#PutYouOn: Favorite Kpop Albums of 2024 Pt. 1
I count down my favorite Kpop albums of 2024 (in no particular order because I'd cry)
Welcome to the (not so) secret reason I started this newsletter. For the last few years, I’ve posted a recap of my favorite albums on my Instagram story. It would just be a picture of the album cover and most recently a couple sentences explaining my reasons. I had so much more to say than a couple sentences though, and I was chomping at the bit trying to figure out an effective format to share my thoughts. So, here we are.
Over the next couple weeks, I’ll be sharing my favorite albums of the year from both the East and the West. These are in no particular order because I’d rather swallow a slinky than try to quantify a ranking system. I hope, especially for my non-Kpop listeners, that at least one entry in these lists piques your interest. And hey, maybe you’ll even find a new favorite artist. If so, let me know that I #PutYouOn!
It’s incredibly satisfying to watch a group settle into their sound, explore the depth of their identity, and capitalize on their strengths. This is how I felt when I first heard each pre-release track for NMIXX’s mini album Fe3O4: Break. “Soñar Breaker” has the most satisfying signature Change Up in the group’s discography. The chanting and percussion captures that grand adventurous attitude from their debut and executes it in a more sincere, earnest way. “Run for Roses” digs deeper in the dirt of all these aspects, while incorporating a sick ass banjo riff I’m not used to hearing in this genre.
When “Dash” finally dropped, there was this kinetic energy that the group had been scratching the surface of for years now. After their contentious debut, they had a lot to prove to be taken seriously and I believe this album served as such an effective stake in the ground of their career as powerful vocalists and boundary-pushers when it comes to genre. Also, that beat switch in “Boom”? Addicting. And “Passionfruit” sounds like what eating a gusher feels like, a burst of sweet, fruity flavor.
I had no idea what to expect when this album was announced. I’ve loved all of RM’s work to date, because of how different every album is from each other and how cohesive in sound and perspective they are. The concept photography for RPWP–grainy film stills of the artist lost in a group of strangers in various scenes, reminiscent of Where’s Waldo–looked like they could hang in a museum.
These shots encapsulate and prepare you for what the album offers conceptually through its wide variety and feral meshing of jazz, hip hop, and indie. The production is raw, gritty, and visceral. There’s a restless energy buzzing beneath the skin of every track, a resignation to feel everything in the gut. Although the album begins with gritted teeth and mud-scraped knees with tracks such as “out of love” and “Groin”, it loosens its fists by the end with gentler tracks such as the sublime “Heaven” and the sentimental closer “Come back to me.” For me, it captures the messy, rushed confusion of your 20s; it’s a struggle to find your place in the world but a struggle worth pursuing nevertheless.
You’d be hard pressed to find any top album or song list that doesn’t mention aespa and the absolute killer year they’ve had in 2024. Armageddon is the group’s highly-anticipated and long-overdue first full-length album. After hearing their first mini album Savage in 2021, my expectations were high. The expectations only heightened after the pivotal release of Drama late last year. For me, aespa has always produced catchy music with a clear identity and ethos. However, some of the pieces of a release wouldn’t quite fit together, like the choreography, the styling, or the b-sides accompanying the title track.
This was not the case with Armageddon’s rollout. Every concept photo and teaser trailer built a clear, concise vision for how they wanted this album to feel. I’ve seen people mention the influence of analog horror, taking their original AI concept in a new direction. The double title tracks effectively showcase two sides of the group. While “Supernova” is doused in metallic pinks, neon purples, and catchy hyperpop production, “Armageddon” is shrouded in muted greens, muddy grays, and nauseating horrorcore synths. The rest of the album doubles down on this duality, especially in tracks like “Licorice.” I favor the first half of the album more than the second but tracks like “Bahama” and “Live My Life” are still fun lil bops even if they don’t totally fit in the aesthetic.
I’d like to petition for LOONA to be christened the Phoenixes of Kpop. The way this group has risen from the ashes of abuse at the hands of their former company and splintered into smaller groups and solo pursuits that produce fresh, exhilarating music will be discussed for years to come. One of these splits produced the group ARTMS, composed of members Haseul, Heejin, Kim Lip, Choerry, and JinSoul. In preparation for this group’s debut album, they released “Birth,” an eerie, erratic track that left me with goosebumps, eager to hear more. The title track “Virtual Angel” builds on this ominous feeling from a different sonic perspective, setting the members up as cultish saviours. The concept takes the term “idol” seriously, drawing on the religious-like devotion of fandom. It’s clever and meta and the rest of the album delivers on this same sincere exploration of virtual, parasocial relationships.
The album is both spacious (and spacey) and intimate. I feel immersed, like pulling on a VR headset. While ARTMS is the complete group, they also have subunits that released singles and albums prior to them joining together for this official debut. Some tracks on <Dall> draw from these previous releases, sampling vocal riffs or certain synth patterns. For example, the track “Air” pulls the chorus from the subunit Odd Eye Circle’s (Kim Lip, JinSoul, and Choerry) (re)debut title track “Air Force One.” It feels extremely rewarding to pick out these little easter eggs, yet never a cheap grab for my attention. They’re building their own world without abandoning the art they made as LOONA and it’s paying off in spades.
If “Cosmic” is you getting captured by this Midsommar-inspired cult of pretty girls, then the rest of the album is the psychedelic trip induced from whatever iridescent sweet syrup they fed you on a teaspoon while you were tied up. It’s like falling in slow motion, wrapped in the pearlescent gloss of Red Velvet’s signature hypnotizing harmonies ( the hypnosis is literally mentioned in the lyrics of the second track “Sunflower”).
You’re seduced by the lush strings, indulgent chimes, sparse, syncopated percussion, and Wendy’s transcendental high note in “Cosmic’s” bridge. By the time the high peaks in “Love Arcade,” you forget that you were captured and want to stay forever. However, the last tracks “Bubble” and “Night Drive” bring you down gently and leave you with a nostalgic, sticky warmth pulsing at the center of your chest. That is to say, the narrative arc is deeply satisfying, and each song stays with you long after the album ends.
Speaking of long overdue albums! After years and years of rotating lineups for multinational kpop group BLACKSWAN, the company has settled on the final lineup made of members from Senegal, India, Brazil, and America. After an enticing debut single in “Karma,” the group has finally returned with a proper EP. The title track “Roll Up” has the girls standing together as a united team, urging listeners to come along for the ride with them. It also features the best Fatou rap to date, while Gabi, Sriya, and NVee carry the pre-chorus and chorus with irresistible charm and power. Not to mention how they always deliver impactful performances, already improved leagues ahead of when they debuted just last year.
The rest of the EP highlights the group’s natural chemistry and charisma. That harmony is especially present in the gorgeous track “La Boum.” Those falsettos make me feel like I’m taking a stroll across the crystalline stars of a constellation. “Double Down” is my favorite b-side, featuring an infectious, bouncy bubble pop beat and never fails to pick me up after a rough day. With lyrics such as “You tell me to give up but I / Double, double, down, down, d- down,” how can I not smile? I sincerely hope this talented, hardworking group goes far and stands on even bigger stages in 2025. I can’t wait to hear whatever they release next.