “Zero” and “Sonic Boom” and the gritty groove of “Changer”. This harder edge drove Bad Timing to its loftiest heights, while a familiar fuzzy ambience carried the album’s overall mood and had BBM sounding as youthful – and trendsetting – as ever.

The Runner-up

Noise Between the Lines – 독백적 집단 (Monologuing Collection)

The Next 10

BØjeong – Hellvetica
Chain Reaction – A Love Supreme
Eighteen April – Visions
Gogohawk – Vol. 07
Ludistelo – Ten
Se So Neon – Now
Shirakami Woods – Haeilo
Skittles – Escaping from the Bubblegum
Sucozy – From a Distance
Ydbb – Coda

Erøtic Wørms Exhibitiøn – 가린과 쌍곡선 (Garin | Giperbolodi)

The opener of Erøtic Wørms Exhibitiøn’s third EP embodied longing as a song. The scene-stealing riff is tender and sentimental, reminiscent of Hathaw9y’s best work; vocalists Anidonno and Ahn Hyeon-woo sing of forlorn modernity and a radiant desire to overcome virtual separation and connect with somebody. The moment the song emerges beyond the breather of a prechorus, the rhythm guitars driving into the explosive refrain, was one of the year’s most engrossing listens.

The Runner-up

Hyangni – 벌써 여기 (Already Here)

The Next 10

Budung – 이불 (Bedding)
Chain Reaction – Reprise
Dabda – DDDD!
Danpyeonsun and the Moments Ensemble – 당신과 나 남양주에서 (You, Me and Namyangju)
Gogohawk – Trauma
Hanroro – 시간을 달리네 (Goodbye, My Summer)
Kachisan – 죄악극성 (Evil and I)
Old English Sheepdog – Summer’s Conversation in 2020
Say Sue Me – In This Mess
Spit on My Tomb – Remnant of the Void

Sik-K, Lil Moshpit – K-Flip+

Rage music has been brewing in the Korean scene for years now, and artists like Keith Ape and Loopy had put out some very nice products in that time. Still, it’s probably fair to say K-Flip+ has permanently raised the bar in this space now. Lil Moshpit’s production was out of this world, his penchant for explosive and energetic beats meeting potent fuel in these metallic sheens and screaming synths. (This thing made AAA sound tame by comparison.) Sampling Silica Gel, The Koxx and Idiotape was inspired, and the tracks that went one step further to fully reimagine scene classics like “Lalala” and “Love Love Love” were unforgettable. Sik-K’s singing-rap then glided across these familiar-and-strange beats, flow and sonic satisfaction almost transcending lyrics for 28 minutes.

The Runner-up

EK – Yaho

The Next 10

B-Free – Free the Mane 3 “Free the Mane vs B-Free”
ChoiLB – Her.
Haon, Boycold – Boycold 3
Hippie Kunda – Tundra
Jaedal – Time Attack
Justhis – LIT
Odee – Float
Owen – PoemV
Sik-K, Haon, Jmin, NowImYoung, Vangdale – KC3
Yumdda – 살아숨셔 4 (Breathe 4)

Sik-K, Lil Moshpit – Love3 (Feat. Bryan Chase, Okasian)

The aggression and bravado that characterize most of K-Flip+ was expected, but then Sik-K and Moshpit switched it up on us with this saccharine club banger on the deluxe edition. The song blended kinetic energy, chill vibes, and teched-up sound in a real unique concoction. The melodically whispered “High as fuck, you know I need something real” refrain would already have been the most addictive line of the year, and then Bryan Chase added that autotune hook to really cement it. This all happening on Jisun’s timeless, echoing chorus (which made “Love Love Love” chart for the first time in nearly 20 years) made for a surreal, sublime experience.

The Runner-up

Justhis – LIT

The Next 10

C Jamm – 레이어드 (Layered)
Changmo – Holdup
ChoiLB – 킹오브인프피 (KingOfINFP)
Cobalt, Sliipkat – Mentality.
EK – Machine
Hippie Kunda – Western Boots (Feat. Kim Kyung-ho of Seoul Busan Incheon)
J-Tong – Woof (Feat. Northfacegawd, Lobonabeat!)
Odee – 연신내 (Yeonsinnae)
Owen – 탕아 (Tang)
Takewon – Underdogma

Nmixx – Fe3O4: Forward

This is the first time in the 16-year history of this series that our top two idol group albums of the year came from the same group. Despite its smaller volume, Fe3O4: Forward outshone even the excellent Blue Valentine – the Nmixx version of Electric Shock over Pink Tape, if you will – through tighter focus and pacing. Mostly devoid of love songs, the album spoke persistently on themes of escape and freedom, brought to life in kinetic and evocative language. The exhilarating sound of “Papillon” and effortless groove of “Know About Me” were dual peaks hardly matched anywhere else, bookend pop-hybrids “High Horse” and “Ocean” each featured some of the most inventive K-pop beats in recent memory, and the members’ vocal performance navigated these unfamiliar soundscapes with deftness and verve. A landmark EP for the genre.

