Top 50 Kpop Songs of 2023

Hello everyone, welcome to a very special edition of How NOT to Kpop. Sean @sepatorprod counting down their Top 50 Kpop Songs of the year!

Top 50 Playlist

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50 Twice – Set Me Free
One of the weaker songs I’ve heard from TWICE, but still good kpop

49 Zior Park – Psycho Love
Incredible beat, Zior Park’s unique voice suits the track perfectly

48 Epik High ft. Hwasa – Catch
Been loving Hwasa’s tracks this past couple years, her feature very welcome alongside the legendary epik high

47 Bryn, SINCE – Swallow
Awesome flows, super excited to see where Bryn and Since go from here

46 Chanju ft. Lee Chanhyuk – Your Love
Awesome blend of rnb and samba, criminally underrated this track

45 IVE – Baddie
Cool tune from IVE and great performance, they get better with every release

44 IM – Overdrive
Love the production and IM’s performance on this one, but trap sound slightly stale

43 KARD – Icky
Not big on KARD, but this is them at their best

42 Jungkook (BTS) – Standing Next to You
I don’t particularly care for JungKook’s Western flavour pop, but gosh darn it this track is catchy, moody and the production is top notch

41 NMIXX – Party O’Clock
Don’t really care for NMIXX but this is an absolute groove

40 Kim Sejeong – Top or Cliff
This track is dynamic and beautiful arrangement, but vocal left me wanting

39 BOYNEXTDOOR – But I Like You
Runner up for best debut of 2023, really fun pop song

38 Jinyoung – Cotton Candy
Catchy af bop from Jinyoung

37 Kim mi Jeong – choose you
Really interesting sound and performance hooked me

36 DEAN – Die 4 You
Dean is back from getting milk. Bop.

35 Jay Park ft. Zion.T – Candy
Candy giving me that cha cha beat…boy

34 Jeon Somi – Fast Forward
Awesome if not standard banger from Jeon Somi, think Charli XCX, Lady Gaga, rina sawayama vibes

33 Enhypen – Sacrifice (Eat Me Up)
Awesome mid tempo track, production is incredible, has a timeless quality to it

32 ATEEZ – We Know
I wasn’t into crazy form, but this B-side is excellent and shows why ATEEZ have a huge dedicated following

31 ZeroBaseOne – In Bloom (Best Debut 2023)
This song slaps, best debut of 2023 hands down

30 Agust D – Haegeum
It’s a great trap song with great flows, I expect nothing less from Suga/agust d

29 TripleS – Rising
Track is off to an incredible start but drags a little, definitely worth a listen

28 NCT Dream – ISTJ
An NCT DREAM song I love?! 2023 was full of surprises

27 Son Simba – Double Cross
Son simba could be the most underrated korean rapper out there

26 Dreamcatcher – OOTD
Really interesting production and pretty catchy single from Dreamcatcher, but I wanted more in the chorus

25 Beenzino ft. Cautious Clay – Travel Again
Weird, catchy rap song with that addictive Beenzino flow i love

24 SF9 – Puzzle
Very cool, kinda weird song from SF9, the strange staccato chorus shouldn’t work but it does

23 Taeyang ft. Jimin – Vibe
It’s a match made in heaven. Clever, sparse production highlighting the incredible dance and vocal talents of two of the best

22 Cherry Bullet – P.O.W! (Play on the World)
What an incredible, forward thinking kpop tune from Cherry Bullet, taking the ITZY/CLC/Loona sound to new, c atchy places

21 TXT – Chasing that feeling
Yes it sounds like the Weeknd, yes I found the key a little high. But this is still a very catchy tune from TXT.

20 Jessi – Gum
Its not my #1 favourite Jessi track but Gum is an excellent and weird pop rap song

19 Eric Nam – Don’t Leave Yet
Western style pop done right. Love eric nam

18 Cravity – Groovy
At times I find it hard to get excited about the newer boy groups coming through, but this Cravity song is stellar. Catchy as hell

17 Jihyo – Killin Me Good
It’s an excellent song for anyone who loves that JYP sound, and one of the sexier songs on this list.

16 aespa – Better Things
What a catchy, strange tune from aespa. The vocal performance is incredible and the dynamics of this track are awesome.

15 Stray Kids – The Sound
Stray Kids blend of rock and pop is at it’s best right here. Love the dynamic vocal performance and soaring chorus

14 The Rose – Alive
The best pop rock band in korea right now. This song rules.

13 Crush ft. Dynamicduo – No Break
What a groove from Crush, still coming up with fresh sounds after all these years in the game

12 Odd Eye Circle – Je Ne Sais Quoi
Was really sad to see Loona fall apart, but this incredible Odd Eye Circle release makes it less painful

11 Apink – DND
The sheer consistency of Apink across their career is a marvel in itself. DND is yet another catchy kpop tune for any mood, any time of day.

10 The Boyz – Roar
Been loving the Boyz last couple releases. The vocal performances are top notch, the whistling mixed well and used tastefully, booming beat, soaring, epic bridge.. Excited to see more from them in 2024.

9 YUNHWAY – Mistakes (Never Looking Back)
Dark, moody, aggressive. Yunhways album this year was perfectly suited to my tastes, and is the best korean hip hop release this year

8 XG – Shooting Star
I still think XG are inconsistent, but when they are on they are absolutely OOOOON. Production on this one brilliant, huge bass with great space in the higher elements. Excellent.

7 Seventeen – Super
This is such an energetic kpop anthem, impossible to ignore. Huge wall of sound chorus, aggressive, fun tune. Respect to Seventeen for being daring enough to title the album FML

6 NCT U – Baggy Jeans
NCT producing the most forward thinking kpop out there. Despite strange keys and arrangement, they never forget the hook. Although Baggy Jeans comes off as 2 Baddies 2.0, NCT continue to sound like nothing else in kpop.

