K-pop usually is great at taking western things, ripping them off, and expanding on them using an arsenal of more skilled writers and producers, higher production values and great music videos. And despite still having a Western producer at the helm, and featuring one of the most western-style music videos I've seen in K-pop (LESBIANS??? In Korea??), this song is such an upgrade from Moroder's own flop comeback album from last year. It's so gloriously dramatic; hopefully this becomes a gay anthem on par with APink's LUV.
24. Fei - Fantasy
Lots of comebacks this year did the whole sleek, sexy thing, but I think Fei made herself stand out a bit by borrowing some inspiration from early 00s Kylie, and having a neat, unique concept for both the MV and live stages. It's very classy-sleaze, if that makes sense??? The backlash in Korea, and on this very forum, against this was undeserved.
23. Fiestar - Apple Pie
This came at exactly the right time in the summer. Simultaneously light and breezy, and a mega-banger. It's so much of the dull 2012 western EDM pop, done right. I also like Yezi's rap break - it provides a moment to breathe, but doesn't veer into full on trap which would've broken the groove. Another song stupidly affected by the SEA scandal, whilst All Mine was disgustingly allowed to become a moderate online hit
22. Gemma - Sugar Rush
I have no clue who this girl is, I think she's some Taiwanese actress who attempted a crossover into K-pop, but whoever she is she flopped. A shame as this was better than almost all of the prolific solo releases this year. In a post IGAB and 4 Walls world, so much of K-pop is trying to show itself as "trendy and left-field" (read: acessible to as much of a western audience as possible, so you'll fit snug onto a H&M store playlist). This song just tries to be fun, and as a result the quality is there!
21. Snuper - Platonic Love
And here we have the boygroup song of the year! Lots of bgs at the moment either fit into the "overly tough, hip-hop untz untz" or "overly soft, mushy, boyfriend next door here's a song about how much I love you" camps, and both piss me off just as much as each other. I'd say this is a nice middle ground, with some vaguely tumblr-esque visuals which sucked me in further. In terms of the song itself, you can never go wrong with 80s synthpop in my eyes, and this piece is so authentic it practically became a cheesy caricature. PLUS, "Platonic Love" has to be one of the best song titles of the year.
20. Hyoyeon - Mystery
Originally, Born To Be Wild was floating around in my honourable mentions for a good few months, for seemingly confusing reasons I'll now probably never go into, BUT the point is that Hyoyeon displaced herself by releasing a genuinely good song. This is everything I could've wanted for a solo from her, the outdated Bollywood influence is incorporated beautifully, and she outdoes every mid 00s Britney Spears album track that stans liked to pretend were good. The rap is long enough to hype me up, but not long enough for me to be reminded how mediocre a rapper she is, and she can't sing very well so there's no warbles ****ing up the melody of the song, like we'd have had was this a Taeyeon solo or group song.
For reasons unknown and which still haunt me, when this came out earlier in the year, I tried to convince myself it was not only tolerable, but somehow good. Despite being as generic as 4 Walls, I told myself that this was acceptable if it came from these two only, desperately trying to accept the fate of f(x) as existing as these two girls only. Then as Free Somebody, and the other f(x) SM Station shitshows came out, I finally accepted that this is a group that are doomed to serve uninteresting western soundalikes until the day the people's saviour, Sulli, returns.
23. CocoSori - Dark Circle
It's almost as if the writers came together, sat down and spent hours painstakingly running through Aing and Magic Girl, removing anything remotely pleasant sounding or interesting, chucked it in a blender, drank it, and collectively pissed out this result.
22. Oh My Girl - Liar Liar
The one exception to the "colour-pop" trend that I can't get behind (bar that AOA Cream song, but at least that had a great rap break). The millions of noises and things going on here collide off of each other, and it hits my ear in an awful way, making each listen a guarantee for a headache. The melodies and vocals are too twee and saccharine, and that rap ends up sticking out embarrassing as a result (following up the "your freedom is over" line, with "Pinocchio", really?). The lesbian anthem b-side Knock Knock should've been the title track instead.
21. Seventeen - Very Nice
Basically the same musical problems as Liar Liar but even worse thanks to Seventeen's limp boyfriend image, laughably fake gruff rap vocals and a horn hook.
20. HelloVenus - Paradise
Their other comeback this year, Glow, was somewhat more excusable than this, because at least they were intentionally veering off course for an R&B slow jam, here I'm worried this is Devine Channel consciously trying to return to thot bops like Wiggle Wiggle and Sticky Sticky.
Except the great production and melodies on those songs is substituted for yet another horn hook, a hollow backdrop consisting almost entirely of handclaps and a complete non-chorus.
19. I.O.I - Dream Girls
It says a lot that even I.O.I stans found this completely ****ing ****.
It says a lot that even moonlight. found this completely ****ing ****.