Antifragile – LeSserafim 

I chose this song as opposed to their work earlier this year because it truly encompasses the potential that the Le Sserafim ladies have. Fearless was a great title track for a fantastic debut EP, mainly because we saw a new group with five incredibly talented and well-rounded members. Even though they underwent a huge scandal, causing a former member Kim Ga-ram’s removal from the line-up, the Fearless and now Antifragile promotions proved that no obstacle can stop these monster rookies from proving that they can compete with the best of the best. Their new EP and its title track is simply incredible from its production value down to the choreography. Antifragile is my personal favorite song of the year. The song gives a more “western vibe” than the rest of the rest of their discography and it is interesting to see the writers take this course so successfully. The choreography, although very challenging to learn, is also extremely addictive. This is no surprise given that their crew is made up of Park Soyeon Amy and Todd Williamson, two vastly recognizable names in the dancing community. The styling of this era was top notch: the girls looked great and the outfits actually matched the concept very well, something we so often forget given the styling of other current groups. The Ep itself is very typical of Kpop releases. It is very dynamic and offers a different sound with each track. Le Sserafim somehow manages to elevate the listening experience; it’s hard to pin down exactly what makes this group so unique but there is much more to come and I am sure their listeners will not be disappointed. 

Tiko’s Rating: 9.9/10

POP – Nayeon

It was June of 2022: almost a whole month into the summer and no happy releases had dropped. The fourth-generation groups were giving less than subpar promotions and naturally, the stans were in shambles without a summer track. This is when Im Nayeon lifted the shackles of the girl-crush concept and delivered an absolute bop. This song feels like an extension of Twice’s usual work: energetic, lovely charms, colorful, and fun. The promotion ended too soon for an iconic Nayeon solo debut but the impact was undeniable. With a total of five music show wins, including a triple crown at Inkigayo, and a whopping 137 thousand streams on Spotify alone, she proved that the precedent set by her group is unstoppable. The song seems simple and cheerful but in JYP’s usual fashion, it is heavily layered in background vocals and an amazing instrumental track which creates the joyful atmosphere the fans had longed for. The visuals of the music video are something to definitely note in this comeback. They are diverse and very well fitting to Nayeon’s image as an idol. The styling here is probably my favorite all year. From the elegant gowns in the music video and the most recognizable Louis Vuitton towel turned into a romper, it was nothing short of perfect. Giving this song a listen will convince you of Nayeon’s true talent and charisma that allows her to be so good at what she does. 

Tiko’s Rating: 8/10

ITZY – Boys like you

Not every song of 2022 was good, and unfortunately ITZY is taking the loser spot this year. I have given this song a couple listens and I am just mad that I can never get those minutes of my life back. What is even going on? Boys like you is a mess and a half. The tune is something you’d hear in a department store and the lyrics are corny. The music video feels extremely disconnected, and I really am confused on how a skyscraper scene and a halloween party are filming sets on the same project. There are parts of the music video where the videography and styling takes heavy inspiration from TWICE’s “The Feels” and “Basics” which just feels offensive. There are uncanny similarities between this song and the likes of Seven super girls or Sophia GraceThis is not the group that once led fourth-generation idols in all spheres and dominated the charts with truly iconic bops. It is sad to see ITZY’s crown slipping because they are some of the most talented girls in the industry. Hopefully 2023 will be a better year for them because the way things look now, they need a comeback of a lifetime to save their reputation. 

Tiko’s Rating: 1/10

New Jeans – Attention/Hype Boy

Listening to these new extremely popular songs was a breath of fresh air. Far different than the regular comebacks of 2022, these songs gave off a different, teen-pop girly vibe. It stayed away from the overuse of the loud instruments and hard vocals and focused more on the actual atmosphere of the song, which was very pleasing to hear at any time. The members of New Jeans also have very natural-sounding voices that match very well with the song. With electro and synths going on with a light beat that speeds up, especially in the beginning and the pre-chorus, New Jeans brought back a 1st generation-sounding song in the K-Pop industry. Along with the song itself, the girls making everything light by keeping their natural hair and wearing very natural makeup added to the concept as a whole. In addition, the song kept a very satisfying melody, Hanni, the main vocalist added amazing adlibs towards the end of the song, “Attention”. One thing I really enjoy about NewJeans’ songs are that all though their skills are no where near some other idols’ singing skills, their voices are very nice to listen to, and they all do possess some talent for singing. Not to mention, they debuted so recently, and there is no doubt their singing skills will improve throughout their careers. Nowadays, many companies focus on debuting idols whose main focus is with their dancing part and lack the singing part. They shove members’ voices into the song and most of the times,  it’s physically unable to be listened to. However, no matter how many times you listen to their songs, their dances and songs are so catchy that you just cannot get over it, and no matter how many times you listen to it, it will never get boring. 