5 FIFTY FIFTY – Cupid
What a perfect, soulful, cute kpop song. Its simplicity is key, everything gels together in perfect harmony. The timbre of the vocals, the deep warm bass, the beat. File under tracks to snuggle to.

4 V – Rainy Days
Thought we would never hear V’s songs it took so long to come out. It was worth the wait, meticulously crafted tracks with heaps of elements amid V’s incredible, deep crooning. Rainy Days gets my pick for the lo-fi leaning but the whole EP is great

3 StayC – Teddy Bear
Few songs have lived in my head rent free like Teddy Bear has. Imitations came after this sound, but none could walk the line between saccarine sweet and catchy like StayC can. Current #1 Group doing this sound, teddy bear is a bop.

2 DPR Ian – Don’t Go Insane
Dear Insanity… is my album of the year. DPR Ian’s blending of cinematic atmospheres with rnb, disco, rock, soul is so well put together and catchy. The concept and narrative of the album is logically sequenced and the mixes are spacious and groove. Listening to this album is a treat as I find myself wondering how the hell did you do that?

1 NewJeans – Super Shy
NewJeans are unstoppable. To be as popular and consistent as they’ve been right out of the gate is exceptional, regardless of their HYBE backing. Not overstaying its welcome, Western influence but not overly western, catchy, reserved, accessible. Perfect.

Honourable Mentions
Yena ft. BE’O – Love War
ITZY – Cake
Jaeha – Summer Night
n.SSign – Higher or Wormhole: new Track
(G)I-DLE – I Want That
Le Sserafim – Perfect Night
Craxy – Nugudom
Ash Island ft. Paul Blanco – Goodbye
Soojin – Agassy
Jooyoung – Be
Peppermint – Like a habit
YUJU – Without U
Iris, MINT – Prove
Whee In – in the moodThe Boyz – Watch It
Park Ji hoon – Blank Effect
TOIL, Gist – When We First Met

Weekly Kpop Review 18-02 – 25-02 – How NOT to Kpop

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Show Notes

JYP, Stray Kids, Itzy, Nmixx – Like Magic
This tracks cool! Powerful, emotive performance goes hard. Love the beat switches, filtered/effected in the verses, then a dnb for the chorus. The chorus synths have an industrial electro flair before dropping to the verse sound which is pretty if not a little standard, reminiscent of Ive’s either way. The vocal absolutely shines on this one, it’s well produced, I’m confused as to why this is effectively a throwaway release I absolutely love this track.

Yugyeom – 1 Minute
Gray production uninspired – i’ve heard this sound a million times. Yugyeom’s performance has great energy, the doubling is a bit aggressive but very dynamic singing and rapping parts. Its cookie cutter rnb here, if you like Gray’s productions you’ll like this.

Le Sserafim – Easy
This song is boring. Standard trap rnb beat to a hook to a part with pitched down vocals. Performance comes off too subdued, maybe too heavy on the psychedelic travis scott delays and autotune. Its short at 2:45 which is nice and the mix is balanced and warm, but nothing stands out from this bland, standard 2024 kpop track.

IU – Holssi
Oh this beat Knocks! IU is singing a little lower in this one compared to tracks like Lilac. This track is sick! Production is top class, the upfront vocal works well with a very spacious mix full of big verbs and delays. The digital sounding harmonies work and give the track a strange ethereal flavour, like i’m listening to fairies singing from flowers. It ends a touch abruptly, but awesome track

IU – Shopper
Little bit uninspired this one, think Carly Rae Jepsen sound. I love the beat switch in the chorus though, really strange syncopated moments. Production once again is stunning, this one less interesting than holssi a much safer bet in its arrangement, it really soars at the end a real stadium feel, reminiscent of Florence and the Machine. Solid track.

Moon Byul (Mamamoo) – Think About
Wasn’t sure what to expect from Moon Byul’s full length. This track is cool, her singing is great, not overly affected and emotive, maybe a bit too much repetition in the lyrics, felt like every second word in the chorus was repeated XD. Tempo of the track is great and energetic. The mix is loud and a bit too compressed for my taste. It’s a catchy, solid kpop song i recommend

Moon Byul – Touchin&Movin
I love the Pre-chorus in to the chorus, the beat follows the vocal in a cool way. The arrangement is fun, disco synths and bass with some horns in the mix. Track has a great energy, partly from the tempo but also Moon Byul’s performance, energetic and powerful, real pop star stuff. Tough decision but I think I prefer think about

BiBi – Sugar Rush
WHOOO what a banger. The beat is sick in this track and comes in at a really weird time, grabbed me straight away. Bibi’s performance is sexy and cheeky, despite being performed in a whispery voice sits well in the mix. Moments of harmonies are a nice touch, gave the track some dynamics. Great rnb pop track.

Jung Seung Won – Leaf
Orchestral ballad that absolutely hits from Jung Seung Won. The soaring chorus is brilliant.

Leellamarz – Two Pills
Something about the minimalist arrangement and production on this one works for me. I’m still not huge on the autotune but i totally get that its leellamarz sound. I like the scratchy, boxy drum sound, the swimming filtered vocals. This track has mystery, pulling me in til the end. Recommended.

YeoDongSaeng – A Fluttering Love
Great voices. The strings were great but come off a touch thin, the whole mix is quite bright. The drums don’t have much impact but I appreciated the acoustic sound to them, same with the guitar had a lovely itch to it. Its a solid, catchy track if you’re into that older Apink sound.

A.C.E – My Girl
Lush rnb dance track from ACE. Love the beat, mixed really tastefully, the snare has a warmth to it never biting or sharp. The disco inspired guitar is standard, not bad but typical. Personally would’ve liked a touch more plucky attack in the bass, its tone is nice and full but it would’ve grooved a little more with some more high-mid energy. Synths are lush and sweet. Vocal is sweet to but overproduced for my taste, every vocal sounds like a backing harmony, its like this song has no lead vocal. This track is mid, nothing incredible.

