The Top 50 Best K-Pop Songs of 2024 (10-1)

2 months ago 7

If you want to check out my rankings for other years:

2024 List

50-41 + Honourable Mentions // 40-31 // 30-21 // 20-11

10. TWS – Last Festival

A buoyant celebration to cap off one of the most triumphant debut years in recent memory, Last Festival deviated slightly from the energetic pop sounds of TWS’ previous efforts whilst still retaining the charm of their absolute best. It’s one of those tracks that creeps up on you in the best of ways, melding a subdued synth assisted-afro-beats production with some incredibly catchy melodies. The stuttering post-chorus especially is an absolute standout, bolstered by a sense of instrumental fullness and great vocal delivery. Much of that fullness is due to the arrangement, which lends itself to a wonderful sense of build and release, ensuring that even in its more repetitive moments, Last Festival never get’s boring or stale.

9. TAN – Hypertonic

A pulverising fantasia of throbbing electronics and towering melodies rarely seen in the modern K-pop landscape, Hypertonic stood as a swan song for the ages for boy group TAN and the late Shinsandong Tiger. It’s a delirious listening experience, filled to the brim with stabbing synths, crunchy electronics and vocal performances that deliver genuine goosebumps. The funky post-choruses harness a fantastic groove whilst the ascending pre-choruses explode in the most unexpected, yet thrilling of ways. It honestly wouldn’t be a stretch to say that it stands as the complete anti-thesis to the more mundane and low-key tracks dominating the charts. And while you can say that the production threatens to almost do too much for its own good, it’s the commanding performance and those airtight melodies that really keep it together.

8. aespa – Supernova

2024 saw aespa reach new heights of stardom, and it all kicked off thanks to the bonafide smash that was the scuzzy electro-hip-hop of Supernova. A musical marvel in many ways, Supernova blended the inventive electronica and melodic bombast that coloured SMP sounds of old with a few modern touches and the girls’ undeniable personality. The result is a track that stretches the limits of the groups already experimental sound whilst still retaining the tight melodic framework that constitutes a great public hit.

But we can’t talk about Supernova without mentioning the incredible interpolation of its Planet Rock sample. It’s wonderfully utilsied, working as an ever-present yet underlying element for much of the track before being unleashed in its fully glory during the magnetic dance break. It stands as arguably not just the song’s most iconic moment, but one of the most iconic moments of the year in general. This is SM heritage.

(as a bonus here’s a video of it in concert, where it sounds even better :))

7. Zerobaseone – Good So Bad

Opening with one of the most majestic layered hooks you’ll probably ever hear, Good So Bad is a track that makes a near flawless first impression that promises complete and utter perfection. It’s near transcendent, invoking a feeling of weightlessness that builds to a stunning peak courtesy of the supporting vocals. It’s one of the strongest moments in any k-pop song this year and though it sets a near unassaialble bar for the rest of the song, the final product actually almost gets there.

From here, Good So Bad stakes its claim as a bouncy, lighthearted dance track. It makes great use of the various vocal tones that pepper the groups ranks, delivering a multicoloured listening experience that elevates the energy and character of what could have otherwise been quite stock standard stuff. Add to that some great synth flourishes and you’ve got something endlessly replay-able. But in the end, it’s the glorious melodic magic of the chorus that firmly seals its place on the countdown.

6. Nayeon – ABCD

Whilst many idols who embark on solo ventures often fail to carve out a clear sound or persona for themselves, Nayeon has already proved herself to be destined for super stardom. Her debut gave us the buoyant POP and the excellent Carly-Rae Jepson inspired No Problem; both of which are pretty high bars. And while most would struggle to overcome such expectation, Nayeon gave the brassy pop sounds of that era an inspired 90’s makeover to deliver the year’s most potent display of individual showmanship with the brassy hip-hop of ABCD.

This is the kind of song that makes a popstar. ABCD is an utterly magnetic effort, rhythmic and aggressive in just the right ways to engage the listener whilst still acting as a wonderful playground for Nayeon’s commanding vocals. It’s the full package, exploding at its numerous musical peaks with a thrilling Crazy In Love -esque chorus that just stuns. It’s an exercise in pure bombast that manages to capture the perfect middle ground between the explosive energy of K-pop and the streamlined pop sensibilities of the west. And by the time the absolutely dynamic dance break rolls around, I’m gone.Dead. If anything, I would have loved another iteration of the chorus at the end to really smash it home. .

5. TWS – If I’m S, Can You Be My N?

In a year that saw quite a surprising number of really solid summer tracks, TWS managed to snatch the crown for my personal favourite with the jubilant (and amazingly named) If I’m S, Can You Be My N? A song so wonderfully crafted that It’s essentially the equivalent to sunshine in a bottle. From the frothy pop beats that fill the verses to the driving guitar that frames the pre-chorus and even the heavenly harmonies that pop up all round, the track plays like the aural equivalent of the worlds biggest goodie back. Full of so many different treats whilst still being so damn appetising. I know I also just compared it to being the equivalent to sunshine in a bottle but why can’t it both. Let it be both!

But an assortment of musical ideas can easily fall apart if not for a clear through line. And while the playful melody at the track’s core is delightful, it’s the performance that truely anchors and elevates the track. From vocalist to rapper every musical shift feels like the throwing of a baton in an acrobatic relay. Seamless, yet exciting. It’s a performance so full of personality and character, evoking a sense of palpable joy that feels genuine even in the most sugary of moments. A characteristic harboured by the very best pop tracks.