The Runner-up

Kontrajelly – Konsequence

The Next 10

Archie – World in Delay
Cravity – Dare to Crave: Epilogue
Effie – E
Jennie – Ruby
Moribet – So, Ho Hum
Nmixx – Blue Valentine
Oh Heejung – Forest & Horns
Room306 – 잔향 (Leaving)
Sion – Eigensinn
TripleS – Assemble25

Nmixx – Papillon

On the songs side, Nmixx also put up several songs worthy of serious consideration here (“Spinnin’ on It” was really not far from the top) but the sheer visceral joy of “Papillon” was unparalleled in the end. The wall of bass and synths spilling out at the intro, the sharp-as-nails rhythm in the chorus, the soulful interjections and constant vocal fills, the richness of the maximal arrangement; all of it was delectable pop perfection.

The Runner-up

Keaukaha – 역주체 (Kenosis)

The Next 10

ARTMS – Icarus
Chaeyoung – Ribbons (Feat. Sumin, Jibin of Y2K92)
Hearts2Hearts – Focus
Hypnosis Therapy, Alex Wilcox – Umjigyeo! (Move!)
Illit – 빌려온 고양이 (Billyeoon Goyangi: Do the Dance)
Kiiikiii – Dancing Alone
Kirara, Ye Ram – 조감도 (Bird’s Eye View)
Nmixx – Spinnin’ on It
Sion – Avoid2
TXT – Beautiful Strangers
Yves – White Cat

Lee Chan-hyuk – Eros

Lee’s second album was a concept album much like his first, and it was once again about death. The implied suicide of a man in the paradoxically upbeat “Sinny Sinny” is where everything begins, as Lee’s narrator turns to hedonism and questioning, grief and love, searching for answers and trying to live on. Lee’s huge range of genre coverage shone again as he painted these dramatic stories, and his recent mastery of retro pop really helped the fidelity and kitsch of the “Vivid Lala Love” – “TV Show” – “Endangered Love” sequence. The subtle instrumentation mostly seems to make room for the assertive toplines, but when it’s needed like in the stormy “Andrew”, it’s right there. A confident and masterfully crafted work from the young auteur.

The Runner-up

Lim Hyun-jung – Extraordinary

The Next 10

Budung – 보호자 (Guardian)
Elaine Kim – 3
Kim Feelsun – 필선집 (Feelsun.zip)
Kim Pureum – ‘푸르스름’ 언플러그드 (‘Bluish’ Unplugged)
Kwon Jin-ah – The Dreamest
Kwon Soon-kwan – 여행자 (Wanderer)
Lucia – 환상소곡집 (Fantasy Pieces) Op.3 – Monster
Onew – Percent
Stella Jang – Stella II
UNXL – Lock

Soran – 사랑한 마음엔 죄가 없다 (Love Is No Sin)

The parting gift of Soran as a three-piece band (as it transitions into Ko Young-bae’s solo project in 2026) turned out to be a career-high achievement. It was already like 50% over as soon as the instantly iconic guitar riff kicked in, but the song went further into a deliciously paced and irresistibly earnest goodbye anthem. The lyrics trod a fine balance of acceptance and fretfulness (“Knowing nothing right now is what makes me a mess”), a song of consolation for the self as much as the other (“Let’s not hate myself / Or hurt at the memories / Because there’s no sin in having loved”). It deserves an entry into the proud canon of the country’s rock-ballads.

The Runner-up

Lee Seol-ah – 언어도단 (Beyond Words) (Feat. Honk)

The Next 10

Heo Hoy-kyung – 기억해야만 하지 (Remembering)
IU – 바이, 썸머 (Bye, Summer)
Kwon Jin-ah – 새 발자국 (Turning Page)
Kwon Soon-kwan – 여행자 (Wanderer)
Lee Chan-hyuk – Sinny Sinny
Lee Mu-jin – 뱁새 (Bird on the Edge)
Park Sae-byul – 햇살이 자라는 숲 (The Forest of Light)
Stella Jang – 워크맨 (Walkman)
UNXL – Copycat
Yangpa – 시간의 갈피 (Folds of Time)

Kwon Tree – 삶의 향기 (The Fragrance of Life)

The Fragrance of Life was a triumph of austerity, this album wrought mostly out of voice and acoustic guitar. Kwon Tree’s reassuring hand took us through the round choruses and gently seeping moods, and though there were standout compositions like “Unknowingly, So Did I” and the soaring “New Year”, most of the album was spent listening to simple, wholesome melodies and the silence between the notes. And you did want to listen close, because those melodies cradled perhaps the year’s most beautifully written lyrics: sometimes in careful abstraction like “Too Much Lost to Weep” (“I’m lonely no more / Because what I’ve lost is loneliness / I seek the depletion of joy made by / The gap in time between the sowing and the harvest”) and sometimes in achingly vivid imagery like “Two Hearts”, Kwon’s pen was astonishing in track after track.