Caper – Like A Drug
I really like Caper’s voice, it has a unique flavour to it and really interesting vibrato. Its cool to hear a fresh voice in korean rnb. The backing track is a bit standard, beat is mixed well and there’s some cool violin and flute samples throughout the track but otherwise pretty standard stuff. Caper’s on my radar though this voice is too special to ignore.

Dbo – A lot of stars
Fun energetic track from Dbo. Well mixed sub bass and kick. The autotune adlibs could be a bit much at times, but otherwise suited the feel. This track is short, just over a minute 35, but a fun ride while it lasts.

Alexa – Sick
Its a cool track from Alexa. The guitar and bass tone is great, I love the distortion on the vocal especially in the chorus, fits the vibe of the track, the chords in the chorus hook are really pretty. I wanted the last chorus to crescendo a little more, maybe a more obnoxious guitar lick or a solo even. Really enjoyed this one it got stuck in my head.

Twice – One Spark
I love the beat on this one, perfectly produced, i love the dnb influence. The vocal is clinical and what one would expect from Twice, excellent. I like how the synths reminded me of other Twice songs like in feel special or I can’t stop me, gave the song a familiar feel. The repetition of the hook is tasteful, not annoying at all like other Kpop I’ve heard recently. I think what stops this track from being all time is the arrangement needed a little extra in the chorus to make it hit and soar, the vocal does but the other elements are lacking.

Bryn – Still
Bryn leaning in to hyperpop on this one. I love the distorted elements landing on the beat, fierce, digital and dancey. Didn’t mind her autotune, but it was a bit much in the bridge, which is a mess. Everything gets filtered and bryn’s voice takes a strange turn. I respect the experimentation but wasn’t pleasant to my ears. This a catchy tune from Bryn and really shows how diverse her sound can be.

W00R1, Bryn – Catch Me
Also coming out this week from Bryn. a dance rnb track, I like the more edm production it hits deeper than songs in this vein like le seraffim’s easy or twice’s rush. Bryn’s performance is excellent as ever, flow is awesome, the la las at the back end are effected and panned in a really fun way. Great track thats dangerously close to Kpop coming out these days, but stands out on its own.

Weekly Kpop Review 11-02 – 18-02 – How NOT to Kpop

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SHOW NOTES

Lee Byeong Chan – Everlasting Night

Great production on this fairly generic ballad. Delays and verbs on the guitar are spacious and grand. The soundstage is really big on this one, elements mixed up close and far away made the track sound epic. Lee Byeong Chan’s vocal is excellent. Check it out if you love korean ballads

Gyeongseo Yeji – day by day
Very standard, uninteresting track. The vocal is delivered airy which can cause problems in the high mid, sibilant freq range. I still found it a bit harsh in that area. The synth solo is cool, otherwise very standard cafe music.

ONLEE ft. Soo-Yeony – Spi-cy
Smooth rnb tune from ONLEE. Great vocal performance, dynamic and sexy. The kick is mixed in a really interesting way. It has a lot of higher end click, often found in rock and metal mixes. it even sounds soft clipped, often done in EDM mixes. I kind of love it, although it distracts from the rest of the song. Soo-yeony is fine, doesn’t really add the dynamics i hoped for, more of the same performance makes the track plod a little.

MODI ft. Huh! – Drip
Title track off Modi’s debut Modivation is great. Modi’s production is awesome, loud, deep and wide. Synths could’ve been a touch deeper in the chorus, I like the higher pitch moments in the verses. Autotune is not so grating and suits the track, flow is great and fun. Really solid debut from Modi, I also recommend minus ft. loopy.

Jiyoungsai – Up To You
Really liked the flavour of this track. The beat is mixed a bit low. This track is very crowded, a lot of elements competing rather than complementing. This helps the pace of the track though. Vocal performance is very good, the wet squelchy synths are awesome, the choppy strings are cool and mixed well. Track is short too, really solid effort from jiyoungsai for fans of hoody.

TEN – Nightwalker
Love the bass lick at the intro. Pre-chorus is awesome, super spacious, beautiful synth, vocal performance theatrical and epic. Acoustic guitar is jarring, this track is kind of like DPR Ian’s tracks on dont go insane, blending all these different styles of rock, rnb, edm, together, not quite as well as DPR Ian. The piccolo i think it is sounds like Silent Hill ahahaha Production is top notch as expected from SM, it’s a very good track, wanted a little more vocal soaring notes from TEN.

Bibi – Bam Yang Gang
Not really my style but a really well done track. Bibi voice complements the jazz arrangement perfectly. The waltz beat is addictive. The synth solo a bit weird but gives the track dynamics which i appreciated. I love how acoustic most of the elements sounded but the synth is out of place in this arrangement. Not bad, recommend if you like this kind of Iu Red Shoes/Baek a yeon kinda sound.

Ourealgoat – Save Me
Wasn’t feeling this one. The leellamarz/wonstein kinda sound played out, nothing new with this one.

Chuu – Chocolate
Doing a Dua Lipa song. Similar melody to after like by Ive. Production is good, i liked the kinda 8bit twinkly synths and beat in the prechorus and verse and the vocal performance is excellent. Worth checking out this one.

AnnSnake – Foolish
Awesome track. Swirling swimming synths, weird vocal doubling effects give this track an unsettling feel. Beat is very cool, nice click to it. The performance is cool if not overly affected at times, can’t get out of its own way. Track runs long, plods a touch especially when the vocals fall away, the B part isn’t much different from the A so the track lacks dynamics and could’ve used a beat switch or tempo change even to keep things exciting. I do love the vibe of this track though.

Sweetch ft. Haedo – your eyes
Production is excellent, clear, deep and spacious. Love the wide panned harmonies and synths. The acoustic drums sound a little thin, but that gets out of the bass and guitars way. Its not too groundbreaking arrangement wise, that jeebanoff kinda sound, but one of the better efforts.

