The Top Three K-Pop Songs of October 2024

3 weeks ago 11

At the end of each month, I look back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists. I take my own ratings into account, but there’s a bit of wiggle room as certain songs tend to grow or fade.

October 2024 Overall Thoughts

I’ve probably opened with this overused phrase during previous Octobers, but I’m going to repeat myself anyway: This month was more of a trick than a treat.

I can’t remember another K-pop year with such distinct shifts in quality between its first and second halves. At this time back in June I was quietly thinking to myself that 2024 might end up being one of the stronger years in recent memory. There were so many great title tracks released during that period. But as the second half of the year has unfolded, it feels more and more like we’re getting the industry’s leftover dregs. I can’t think of a single major artist who has released their best work during this period. Within this unfortunate holding pattern, October ranks as my least favorite month of the bunch. There was so much potential from big-name acts but nearly everyone stumbled. In fact, October didn’t boast a single 9+ rated title track.

Up until today, I had exactly one song I’d pick for my top three and it still clinches first place. But like September, October’s final day offered a jolt of hope as I was able to add a K-pop legend to my roster. Here’s hoping he also features on November’s countdown!

There’s exactly one month left until eligibility for my year-end chart closes, meaning we’ve still got a few weeks for a highlight to make its mark. Most of my faith rests on TWS at this point, though G-Dragon’s album could also be a contender. Apart from that, I can’t say any upcoming teasers have me salivating. In fact, I feel like there hasn’t been many teasers at all? November’s not going to be another sparse month, is it? Come on, agencies! Let’s end the year with a bang.

After an above-average September, J-pop didn’t fare much better than K-pop this month. There were more singles I enjoyed, but few that really stood out. I’m really digging the new Perfume album and Sakuraka46’s latest EP, and just like K-pop there ended up being a new single from a favorite artist released on very last day of the month. Looking forward, I’m most anticipating Ryugujo’s first full-length album, which seems as though it may arrive around the same time as TWS’s comeback. That’s a windfall for me!

On the plus side, two of my favorite pop albums of the year came out this month! I’d highly recommend listening to Confidence Man and Benjamin Ingrosso’s new projects. Both are pretty stellar and quite different from each other. Let’s bring some of that sonic diversity back to K-pop.

Month Cumulative Rating: 7.7

(compiled by averaging the scores of every K-pop review from this month)