4. TWS – Plot Twist

First encounters are always tough. Whether they be in real life, online or even in the music industry. But while they’re tough, they don’t always have to be unpleasant. And with the immensely buoyant Plot Twist, TWS ensured that our first encounter with them was the furthest thing from it.

When I think of some great debuts of the past few years, there’s always a key through line between them. And that remains the presence of a clear artistic vision and character. And from its opening moments, Plot Twist has all but fulfilled both those criteria. This is a phenomenally addicting debut, one that illicit’s an immense amount of character from its arsenal of vocalists and attaches it to a thrilling pop soundscape that’s bursting at the seams with bright synths and addictive melodic turns. It’s the definition of short-but-sweet, packing so much into its minute 2 minute 30 second run time that it somehow feels like a full course.

It’s a great example of build-up and payoff, with the, now iconic, stuttered chorus and instrumental break being used in unexpected ways to create a wonderful base before the immense chanted finale comes in to sweep you off your feet in glorious fashion. It’s no surprise that this went on to be one of the biggest songs of the year in Korea.

3. Kep1er – Shooting Star

While they’ve explored a number of various soundscapes (to varying effect) throughout their career, Kep1er finally delivered a track that lived up to their cosmic name with the gorgeously celestial synths of Shooting Star. It’s arguably the most majestic track on this list, starting slow and atmospheric before kicking into gear with a wonderfully atmospheric synth-kissed drum’n’bass instrumental. It’s an inspired production choice, giving this rather emotive single a real kick, which allows it to ascend towards some truly breathtaking directions.

And those unexpected directions are what really help transform Shooting Star from just another sentimental pop track into a once in a career style standout. Chief amongst these are the expertly placed “slow-downs”, which filter the girls voices through vocoder to deliver some heavenly pre-choruses. It’s a wonderfully inspired creative choice and works perfectly as a segue to the lush, multi-part chorus that layers the girl’s airy vocals to create some stunning highs. It rises and falls like the ocean waves, conjuring a sense of potent sentimentality that tugs right at the heartstrings.

And while Shooting Star may work as the final chapter to one of Kep1er’s many potential stories, it proves that sometimes even the saddest of goodbye’s can sometimes be beautiful.

2. TWS – Hey! Hey!

Some of my favourite songs of all time aren’t simply those that appeal to me on a purely “objective” musical level. Sure, I could be in love with the production or the vocal arrangement or even the genre itself; but just because a song manages to “tick all the boxes” doesn’t necessarily mean it will go onto become a personal classic. Because after all, music is an art form. And art appreciation, as much as many others may tell you otherwise, remains an inherently individualistic endeavour. And while there were many songs released in 2024 that dared to be more complex or technically exciting, few hit me as hard as TWS transcendent pop rocker, Hey!Hey!

From the opening riff to the rousing climactic build, Hey!Hey! is musical catnip to my ears, encompassing so many overwhelming emotions into a laser focused 3 minute package. It makes me feel a rush. It makes me feel like there’s meaning out there. It makes me feel as though despite my own afflictions, I can do absolutely anything. And sure, it may be naive and yeah these bold sentiments may seem rather overblown to some, but they’re sentiments that arise each and every time I hear that euphoric hook. And for someone who often slips into nostalgic episodes regarding the past, missed chances and old connections, I’m not embarrassed to say that it’s also managed to almost bring me to tears on a few occasions.

Given those qualities, it’s not a far cry to say that at its’ core, Hey!Hey! stands as a life affirming anthem for the ages. It’s an effort that perfectly manages to capture the wonder, excitement and, most importantly, magic of youth, all without forgetting the underlying melancholia that resides behind it all. And while such contrasting feelings can be quite hard to encapsulate together, the strength of the melody and utterly rousing arrangement not only convey it, but deliver it in an utterly overwhelming manner. TWS had a generational debut year full of excellent songs, but Hey!Hey! might just be their absolute zenith.

1. RIIZE – Impossible (full review)

Sometimes you press play on a song for the first time and you just know.

Ever since SHINee released their seminal View almost ten years ago now, SM entertainment have been on a mission to craft the perfect summer house successor. And while we’ve had many fantastic tracks over the years courtesy, primarily, of the many iterations of NCT, it was RIIZE who finally delivered the grand opus.

Impossible is one of those songs that defies words. It’s perfection personified, utterly inspired in its construction and delivery. It’s one of those songs that’s technically infallible whilst also being exactly the kind of track that gets me on a personal level. The groove is as free flowing as can be, untethered by trends, forced breaks or musical time limits, pulsing forward with an uncontrollable sense of kinetic energy that quickly becomes contagious. It’s completely undiluted in the best way, with the synth flairs, chopped vocal loops and performers themselves all eventually becoming slaves to the rhythm. Resistance at this point is hopeless.

And while many songs would have settled quite strongly around the 2:30 mark, Impossible hinges its bets on something grander, stretching for another 30 seconds courtesy of a synth fuelled dance break that blends all the elements previewed throughout the track into a euphoric psychedelic fantasia. The result? The most transcendent musical finale I’ve heard in ages.