Jason Lee ft. Suran – bad
This tracks a bop. Love the distortion on the bass. We’ve heard the choppy filtered vocals on a million pop songs but it’s not overused. I love the sax, sexy, mixed well, really fun. Suran is sultry and wonderful. The bass is stunning on this track. Track is a touch one note, but beautiful.

Yusuii – blanket
Decent production on this one. Those squelchy synths are nice. The vocal is great, I loved the dynamics of the track, the synths falling away sometimes a little abruptly but it’s a wonderful lush tone and melody. The beat is nothing special but carries the track. Yusuii are on my radar now.

If.iwere ft. whistle.
Really interesting piano sound on this one, distant plucky delays sounds like footsteps in an empty room. The vocal performance is emotive and great. Found myself mesmerised by this one, it has a lo-fi leaning in the production that makes it calming and had me coming back.

The Wind – H! Teen
It’s catchy and has a Jpop sound to it, but the beat is too crispy was tearing my ears off. Vocal performance is ok, the synths are lush. It’s a pretty good effort from the wind.

Skyminhyuk – Neodo Haebang

This tracks awesome. Instrumental reminded of lofi legend Nujabes, especially with the flute and sax with the very warm piano. The flow is awesome, powerful, dynamic, catchy. Highly recommend

Nina – Love Like This
Tracks pretty cool, hyperpop ballad. Found the autotune didn’t fit the tune, especially with a very acoustic sounding piano throughout. The trap beat weirdly worked though, deep and full. The synths in the distance of the chorus are skeletal and cool. The song doesn’t overstay its welcome its very well crafted.

N.ssign – Happy &

Na na’s are urgh. Love the beat, very thick bass backing it sitting very nice in the mix. The horns were mixed cool too, very grand with big reverb. Vocal performance is very good and mixed really well. It’s not bad, not really my kind of thing, but it had a bit of attitude to the cutesy sound which was nice. 

Cha Eun Woo – Stay

Guitar intro gives Ash Island vibes, the glassy desolate mood reminded me of metal band Dream Theatre’s pull me under. Drums are a touch squashed, wanted them to breath a little more. The harmonies are beautiful, ethereal with filters. I appreciate cha eun woo performing a style that suits his natural timbre. This song is great and stands out in current kpop

Aimers – Somebody
Not bad. Has this plucky bass and disco style guitar that reminded me of DNCE’s cake by the ocean. The vocals are a bit artificial, over affected, they sit well in the mix and soar nicely in the chorus though. The mix is appropriately bright and very balanced, i wanted the drums to pop out a touch more. It’s ok but forgettable.

DK (Ikon) – Groovin
Pretty standard rnb cut, channeling Jaay Park especially in the somewhat high talk sing verses. It’s catchy, the vocal melody especially is sensual and lovely.

Whee In – Wheee
Its a Jpop song by Whee In! Really energetic, great song. I wanted more of a dynamic pre-chorus – a quiet moment then launch in to soaring chorus, the chorus didn’t quite hit how it should because this whole track is a million miles a minute. Guitar tone is great, drums have a hip hop production to them which was a bit much but matched the tracks energy. Whee In’s performance was great. Fun track.

Lim Hyunsik (BTOB) – La Mar

A pretty good rock ballad for fans of FT Island’s slower tracks or car, the garden, drama ost artists such as Gaho.

Weekly Kpop Review 05-02 – 11-02 – How NOT to Kpop

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Show Notes

P1Harmony – Killin It
The sax on this track is NASTY. Great energy in the vocal performance, reminiscent of Monsta X or NCT. The horn is less obnoxious than other Kpop tunes out there, but it’s still up there. The beat is fine, I like the dynamics on this track at certain times but it still kinda plods, a little grating. Its mid this one.

EPEX – Graduation Day
This is a well made mid-tempo spring tune. The group vocal moments are tasteful and fun, mixed well. The guitar is pleasant and accompanies the keys well. I respect the brighter sound on this one, takes what could be a smooth deep rnb song in to a spring mood, it works! The vocal performance is pretty good, maybe a couple moments of heavy tuning but otherwise this is a pretty good effort from Epex keen to hear more.

Oceanfromtheblue – 25 – a colors show
Mm this tune is sick. Wet swirling detuned synths around a fun, acoustic sounding beat thats tastefully compressed and nice and scratchy in the high-mids. The vocal is well done, dynamic, i especially loved the “I did It” moments, I don’t know about the 20 20 25 hook though, it didn’t grab me. Recommend this one though definitely give it a shot.

Jo Gwangil – Plosive
Very fast flows from the Show Me The Money 10 winner. I love the UK dnb beat. It’s mixed well, the slower effected vocal singing parts were meh but at least gave some dynamics. It stands out this one check it out.

Don Mills – OK
Don mills is underrated. Great dynamic flows, catchy hook. The only deterrent is the dated autotune sound, I am very tired of aggressive autotune. Song does not overstay its welcome clocking in at under 2 minutes, I wanted a little more. Good track

Lim Kim – Ult
This tracks awesome. Hyperpop leaning like 100 gecs or Charlie XCX, the instrumental is abstract with percussion pops against a trap beat. The chorus has weird double kick effect going on that was grating. Lim Kim’s performance is very cool, tastefully digital sounding. The bridge/outro is great! Distorted bass and naughty lyrics. This is my favourite Lim kim track by far.

0wave, FIIXD – ball so
0Wave is back! Come 2 me was in my top 50 kpop last year, this new one ball so, pretty good. Production is wavy, an affected flute swirling round the mix. The performance was as good as I’ve heard 0wave, but not better. I hold them to high standards, so found this one a touch underwhelming, the chorus hook wasn’t that catchy, the fast flow in it affecting the dynamics.

