Welcome to my 2021 K-pop songs of the year, featuring WJSN, Dreamcatcher, and Brave Girls!
2021 has been a year where many K-pop groups suffered from kneecapped showcase opportunities and exposure due to the everlasting COVID-19 pandemic that still unfortunately still shoulders us, but that hasn’t stopped a lot of groups from releasing some high-quality songs and albums in 2021.
Here are my top 10 K-pop songs of 2021. This will hopefully guide any budding Korean music fans to the direction this audiophile and long-time K-pop fan has hand-crafted. We will be counting down from 10 to 1, so strap in and let’s get down to business. Each song will be given a score based on the following criteria out of 10 that I mark for any K-pop song that aims for S tier quality:
- Composition - How a song is crafted together i.e how well music flows and how instruments work together
- Harmony - The weight each member contributes (or doesn’t) to a song i.e how much lines and vocal time a certain member of a group gets
- Replay-ability - The timelessness of a song i.e how palatable a song would be on repeat and/or played at certain times of the year
- Overall Quality - The over-arching quality a song is rated at based on the overall effort a song exerts and delivers in the quality of its production
10 Everglow - Pirate - Retro/EDM
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Composition - 7
‘Pirate’ overall has a very steady composition with nice blends between chorus and verse, and excels in keeping the pace in motion whilst maintaining ample breathing room for the listener to take in the music. -
Harmony - 6
‘Pirate’ lacks in harmony in that Mia overshadows the other members and gets exceptionally more lines than for example Onda. This lack of balance can lead to fatigue and strain for repeated listens. -
Replay-ability - 6
As mentioned before, due to the lack of balance between the vocalists, the listener may feel as if they are listening to one member exceptionally more than others which can lead to the song feeling stale very quickly. -
Overall Quality - 8
‘Pirate’ while is rough around being able to balance its harmony between the members of the group, takes brave steps in taking a foot out of the norms of K-pop and travels into a niche of EDM and retro, sounding youthful, hip, chirpy, and somehow fresh enough to break the mould of a standard girl group K-pop song.
9 WJSN The Black - Easy - R&B/Soul
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Composition - 7
‘Easy’ features a very ‘safe’ composition being inspired by heavy R&B tones, while still managing to feel impactful and empowering through the bright vocals of the members. -
Harmony - 7
With WJSN The Black being the more ‘mature’ line-up from the maincast of WJSN, the balance in ‘Easy’ is second-to-none which is to be expected with a 4-member line-up. Arguably at some points, Exy seems to overshadow the others, but the other members’ impact on the song are more than enough to accommodate this tick. -
Replay-ability - 7
For those into R&B and soul, ‘Easy’ is an easy song to play with its light tones and easy to listen to noise floor. The vocals of the girls also make this song remarkably easy to repeat as there are no harsh or hissy tones. -
Overall Quality - 7
‘Easy’ is a song that is well-composed, well-performed, and well-structured, with pacing that is easy on the ears and vocal ability that is to be praised for a thousand miles. While not traditionally a girl group K-pop song, this song deserves the spotlight for being a benchmark of what makes a good K-pop song.
8 WJSN - Let Me In - Bubblegum
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Composition - 8
‘Let Me In’ tends to use very repetitive tones and feels safe in a lot of areas of the song, asserting safety and a neutral tone which isn’t always a bad thing. -
Harmony - 7
‘Let Me In’ balances the harmonies between the members well in this song, giving sufficient time to each member involved and granting a suitable area of the song to the member whose vocal range matches that particular area. -
Replay-ability - 8
‘Let Me In’ as mentioned before is quite a safe song and therefor fairly easy to replay on long loops. However, because of the safety of the song’s tones used, it may inspire fatigue and boredom a lot quicker than expected for a song of this quality. -
Overall Quality - 7
‘Let Me In’ is a safe song that is targeted at the masses, and therefor steps over no landmines or hazards that would place it as a controversial song on any ranking list. While not a bad thing, it definitely could have gone a few gears up.
7 Dreamcatcher - Odd Eye - EDM Rock
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Composition - 6
‘Odd Eye’ is a song I feel rather falls flat on several occasions in the song, such as the second verse where the rap completely takes out the weight of the previous chorus and instead substitutes the heavy rock with a harsh hollowness. This is also repeated in the bridge. -
Harmony - 8
‘Odd Eye’ is a song with exceptional harmony, with each member sounding distinguishable and their parts in the song are played to their strengths. -
Replay-ability - 6
‘Odd Eye’ is a song I feel might be rather hard to palette after several listens due to the shift in texture throughout the song. I love the heavy rock in the chorus and are heavily disappointed in the sheer muted tones in the other verses, it creates friction in the whole song. -
Overall Quality - 9
‘Odd Eye’ is a very well-built song, and while it has its flaws particularly in pacing and tones, the quality of the instrumentals and the vocals are great.