The Runner-up

Son Hyeeun – 모자이크 (Mosaic)

The Next 10

Bek Hyunjin – 서울식: 낮 사이드 (Seoul Syntax: Daytime)
Herhums – Binding Chimes
Huijun Woo – 심장의 펌핑은 고문질 (Pumping of Heart Is Torturing)
Huijun Woo – 아, 진실이라는 모래알이 내 발밑을 찔러서 따갑다! (Ah, the Grits of Truth Sting My Feet… And It Prickles!)
Joung Tae-chun, Park Eun-ok – 집중호우 사이 (Between Hard Rain)
Kimchowon – 노처녀 히스테리 (Spinster Hysteria)
Kim Joo-yeol – 이상 (Ideal)
Lucid Fall – 또 다른 곳 (Elsewhere)
Panema – Okay
Sanmanhan – 산만한시선 2 (Sanmanhan 2)

Ye Ram – 거리를 행진하는 소리 (Marching in the Street)

As people once again took to the streets of Korea in December 2024 and through 2025, as protests and mutual support once again enacted action, music was right there with them as always; the beautiful surprise was that it was “Into the New World” and idol lightsticks that the nation adopted, joining the likes of “Morning Dew” and “O Verdant Pine” in the consciousness of protest anthems. But neither did folk music sit still when it was needed most. “Marching in the Street” was born as a product of what Ye Ram saw and sang on those streets, and it faithfully witnesses the scenes and calls to a continued march; a rousing melody and choral wave to turn the gears of change.

The Runner-up

Bek Hyunjin – 숲길 (Into the Woods)

The Next 10

Herhums – 흰 바람 (Fair Wind)
Huijun Woo – 두 발로 움켜쥐기 (Grabbing with Both Feet)
Jeon Ho-kwon – 오후의 빛 (Afternoon’s Light)
Kimchowon – 노처녀 히스테리 (Spinster Hysteria)
Kim Joo-yeol – 마른 잎 (Dry Leaves)
Kwon Tree – 그렇게, 나도 모르게 (Unknowingly, So Did I)
Lang Lee – Shame
Lang Lee, Kim Mok-in – 이 순간의 노래 (Song of This Moment)
Son Hyeeun – 환절기 (Changing Seasons)
Son Seo-jung – 불편한 잠 (Uneasy Sleep)

Ji Park, VRI String Quartet, Chu Da-hye – 휴명삼각 (The Sublime Triangle)

The Sublime Triangle was Ji Park’s project to reimagine the traditional folk music of the Seodo – the two western provinces of modern-day North Korea – and the outcome was unlike anything we heard this year. The cellist and her VRI String Quartet mates brought a jazz sound to bear while Chu Da-hye brought her sorikkun vocal roots to voice the traditional melodies. Tracks like “The Sublime Triangle I” and (the beginnings of) “III” are somewhat expected, where the strings mostly provide accompaniment to compositions that are driven by Chu’s topline; but things get really weird and truly sublime once the strings take the reins, with improv solos suddenly taking over the melody and trills rushing down and pizzicatos creating their own rhythm. “II” and “VII” are the most unforgettable moments, but each track puts its own spin on this experiment, just pushing the format as far as it can go, testing and breaking all the ways the minyo and the Western strings can coexist.

The Runner-up

Park Jiha – All Living Things

The Next 10

Chinchin Tango – Tango del Mar
Chudahye Chagis – 소수민족 (Sosuminjok)
Doyun Na – Life and Shadow
Jung Eunhye, Cadejo, Yechan Kim – Namdo Calling
Lee Jiho – Jazz Community
Leenalchi – 흥보가 (Heungboga)
Mijung Lim – Impromptu
Mina Choi Orchestra – Stories
Sora Kim – 0 = Expansion
The Voyager – Maiden Vessel

Song Sohee – Hamba Kahle

“Hamba Kahle” was quite far from Song Sohee’s traditional minyo roots, further even than her fusion work like “Infodemics” and “Ganggangsullae”, but the sharpness of her pitch and earth-shaking volume found a home in the dreamy ambience and tribal percussion that enveloped this song. The Zulu farewell opens a festive chorus as Song celebrates the living and blesses the departed. Serious yet accessible, and ready evidence of why Song has become one of the most important names in Korea’s crossover scene.