Panda Gomm, Kid Milli – Sofa Glue
I wasn’t stoked on the intro of this track, felt boring and standard rnb, like jeebanoff, car, the garden type stuff. But the performance is excellent. The emotion is palpable, Kid Milli is awesome and suits the track like a glove.. The track is shoegazey, post rock leaning, mournful bliss. The voices are mixed beautifully, the guitar tone is warm and washed in reverbs and delays. It builds and crescendoes nicely, although I wish the vocal did as well, it stays one note. Check this one out.

Woo Jin Young – Closer
The Winner of Mix Nine, Woo jin Young dropped an EP Don’t worry be happy, the title track is closer. It’s an ok disco infused pop song. Definitely a good vocalist, the production is pretty good if not a bit overcompressed, especially the drums and bass. Its not a very memorable, ok track

Hwanji – Father
This song is heartbreaking, beautiful performance. Listen in your sadboy hours.

Super Junior LSS – Joke
Song sounds like Jpop, think Kat-tun, Kanjani8 kind of sound. It’s better than C’mon but was lacking dynamics compared to suit up. The performance is great and fun, more of the same really but that’s cool super junior lss are doing a sound I respect it.

Crucial Star – 2009 ft. unofficialboy
The accent on a different part of the beat made this one stand out. Standard jazzy hip hop arrangement, standard lofi leaning mix and production, but it hits different. Singing parts were great, not autotuned aggressively, pleasant warm distortion and delivery. Unofficialboy brings some dynamics to the track which was welcome. This is great, recommend it for jazzy lofi hip hop heads.

(G)I-DLE – 2 Album Review – How NOT to Kpop Review

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Weekly Kpop Review 29-01 – 04-02

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Show Notes

Vanner – Jackpot

It’s a cool pop rock track. I love the tempo super energetic. The beat sounds kinda weird, like semi-acoustic, uncanny valley ish, i would’ve preferred either fully acoustic or fully digital. The guitar is great throughout, mixed really well. On occasion the vocal sounds a bit too effected by autotune and other fx but a great energetic performance. Its a really fun track right here.

Boycold with leellamarz – I can’t be cool
I love this take on korean rnb, fusing it with a dancehall beat, brilliant. The production is pretty good, I love the scratchiness of the drums on the mid-highs. The low-mid is a bit crowded, especially with the keys could barely make them out at times, the beat is loud but i liked this, the bass was a touch low-mid heavy, if theres such thing as too thick this is it. It’s a cool track but doesn’t really stand out, leellamarz performance was great though.

Changmo – Heliot Emil
I like the glassy samples, have a city pop vibe to them, song in general sounded like the soundtrack to JRPG Persona. Changmo’s flow is fast, performance lacks some dynamics, I think they’re affected by the autotune on his voice. Doesn’t overstay its welcome this one, in fact felt a bit short I would’ve liked a bridge, the instrumental is mesmerising I wanted to swim in it a little more. Very good track definitely check it out.

2am – Echoes of Love’s Journey
This track is quite loud considering it’s a ballad. The vocal performance is incredible, I prefer it to If you change your mind I found it a little more emotive. The chorus melody is great, it has a pace to it, it soars, its performed beautifully. The arrangement is stock standard, strings, guitar etc nothing new here. I’m loving 2am being more active recently they truly are some of Kpops strongest singers.

Seori – Broken

Loved the vocal on this one, the intro and verse reminded me of FKA Twigs, dark, solemn and spacious, very cool filtering and verbs delays on the beat. Harmonies are beautiful and warm. The track has good dynamics, crescendos satisfyingly in the back end. Awesome track from Seori, an artist with a great diverse range.

Babymonster – Stuck in the Middle

Its a solid pop ballad and it was unexpected from Babymonster which is cool. The vocal is angelic, fairy like with its high pitched soft airyness.

It comes in with a beat at the back half of the raps, which is mixed fine, but it never comes back so musically doesn’t really make sense like was I supposed to forget about it? I kept expecting it to come back and it never did. The piano and vocal is very well performed as well as the harmonies, but it got in the way of the sparseness. I think it would’ve been a more emotive, haunting ballad if it was more sparse like G-dragon’s Untitled.

Eden – Eternal
Don’t have that much to say bout this one, except I think it’s worth checking out. the melody and mix sit in a way that scratched an itch.

DPR Artic ft. DPR Ian – Do or Die

A Trance leaning tune. I liked the higher pitched synth had a cool tone, all the textures are cool reminiscent of Rufus du sol. This track lacked a little something, maybe more dynamics or some variation in the higher elements. DPR Ian’s subdued performance suits the track but doesn’t give it energy so I found it plodded.

Bobby, Ovan ft. Sunhye – True Love
It’s a pretty cool bop. The bass is a touch loud, there’s some cool harpsichord sounding flourishes mixed very wet it’s a cool sound in the chorus. The flow was ok, Ovan’s performance also ok. 

KCM – For You
Not too much to say about this one except the vocal performance is the best I’ve heard in a hot minute. Over 20 years in to his career, KCM hitting us with a perfect korean ballad.

Olltii, Lone – Lacoste
HUUUIIII this beat knocks. Love the percussion in the high, has a metallic, glassy touch. The vocal is sitting perfectly in the mix. Flow is ok if not a little lagging at times, would’ve liked some more dynamics. The siren used well wasn’t so annoying in this one. Awesome track.

Bluebell – Meonjoe malhage I’ll tell you first 먼저 말할게
This pre-debut from Future Idol project Bluebell slaps. Citypop synthwave goodness, took me by surprise how good some of the vocal performances are, despite others being very effected. Really catchy, groovy tune.

Super Junior LSS – C’mon

Wasn’t crazy about this one. Obnoxious horns, heard that trap beat plenty before. Its fun the performance is great, but not my flavour.

