Hello and welcome back to HallyuTones – always focused on sound, stage, and substance.
April has been one of the most active months so far this year, and it’s easily one of the strongest. With a bunch of artists dropping really solid comebacks, it’s easy to pick any song out of the line up and stumble upon gold.
10. DAYOUNG – What’s a girl to do
Dayoung just cannot disappoint. Following up the absolute hit that Body was, the WJSN member brings a fresh, fun feeling with her new song that absolutely feels like it’s a marking of her finding her signature sound. In this day and age, having a strong signature sound is very much appreciated.
Carrying on from the summer sound of Body, What’s a girl to do is a follow-up comeback that doesn’t stray too far and plays into her casual, relaxed vibe. This works well to cement her status as a talented, performance-centric artist.
9. CODA BRIDGE – Flower Vase
With its sultry, intoxicating sound, CODA BRIDGE brings some really fantastic vocals to a song that is unlike many others in K-pop, partially because of its lack of restraint with delivering some mild profanity.
It’s a track less focused on delivering a singular catchy hook throughout its runtime and more so emphasizes the vocal talents of the duo. Simple, understated production with unique vocals help Flower Vase stand out in a crowded year for K-pop.
8. YUE – I’m Not Fine
For another round of group members making their name for themselves, we have Lapillus member Yue with her independently released single, a short but incredibly sweet track. It’s a song penned by the artist herself, and her control over her craft in both writing and producing helps display a clear talent that deserves commendation.
The first of hopefully much more music from the artist, this song is an effective and fun listen, displaying Yue’s immense potential. There’s a bounciness to the track that makes it easy to throw it on and relax to, and with more music hopefully on the way, it’s easy to fall in line to support her.
7. HEYOON – aiaiai_(monitor).mp3
A member of the global group Now United, HEYOON dropped her first solo EP this April, seriously unserious, and it’s undoubtedly remarkable work. With other great songs like
switchhhhhh.v2.wav making up the EP, it’s a production-centric work that feels distinct and memorable.
Similar to artists like effie and even Charli XCX, the electronic production is the star of the show, and aiaiai_(monitor).mp3 stands out this year as one of the strongest, most unique songs. If this song is anything to go by, HEYOON is a star that should be at the top of our minds.
6. SOYOU – Girl
SISTAR’s very own SOYOU makes her comeback with Off Hours, also featuring the excellent guitar-led ballad Lonely serenity, but for the purposes of this list, I want to highlight this really strong song supported by strong production and vocals.
There’s a slight distortion to SOYOU’s vocals and a slight glitchiness to the production that amplifies the song’s slightly mysterious atmosphere. It’s a very smooth and slick track that is easily one of the best songs off the artist’s EP.
5. LEE CHAEYEON – I’m Waiting
The IZ*ONE dancer made her long-awaited comeback with Till I Die, a really solid EP with a (too) short but really great title track in No Tears On The Dancefloor and strong tracks in BAD, Know About Me and How Are You. The runaway highlight of this selection is the upbeat I’m Waiting, an incredibly produced song.
In the vein of Chungha’s tracks, the production takes center stage with really bright synths supporting Chaeyeon’s vocals. It’s a song that you can’t wait to replay, and easily ranks among the best of this year’s purely pop-focused K-pop tracks.
4. SHIM SOJEONG – Like a dream
Everyone’s favorite harpist is back with an incredible song that’s a very strong contender for the outright best song in her discography. She’s shown a clear mastery of her craft with her prior songs, and that mastery is even clearer now in her latest release.
It’s a dreamy track not unlike her previous song Forest Diary, and it sounds like a sunny forest accompanied by a plethora of woodland creatures. Wherever SOJEONG decides to take us with her music, anyone would be blessed to follow.
3. AWU – Rose & LaLaLa
I got into PIXY too late to become a full-fledged WINXY, but after they stopped making music, I got into and came to fall in love with their discography. Members Dia, Lola and U_Chae reunite as a trio under AWU, the second act composed of 4th generation members this year to redebut after LATENCY’s cignature + Loossemble reunion. AWU’s debut EP RE:FRAME will feel a little familiar to WINXYs in the best possible way with its dark, brash and slick musical style.
It was frankly impossible to choose between these two songs, and as such, for the first time, two songs will share a single slot. Rose is a powerful, excellently made track with a fantastic chorus drop, while LaLaLa has a memorable chorus of its own with an epic feeling that wouldn’t sound out of place on a soundtrack to a movie or show. Both tracks are some of the year’s best, and it wouldn’t quite be right to leave either one out.
2. JISUYEON – bluescreen
Drastically different from the majority of major K-pop releases with its more understated melodies, this is a deceptively simple track elevated greatly by its production and the Weki Meki member’s terrific vocals. It’s a perfect song for road trips and wistful thinking, leaving a lingering sense of wandering as Suyeon sings.
With its production sounding underwater in the best way possible, there’s a sort of slight melancholy to the song’s sound that the softness in Suyeon’s vocals conveys excellently. It’s one extremely solid track that is among the year’s best without question, and while she only has two solo songs to her name, Suyeon is proving to be one of K-pop’s strongest soloists.
Stay tuned to read our upcoming interview with Suyeon dropping this week!
1. QWER – CEREMONY & PIONEER
Not to cheat again by including two songs, but it’s hard to talk about QWER without really diving into how amazing their output has been. With a history of exciting title tracks and really strong EPs, QWER did not disappoint with CEREMONY, an early AOTY contender with all five tracks being stellar.
CEREMONY, the title track, is easily one of the catchiest songs you’ll hear all year. It won’t be long before you’re singing along to “I got that main character energy,” and believing it yourself. It’s a title track in line with their previous releases, allowing the rest of the EP to experiment with energy, with BAD HABIT being another example of a punchy, in-your-face blast. However, from the very first second of PIONEER’s runtime, you feel a rush that is pretty much unmatched. This is the kind of song you go to battle to, and with its intensely propulsive energy, you’ll soon find yourself at least nodding along to, if not outright headbanging to PIONEER’s chorus.
To support the artists featured in today’s special piece, please follow them at their social media links below:
CODA BRIDGE: Instagram; Spotify
YUE: Instagram; Spotify
LEE CHAEYEON: Instagram; Spotify
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