The Runner-up

Leenalchi – 삼강오륜을 아느냐 (Do You Know the Five Virtues?)

The Next 10

Binary Number – Fractal Waves
Gray by Silver – Cicada
Hakyung – How Sweet Would It Be
Kim Oki, Park Minpyo – 혼꾸녕 (Scolded) (with Dongyi)
Koh Sangji – 항해 (Sailing)
Mina Choi Orchestra – Secret Garden (Feat. Bill Cunliffe)
Nara Lee – Obol
Shin Ahram – 자유로운 보폭 (Free Strides)
Sora Kim – Ravel Piece (Borodine + Ravel + Sora) (Feat. Eric Harland, Harish Raghavan)
SYOT – 하슬라 (Hassla)

O3ohn & Car, the Garden – Two

Car, the Garden’s music has settled solidly into the ballad and pop-rock field by now, but somehow this collaborative EP managed to bring out the Mayson the Soul that was still inside the guy somewhere. The overall soundscape seems closer to O3ohn’s ambient R&B – though both men share the songwriting credits about equally – and the vocalists’ voices hum and float through these dreamy atmospheres. But the pairing also proved potent when needed, seeing as how the two strongly melodic tracks “Big Bird” and “Better” each had some of the year’s better toplines and instantly persuasive groove.

The Runner-up

Kirara – Kirara

The Next 10

A.Train – Povidone Orange
Don Malik, DeVita – 사랑은 노래와도 같이 (Love Is a Song)
Haon, Boycold – Boycold 3
Jennie – Ruby
Ji Park, VRI String Quartet, Chu Da-hye – 휴명삼각 (The Sublime Triangle)
Jung Eunhye, Cadejo, Yechan Kim – Namdo Calling
Jvcki Wai, Vangdale – Mollak
Layone, OLNL – OTL
Sik-K, Lil Moshpit – K-Flip+
Sik-K, Haon, Jmin, NowImYoung, Vangdale – KC3

Chaeyoung – Ribbons (Feat. Sumin, Jibin of Y2K92)

Chaeyoung’s entire album was already one of the most pleasant surprises of 2025, and “Ribbons” was perhaps its best barometer for the Twice veteran’s excellent instincts. Chaeyoung and Sumin trade chic and rhythmic verses in varying states of discontent, and Jibin kicks in with a spunky verse on a throbbing synth loop, which Chaeyoung says the track was built around; it lands insanely hard. The track is an electric ride all the way through the rousing singalong outro – “Wave your ribbons, dance like reborn” – and the three women walk away triumphant.

The Runner-up

Richman and Groove Nice – 너머너머 (Cross the Line) (Feat. Loopy)

The Next 10

Big Naughty – Music (Feat. Lee Chan-hyuk)
Cadejo, Zin Choi – Silly Faces
Chungha – Salty (with Sunmi)
Hippie Kunda – Western Boots (Feat. Kim Kyung-ho of Seoul Busan Incheon)
Jannabi – 사랑의이름으로! (May the Tenderness Be with You!) (Feat. Karina)
Jennie, Doechii – ExtraL
Kirara – 증발 (Evaporation) (Feat. Hollow Jan)
O3ohn & Car, the Garden – Big Bird (Feat. Youra)
Silica Gel – 南宮FEFERE (NamgungFEFERE) (Feat. Japanese Breakfast)
Twice – Strategy (Feat. Megan Thee Stallion)

Huijun Woo

For LP 심장의 펌핑은 고문질 (Pumping of Heart is Torturing) and EPs 또 다시 살아남아 볼을 맞댄다 (Once Again, Survive and Cheek to Cheek) and 아, 진실이라는 모래알이 내 발밑을 찔러서 따갑다! (Ah, the Grits of Truth Sting My Feet… And It Prickles!)

The Runner-up

Yoon Da-hye

For LP 개미의 왕 (Wang); single “Sin City”; compilation work with AP Alchemy; and production work with Irise and &Team

The Next 10

Critical Point
Hearts2Hearts
Jane Coral
Keaukaha
KiiiKiii
Noise Between the Lines
Panema
Post Inner Circle
Skittles
Tasty Shop

Nmixx

For LP Blue Valentine, EP Fe3O4: Forward, and collaborative work with Pabllo Vittar

The Runner-up

Sik-K

For LPs KC2.5 and KC3, EPs K-Flip and K-Flip+, and featured performances with Molly Yam, Nozomi Kitay, Nowimyoung, Wuuslime, Trade L, Flowsik, Jmin, Kimmy Gone, Homies, Bryan Chase, and Dimo Rex