Yuni’s Rating: 8/10

Aespa – Girls

The song was chaotic and the members brought so much intensity to an already intense song. The song itself was very messy, and it felt all over the place – almost impossible to even identify the parts of the song. The main rapper, Giselle, showcased her skills for rapping even more than ever in their previous songs. However, her voice is not suited for rapping, especially in this song. To say the least, her voice is extremely thin and clear – almost too clear that it sounds uncomfortable when rapping. Their main vocalist, Winter, has an enormous talent for singing, as she showcases her talents by singing very hard high notes whilst dancing. However, once again, her voice is not suited for the high notes the company casts her in. It’s not much of a pleasant sound; if anything, it sounds irritating. “Girls” was no exception to this. However, this song did an excellent job of matching their AI and multiverse concepts. The choreography was a hit or a miss for everyone, there was no in between. Some thought that it matched the concept of the song, and some thought that the choreography  was just too messy and it dulled the song with it. I will never listen to this song again and I hope they come back with a better song for the least because this was just not it. 

Tiko’s Rating: 4/10

ITZY – SNEAKERS

Many fans disliked this song– especially after the amazing hits ITZY released, showcasing the amazing concept that they were capable of. Many fans were left disappointed because before “SNEAKERS” were released, they released many amazing songs – “Not Shy” and “WANNABE” – that ultimately made them blow up. Many fans had stated that “SNEAKERS” just sounded childish and unlike their usual concept. They were also left extremely dissatisfied because the teaser’s concept was originally a royal concept, but the song and the music video had nothing to do with it. Their lyrics were also deemed to be cringy because they somehow managed to correlate “blocking out the haters” with “sneakers.” One line from the song, “…or you can call me weirdo” especially grabbed the attention of the audience, as it totally made them cringe. The sound also sounded like a recycle of Twice, their sister group’s rejects. It sounded like a song that Kidz Pop would have released, and it was so repetitive with the extremely shallow lyrics: “You better put your sneakers on!” Fans, including me, had started feeling bad for ITZY because we suspected that ITZY did not even want to do a silly song like this. They were not even able to showcase a lick of their talent, as the choreography and the vocals were rather simple. It was genuinely terrible, to the point where I felt bad for the girls. I know that they have so much potential and enormous amount of talent, but for it to be barely used, it’s saddening. I think that they should consult with their company, because they should also be aware at this point that ITZY is entering an era that they have never been in before– their flop era. 

Yuni’s Rating: 2/10

(G)-IDLE – Nxde

(G)-IDLE is widely known for breaking gender stereotypes in their songs. Whether the audience supports or disagrees with the message, everyone can admit that their production and lyricism are top-notch. Soyeon, the group’s main rapper, has received much attention this year more than ever for producing their hits TOMBOY and Nxde. She especially grabbed the attention of many female fans this year for writing honest songs. “Nxde” left many shocked as it clapped back at the sexualization of women. Although this shocked many Korean audiences considering their extremely conservative culture, many appreciated the message being sent through this song. While the general melody and instrumental are upbeat, catchy, and fun to hum to, the song contains deep lyrics. “Why you think that ’bout nude / ’Cause your view’s so rude / Think outside the box, speak out…My beautiful nude, I’m born nude, it’s you who’s the pervert.” Soyeon mentioned that during the writing process, she took a lot of inspiration from the celebrity Marilyn Monroe who was  viewed as incompetent just because she was a woman.However, she was actually incredibly intelligent and an avid reader. She stated that the main point that she wanted to convey is that you get what you get and that women will not put up a front in just  to be well-liked. It was a refreshing song to hear,and even though (G)-IDLE does hop on to the very popular and repetitive girl crush concept, they add their own unique style to it. 

Yuni’s Rating: 8/10