Basecamp ft. Sole – Love

This one has an interesting beat and sounds like Baek yerin’s – Our Love is great and Popo combined. Sole is great on the track, great control and soulful. The production is warm and the performance swings very naturally, appreciated how real everything sounds. The trumpet solo at the end is great, recommend this one great track.

Weekly Kpop Review 21-01 – 28-01

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AB6IX – Grab Me

The track is wonderful. Spacious mix

The synths and the guitar work really well together, although the guitar gets a little drowned out in the mix, the bass taking over the low mids and the synths taking over the high mids.

That being said I love the wall of sound chorus you get, with soaring synths peeking out among the vocals, stunning
The track is wonderful. Spacious mix

The synths and the guitar work really well together, although the guitar gets a little drowned out in the mix, the bass taking over the low mids and the synths taking over the high mids.

That being said I love the wall of sound chorus you get, with soaring synths peeking out among the vocals, stunning

The vocals are mixed perfectly, great distortion, harmonies are stunning and have a rock/pop punk leaning that I loved. The performance is emotive and sits in a timbre that suits the track like a glove, helping create a beautiful ear wash of positive, slightly melancholy vibes.

Lets talk about the beat switch. Its not great, the beat becomes overwhelmingly squashed, the vocal sounds grating and the horns are what we’ve heard a million times before. But it’s short, and I’ve definitely heard worse horn sections.

I barely noticed the drums this track, not in a bad way, they serviced the song and thats it.

There’s nothing new here. You could tell me that Seventeen released this song 6 years ago and I’d believe you. I think that’s why this track tugs on my heartstrings, it has a nostalgic flair that reminds one of the Kpop of yesterday.

AB6IX are back on my radar. They have stiff competition from a lot of boy groups right now, but this song stands out as an emotive summer bop.

EVNNE – Ugly

Vocal performance is awesome, energetic and on point. Tastefully effected with autotune, harmonies and reverbs and delays in the mix too.

Its really dynamic too, which occasionally gave me whiplash but it kept my attention.

The synth driven edm arrangement is cool but not groundbreaking, we’ve heard this sound before, the beat is nice and loud and some percussion elements are cool, I would’ve liked a lil something extra in the high mid especially when the rap vocal is quite low

I wanted more from this one, i like this edm driven kpop and the mix is tasteful, but it isn’t song of the year. Keen to see what jellyfish does with ibeun, their vocals are amazing.

IM ft heize – slowly

Singing quite high its refreshing to hear from im

Harmonies in prechorus and chorus are great, well mixed. The acoustic guitar is well mixed even if ive heard it a million times in korean rnb.

Everything besides the guitar in the mix is swimming in reverb and delays, i liked the ethereal, warm vibe this brought to the mix.

The bass is mixed perfectly, i love how acoustic it sounds.

Heize and im play off each other well, heizes slightly low and scratchy voice really suits this rnb Style.

Im not blown away by this one but i also cant stop listening to it. Great track.

IU – love wins all

Ius back with a music video featuring Bts V. Oh, theres a song too.

I was a bit shocked at how muddy the mix is. The low mid elements, piano, bass, some of the strings and I think a guitar? Get buried.

The strings are beautiful and wide giving space to the mix. The drums have some cool delays and huge reverbs which also gives the track space and an epic feeling.

Ius vocal is excellent! Really amazing performance.

This track was let down by the mix, im hoping for better from iu in the future

CIX – Lovers or Enemies

This cix track is cool.

80s, think tears for fears or simple minds.

I think it was intentional, the vocal is mixed a little low in the chorus, its delivered in an airy way beefed up with doubling and harmonies. I liked how the synths followed the melody that was a hook!

The vocal is mixed kinda weird, at times like the first verse and soaring high note in the backend it sounds very natural, then itll be super produced and digital sounding in the chorus, i found the digital sound a bit unnerving.

Theres this awesome synth in the 2nd verse going whoom whoom whoom, sounded really cool has a kind of sultry and soft sound very cool.

Track has dynamics! Loved the tasteful loudness too.

This track is good, the digital vocal in the chorus weirds me out too much for it to be a 10/10 though

Vcha – Girls of the Year

The latest jyp release, a not kpop kpop group vcha

Arpeggiated 80s synths reminiscent of New Order were awesome

Verses go distorted sounds like taeyangs dont wake me up, it was cool but the energy at this point dips a little too much, i almost lost attention.

Chorus melody uninspired and lacks energy, too compressed and mid heavy in the mix

This vocal is way overproduced. It sounds unnatural, flat and no emotion. Theres a good vocal there, but it’s been effected to death.

This track was trash. Inauthentic, disney channel pop

Kim Jae Hwan – Ponytail

Former wanna one member kim jae hwan has released a solo single, ponytail

piano is warm and has nice attack.

The bass is funky and has a great lick before the prechorus, mixed a touch low at times

The guitar is mixed well for the rnb/funk genre

Rap felt it wouldve been better delivered by a feature, i can picture zico or gaeko on this track

Kim jae hwans performance is incredible. Emotive, great control on the highs, great dynamics, its mixed great too

SISTAR19 – No More (Ma Boy) Notes – How NOT to Kpop Review

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Sistar19 – No More (Ma Boy)
Loud, this track is compressed to death

Dua Lipa disco leanings, especially with the funky bass line and claps. A bit stale for me, but I love how this recalls previous sistar efforts, especially give it to me.

The piano is incredible, its fun, hits on the beat in a most wonderful way. Its a catchy groove, this track is under 3 minutes long, it doesn’t plod at all, high energy all the way through.

Found the vocal a little overproduced, too compressed to aggressively doubled it sounds a bit rubbery.

I had grave concerns about the title initially, I really thought it would be an updated version of their classic Ma Boy, although it shares some lyrics and maybe samples parts of the melody Im not too sure, it is vastly different from the original ma boy which i appreciate.