6 Oh My Girl - Dun Dun Dance - Bubblegum
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Composition - 9
As a Summer song, ‘Dun Dun Dance’ keeps the pace and tempo safe and light for easy listening for the picnics and relaxing beach sunbathing that the song was clearly made for. Overall the composition takes the safe route and does not take any risks, keeping the essentials in check. -
Harmony - 9
Harmony is a home run in ‘Dun Dun Dance’ as each member is utilised to their ability in their respective parts of the song, being distinguishable from the previous and suitable to their strengths. -
Replay-ability - 7
I have had no issues with getting ear fatigue or getting bored after a few listens to the song. I would assume this is because of the safety of keeping this song sound for the Summer which makes for easy listening. -
Overall Quality - 9
While ‘Dun Dun Dance’ is a very safe song, it masters its strengths through the usage of members and the strong composition of the vocals and instrumentals.
5 Dreamcatcher - BEcause - Rock
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Composition - 8
‘BEcause’ features a well-thought out composition throughout the song which is an accolade in itself for a rock-heavy song. The best work here is featured in the chorus where no aspect of the music overpowers others. -
Harmony - 9
As par for the course of Dreamcatcher songs, there is no fault for group harmony, as every member is distinguishable and iconic in their own respective verses and choruses. New listeners would not find it difficult to tell apart members. -
Replay-ability - 7
As a rock song, you would think ear fatigue would start to creep in early. Not the case for ‘BEcause’, as there is plenty of breathing room throughout the song for the listener to take it all in. Of course, there are parts of the song that may feel tiring or inspire deja vu on repeat sessions, such as the backing vocals found in the intro, chorus, and bridge. -
Overall Quality - 8
A song that is near close to perfect, ‘BEcause’ is well-composed, well-structured, and guaranteed to satisfy listeners after an alternative perspective to rock.
4 Dreamcatcher - Wind Blows - EDM Rock
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Composition - 10
The song is so well-structured from its blending of choruses and verses to the seamless blending vocals to instruments. -
Harmony - 10
‘Wind Blows’ excels at being able to bring out the members’ strengths and maintaining a balance between each member so that the listener doesn’t feel like they are listening to the same voice over and over again. JiU in particular shines in this song. -
Replay-ability - 9
‘Wind Blows’ is a rather loud song, and is terrifyingly quick to give me ear fatigue as a result. This song is to be played with caution at high volumes on repeat. The megaphone and electronic layering of the vocals also contributes to the song feeling very noisy. -
Overall Quality - 10
Despite its very high noise floor, ‘Wind Blows’ manages to achieve a balance between noise, talent, and overall quality. The song is well-balanced in all aspects, but can still feel rather loud at times.
3 Brave Girls - After We Ride - 80’s Pop
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Composition - 10
‘After We Ride’ is a song that nails composition on every single level. The song maintains a steady pace throughout which promotes easy listening, while also being able to increase the volume when appropriate to maximise the emotional weight of the song. -
Harmony - 10
Brave Girls can never be faulted for their harmonisation. ‘After We Ride’ promotes each members’ strengths in vocal ability perfectly, balancing out singing time between each member and assigning verses and choruses evenly. -
Replay-ability - 10
While ‘After We Ride’ might be the most emotional song I’ve ever listened to, I would have no issues replaying this song over and over again as the song is made for easy listening with its 80’s synths and careful use of instrumentals. -
Overall Quality - 10
The pacing and ear candy the song brings through its instrumentals and vocals always make for the best three minutes of my life.
2 Pink Fantasy - Poison - J-Rock/J-Metal
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Composition - 10
‘Poison’ has tremendous ability in keeping balance between the instruments and vocals despite being such a loud song. Being J-rock inspired, the song manages to utilise its female vocals and instruments in a fine balance. -
Harmony - 10
Each section of the song is captained by a member whose vocal range matches the section which is a beautiful testament to the quality of the song. -
Replay-ability - 10
‘Poison’ although a very loud song in many areas, manages to keep pace with its volume by temporarily stepping down a gear in order to prevent major tinnitus. This break in tempo also allows the listener to truly soak in the talent and mastery of the instrumentals and the vocals. -
Overall Quality - 10
‘Poison’ is a fantastic song that deserves one of the highest honors for adopting a J-rock theme and mastering the composition. The song feels right with the vocals being steady and strong which matches the speeding tempo of the instrumentals well.
1 WJSN - Unnatural - Dance Pop
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Composition - 10
‘Unnatural’ combines vocal and instrumental into one so well, balancing its loud dance pop instrumentals and its ten vocalists into a composition that feels complete and friendly towards every single member involved. -
Harmony - 10
WJSN somehow manages to make its ten members feel involved throughout a three minute song. Each member is suited to their part of the song and makes for iconic moments throughout the song. Yeonjung performing the first chorus I find particularly sexy. -
Replay-ability - 10
Absolutely, ‘Unnatural’ is replayed to the next level. The song maintains a steady tempo and flow that is easy to follow on repeat sessions. The buildup in tempo and volume in the choruses also give the song a tension and release effect, making the listener anticipate the chorus as its so masterfully done, while also not making the other verses feel like a chore to listen through. -
Overall Quality - 10
For the astounding levels of effort, talent, ability, and balance in ‘Unnatural’, it becomes my song of the year. This song personifies what an S tier K-pop song aspires to be like, and perhaps even imitate.
Handy visual guide in case anybody got lost during all this!
