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The end of the year countdowns are finally here! As always, we’ll kick off with the big one: The Bias List’s top 50 songs of the year! Each day this week, I’ll be counting down ten of the year’s best, until number one is revealed on Friday.
To be eligible for this top 50 list, songs must have had a Korean release as a title track, follow-up or promotional video between Dec. 1st, 2023 and Nov. 30th, 2024.
Curious about past countdowns? Check out the masterpost here!
Honorable Mentions
Songs 50-41
Songs 40-31
Songs 30-21
Songs 20-11
10. Hello Gloom – Mamacita
House tracks are a dime a dozen these days, but many stake their claim on an instrumental centerpiece or – even worse – a repetitive anti-drop suitable for background music at a chic department store. Mamacita is having none of that nonsense, bursting into a galvanizing, singalong chorus that stands as one of the year’s most memorable. The song is over before you know it, but its concentrated intensity demands immediate replay. (full review)
9. BOYNEXTDOOR – Earth, Wind & Fire
There’s a song like this in my top ten almost every year: something that’s initially unwieldy but slowly and intentionally unveils its charms over time. Earth, Wind & Fire isn’t so much a song as it is a delivery method for personality. From its rapid-fire post-chorus to the second verse rap that only grew more ridiculous with each passing performance, there’s almost too much energy to contain. It’s also one of those tracks that’s permanently welded to its artist. No one could perform this in quite the same way as BOYNEXTDOOR. (full review)
8. Nayeon – ABCD
In a world of two minute TikTok songs, it can be difficult to deliver the full popstar package. Nayeon did this and then some on her bombastic ABCD. The track weaves between segments and rhythms – varying energy and intensity to lend the song’s multiple peaks as much force as possible. If most artists were serving snacks this year, ABCD rolled out the full course, complete with electrifying dance break and anchored by the power of pure charisma. This deserved to own the summer of 2024. (full review)
7. RIIZE – Boom Boom Bass
RIIZE established themselves as an instruments-obsessed group with last year’s Get A Guitar, and Boom Boom Bass doubles down on the conceit. The song does exactly as its title promises, offering a jolt of groovy rhythm that hits right from the start and never lets up. By the time we’ve reached its effusive finale, the guys have whipped the energy into a frenzy. Still, it’s the specific touches (especially that sticky dance break) that secure Bass‘s place in the pantheon of SM Entertainment funk-pop classics. (full review)
6. OnlyOneOf – dOpamine
OnlyOneOf seem intent to deliver quality over quantity. They return once in a blue moon, but often with music too potent to ignore. Like their best singles, dOpamine flirts with current trends but exists on the edges of the mainstream. Its drum and bass percussion gives way to a thrilling hook that incorporates jagged synth and icy funk riffs. However, it’s the dynamic bridge that truly elevates this above the pack. Junji’s power note leading into the final chorus is one of the mot exciting moments K-pop delivered all year. (full review)
5. TWS – If I’m S, Can You Be My N?
First encounters are hard, but it’s the follow-up that really matters. TWS’s debut year has been all about specificity in sound and message, and If I’m S, Can You Be My N? tells you everything you need to know from its incredibly unique title alone. The song is a grab bag of musical ideas, tied together by melodies so potent they cut through the noise in celebratory bursts of confetti. The singing is impassioned and joyful, but it’s Shinyu’s personality-rich rap that totally steals the show. (full review)
4. Trendz – Go Up
Veteran producers are becoming more of a rarity in K-pop, so it’s always thrilling to see the name of a legendary hitmaker attached to a song’s credits. Trendz scored a major coup by landing producer Brave Brothers for Go Up. The song sees him fully harnessing his upbeat blend of tropical synths, buzzsaw guitar and anthemic hooks. Most importantly, Go Up never forgets the power of a killer pop hook, lacing every moment with a dynamic range of melodies that give the song real heft. This is no more evident than during the chorus, which forgoes gimmicks in favor of a megawatt refrain that sweeps you off your feet. (full review)
3. TWS – Plot Twist
A great pop song is like a three-act play: set-up, rising stakes, payoff. And like a play, Plot Twist unfolds as a story. Not only does it set the scene for TWS’s idiosyncratic worldview, but it manages to encapsulate an entire youth drama in the space of two and a half minutes. The ability to stuff so many musical goodies into such a small frame is quite impressive, but it wouldn’t work without the members’ engaging personalities. Having watched Plot Twist performed three times in one weekend, I can testify to its place as the year’s best performance anthem, climaxing in an impossibly addictive “Na-na-na, na-na” refrain that gets everyone out of their seat whether they’re familiar with the track or not. The fact that the song went on to become a Korean megahit is the most deserved, exciting plot twist of the year. (full review)
2. RIIZE – Impossible
Is there a better combination than SM Entertainment and house music? Nine years after SHINee’s View forever tied the genre to the summer season, Impossible follows in those mighty footsteps with a refreshing sound of its own. From the first “Gimme that beat!” to the thrilling outro, the song never relinquishes its grip. Its percolating synth rhythm bubbles with intricate funk exclamations as the guys offer ultra-smooth vocals over the top.
As thrillingly taut as Impossible is, the track truly explodes when it defies expectations. Many 2024 singles would conclude after their second chorus, but RIIZE amp things up from here as a fist-pumping dance break collides with a synth-laced finale that retraces the song’s glories with added ceremony. This transformation feels almost cinematic, pummeling the listener with one last sonic whirlwind before they eagerly rush to replay the track. (full review)
1. TWS – hey! hey!
It’s become cliche to say “music is my drug,” but there is truly no better way to mainline an emotion than with a three minute blast of pop music. When it comes to hey! hey!, the emotions in question are optimism, excitement and affection. No matter where you are or what you’re doing, these feelings are always welcome, and with the push of a button they become accessible for three minutes and thirteen seconds. The outside world fades to the background, replaced with TWS’s vibrant vision of youth and opportunity.
TWS had a banner year and released music more technically daring than this, but from hey! hey!‘s opening guitar riff to the barreling energy of its bridge, no other 2024 song knocked me off-balance in the same way. Its structure and delivery have a timeless appeal, borrowing tropes from decades of rock and pop, but each time I hear the track my mind goes back to the same ineffable quality: it’s really about feeling. The song makes me feel something. It affirms core elements of the human experience: friendship, possibility, tenacity. These are simple yet complex ideals, most potently expressed through the sneaky simplicity of a pop song.
Yes, I’m sentimental. The sound and energy of a rookie group striving to accomplish their dreams will always affect me, especially when they do so with such obvious passion. You can feel that passion coursing through every note of hey! hey! and it’s an energizing emotion to return to any moment you may need it. Dohoon puts it best at the song’s exclamatory climax: “Run till we reach the very end.” This song makes me want to sprint. (full review)
English (US) · 