Its great to hear from Sistar19 again, Hyolyn is a superstar and I’ve been enjoying Bora’s parts in sistar songs like soyou’s aloha and No More is no exception.

B1A4 – Rewind – How NOT to Kpop Review

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TVXQ at 20: a Retrospective

TVXQ at 20
In 2003, one of the greatest Kpop groups of all time debuted. Then almost all their members left.

Hello everyone, I’m Sean @sepatorprod, i’m an audio engineer and today I’m going to take you through the wild career of SM Entertainment Kpop stalwarts TVXQ (Tohoshinki, Dongbanshinkki). I will explain why they’re so good including their best songs, their scandals, and how they are so successful 20 years on.

Beginning
http://kpopkfans.blogspot.com/2014/05/sm-artists-training-time-and-year-they.html
The members trained for a couple years before debuting under Sm entertainment as a 5 member group (jaejoong, yoochun, junsu, yunho and changmin) in 2003 with Hug.

Hug
A safe bet of a debut. Recalling the sounds of H.O.T and G.O.D, I was pleasantly surprised by how different it sounded to their labelmates Shinhwa, this tracks RnB beat and gospel choir backing vocals make it feel very late 90s 2000s kpop. They followed this with Tri-angle

TRI-Angle
The vocals are so powerful even with the early 2000s production. The strings are cool but sound synthy and artificial, maybe less compression or reverb would’ve helped give them a more realistic feel. Elements of this track, such as the somewhat abrupt style change in the bridge and the rock guitar elements fused with hip hop rnb beats, are still a part of the SM sound, can be heard especially in EXO and NCT songs

Rising Sun
Really feels like TRI angle V2.0. Rock guitar, strings and a rnb type beat. This one sounds slightly more industrial in the mix which is cool. For context we need to keep in mind that nu-metal was the biggest genre in the world, with bands like Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park and one hit wonders like Crazy Town’s Butterfly being some of the biggest songs at the time. This track feels like if an NSync track was made by Linkin Park.

O
Once again an awesome vocal performance, and this kind of melody and beat would be echoed in Shinee’s Ring Ding Dong. This track is compressed to death, its release was in 2006 so I’m not overly surprised. A shift to a more Rnb/Hip Hop instrumentation and performance, with a lot more rapping. Not really my thing, I think Tri-angle had a better sound with the rock influence

Balloons
Fun, catchy up beat pop song. I feel a Jpop influence on this one, think SMAP or KAT-TUN or Arashi, with it’s disco beat and strings.

TVXQ were popular basically from the get go, Tri-angle, Rising Sun and O were all the best selling albums in their month of release, selling 100s of thousands of copies. which isn’t that surprising considering SM Entertainment were possibly the biggest entertainment company at the time and had seen great success with HOT, Shinhwa and SES, which means there’s buzz around what they do next and even fans loyal to the brand rather than their specific artists. This isn’t to take away from the songs, they are very well made and the performances are excellent. Although standing on the shoulders of SM giants certainly helped TVXQ achieve success, there was one song that made them the kings of kpop.

Mirotic
What a moment in Kpop. Driving beat, dynamic, perfect vocal performance. Harmonies that have been imitated time and time again. The hook is an earworm. The synth is abrasive, present but not overwhelming. I will say the vocal is a touch overproduced, too effected considering how amazing the vocals are I would’ve given them more space to breath and let the performance shine. Released in 2008, we see the guitars disappear and replaced by fairly dancy rnb synths, think Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake or even EDM songs by eric Prydz, Benny Benassi.

No such thing as bad publicity: Mirotic’s lyric I got you under my skin, the hook of the song, was deemed too sexual by the the Korean Commission of Youth Protection As a result, the album was labelled with stickers indicating that it was restricted to people over 19 years old. Also, performances of the song would only be broadcast after 10 pm.

This song already had the backing of TVXQ fans and fans loyal to SM Entertainment, now it was getting the attention of the general public by being in the news. Spotify wasn’t available internationally yet. Discovering music in 2008 meant hours of trawling through music blogs, myspace, music magazines and music shows on TV, or by taking a bet on a CD with a cool album cover. Mirotic’s controversy definitely introduced TVXQ to many future fans in my opinion, ensuring their long term success.

The lyrics “I got you under my skin” were changed to “I got you under my sky.”
Mirotic would sell millions of copies and is TVXQs biggest song on spotify.
This would be the beginning of a crisis for TVXQ as 5, as three members, Jaejoong, Yuchun and Junsu left due to contract issues. This is a huge blow, Jaejoong was the face of TVXQ, being front and center of several of the covers, and Junsu being one of the strongest vocalists in TVXQ. Two members, Yunho and the maknae Changmin, remained. Once again, the publicity generated from this controversy would’ve created buzz for their next release.

Still I am surprised they continued as TVXQ, I thought they would at least change the name or pursue solo activities. That being said from SM Entertainment’s perspective it makes perfect sense to keep TVXQ alive. They put lots of resources in to this group that have been successful and are now absolutely huge with Mirotic, keep the train rolling.

TVXQ – Keep Your Head Down
This was the song TVXQ had to come out with. A strong, big track with huge vocal runs, a statement to show the world Max and Yunho are just fine as two.
Heavily distorted guitars with orchestral instruments recalls Tri-angle. This song is fairly minimal like Mirotic, but a lot slower paced. I really like the space this gives for the vocal to shine. I don’t like the grandiose, cheesy horns and the weird, electronic kick, it sounds wonky and grating
This track to me sounds the most like what SM tried to do with EXO’s sound a couple years later.
Before U Go
TVXQ slowed things down on this one, recalling Usher, Justin Timberlake and Trey Songs, Boyz 2 men. Full RnB, those 90s gospel harmonies are rich. I love the tasteful compression on the beat although I would argue this track overall is a touch too compressed. The vocal is top 5 best performances ever in Kpop. Stunning, extended vocal runs, an incredible high note at the back end. Lots of space in the mix only hindered by the compression. Personal favourite of mine definitely give it a listen.
2012 TVXQ release catch me. A european edm influence on this one, trance notes with a dubstep bridge that really dates it but I kind of love how distorted and the strange beat switch in this moment, where the kick sounds like it’s following the rap vocal. It’s nice and loud, the performance once again is incredible, soaring and grandiose. This track is 100 miles a minute, I would’ve preferred more dynamics but still a very solid tune.

In July 2012, PSY’s Gangnam Style was released, and it went global. Now millions of Western people were aware of Kpop, and with the internet having advanced since 2003, finding out about Kpop was easier and faster. Tumblr and other blogs, spotify playlists, kpop news sites in english, fan translations and videos on youtube meant there was a sea of information available for fans getting in to Kpop. A few months after Gangnam Style, Catch Me was released in September. To me, Catch Me is the first track by TVXQ that a lot of Western people noticed. I remember seeing Catch Me’s music video on an asian pop show that would air on tv on weekend mornings, in Australia! Safe to say it was no.1 on the gaon charts in Korea and won on live music show inkigayo. https://kpop.daisuki.com.br/en/awards/TVXQ.html
January 2014 TVXQ turn Ten and release the album Tense, with lead single Something. Caught me by surprise this one, it’s a jazzy cabaret influence showtune, like amy winehouse, which could not be further from the sound of Catch Me. SM is savvy and know to highlight Changmin and yunho’s vocal, I love how natural everything sounds with swing and easing on the compression to deliver dynamics.
I also love the warmth of the mix, some of those horns in the chorus are playing pretty high but it never feels too sharp, ditto the vocals those high notes aren’t harsh at all. This song was huge but also a little swallowed by the mass of kpop that was coming through post Gangnam style.
At this point many smaller music entertainment companies were established riding the hype, such as Jellyfish, Starship, Stardom among others, and with them many many groups, on top of the big three companies JYP, YG and SM constantly releasing music from their roster. 2003 there were around 30 kpop debuts total. In 2014 there were over 40 groups and over 20 individuals debuting in kpop. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_in_South_Korean_music
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_in_South_Korean_music
From Tense onwards TVXQ went a little quiet, partly due to military enlistment, but also due to generational shifts and a changing of the guard, as SM groups such as EXO and Shinee became hugely successful.

They’re 2018 comeback, the chance of love is mid. The mix doesn’t highlight the vocal, rather the funk influenced bass and guitar are highlighted. Both these instruments sound pretty, but the mix overall is high mid heavy, it doesn’t have that warmth like in Something.

2018 onwards, TVXQ begin to fade away. EXO move in to legend status and NCT rise up as the hot new thing. Zooming out Kpop remains global with a dedicated fan base since Gangnam style, and a little group called BTS become sensations along with YG group Blackpink. Their stories are for another video. TVXQ make occasional korean variety appearances and maintain a presence in Japan.

One pandemic and a half later and here we are. 2024. I don’t think the pandemic affected TVXQs relevance as much as time, Mirotic is now over 15 years old and the members are quickly approaching 40. Among the younger generation of Kpop fans they are not discussed too often. But Here’s why I think time is TVXQs most powerful weapon.
The stress of the pandemic grew demand for a big but often subtle part of our culture; nostalgia. As people found comfort in older shows, music and movies on a mass scale, studios capitalised by releasing reboots, sequels, and in the kpop world, anniversary comebacks. Kara would make a comeback for their 15th anniversary, Infinite and U kiss also both had anniversary releases. And on December 26th 2003, Hug turned 20.
https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20230707000586
TVXQ released 20&2 december 26th 2023 20 years since their debut performance of Hug. It charted at number 3 on gaon charts and as of writing lead single Rebel sits on just over 900 thousand plays. Its a dark, dance track with a beat reminiscent of kanye wests black skinhead that I loved, but it’s marred by a carol of the bells interpolation that although performed well, didn’t please my ears.
Although falling short compared to all their no.1 releases, I think no.3 for a 20 year old kpop group cements them as legends of the genre. I love how modern Rebel sounds, rather than riding the nostalgia hype or even doing a mirotic 2.0 TVXQ made something dark, dancey, and unique in their discography.

Their Influence.
SMs artists shaped the “SM Sound”, which generally speaking is a blending of many genres with an rnb underpinning to glue the track together, not always effectively. At least in TVXQs 5 member era 2003-2008, they had little influence on other Kpop groups at other entertainment companies. But from Mirotic onwards and the rise of the hallyu wave, which is when kpop saw great success in other countries in asia and eventually western countries, we see TVXQs influence in other boy bands. TVXQ Visually had a strong, muscly dominant look for mirotic, wearing dark suits with nothing underneath to show their muscular physiques.
This look influenced 2pm’s Heartbeat concept and groups such as Infinite, B2st, MBLAQ, the latter even debuted with the same number of members. Musically these and many other groups had similar arrangements of rnb harmonies, strings and rock elements. *maybe play a short section of mblaq or show their mvs*. To be clear I think these groups brought this sound into their own and weren’t ripping off TVXQ, just influenced by them.
But these groups couldn’t match TVXQs vocals, which are some of the strongest ever recorded in Kpop.TVXQs body of work still holds up because their vocals are that strong, and SM were smart enough to produce songs that played to this strength, with soaring choruses and long, high notes after the bridge.Putting aside the resources and influence of SM Entertainment, TVXQs vocals combined with attractive visuals and energetic performances make them the undisputed Kings of Kpop.

Thanks so much for watching. I’m Sean @sepatorprod. Buy me a coffee link in description, like, subscribe. Til Next Time.

Other Sources
https://kpop.fandom.com/wiki/Mirotic
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_number-one_albums_in_South_Korea_(1998%E2%80%932008)