goodbye 2020.
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honorable mention
Wet ass pussy
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25. Bad Bunny - Si Veo a Tu Mama
This guy performed at the Superbowl and I honestly couldn't tell you what his name was, but I saw him on The Tonight Show and he announced his album was out a few days later, and the fact that it got exceptionally good reviews made me want to check it out. Now, I enjoyed the album, but it's also an album I don't remember, except for the very first track because it sounds dorky as hell.
24. Carly Rae Jepsen - Me And The Boys In The Band
I get it, Emotions has a cult following, and I tried to be positive, but Dedicated was not what I was looking for, but this little throwaway song was the first song that made me optimistic on where she could be headed. It sounds quirky and a bit rough on the quality, but it makes me smile.
23. Twice - Go Hard
I wonder how well this will age because Twice has been pretty busy this year and they didn't even promote. Ultimately, I have this on my list because the girls are using their deep, talking voice. I don't care about the lyrics, but I got a huge "don't fuck with us" vibe. of course, when that drop comes, it's a mixture of WTF and middle fingers.
22. Beabadoobee - Dye it Red
If I had made a list last year, her song "you lie all the time" would have been my number one. Her debut album might have been too 90s indie rock for me, but this track hits the right amount of 90s alt rock while sounding appealing.
21. The Killers - My God
kind of a straight forward stadium song, but once we get to hear Weyes Blood, I get lifted to some heavenly place.
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20. Juice WRLD - Wishing Well
I can't believe this dude isn't here. secondly, this song is very catchy. There are two lines that made me go ouch, "You used my past and my memories as a weapon" and the other being the chorus. I remembering hearing about rappers being influence by emo lyrics, but knowing Juice is gone makes this song hurt because of his potential.
19. Dua Lipa - Levitating
On an album full of catchy songs, I somehow missed this one, but when I went to rediscover the album, this track stood out and it has to do with that extra crunch during the chorus.
18. IU - eight
I loosely paid attention to kpop news in 2019, but I did learn that IU was very close friends with someone who passed away. I don't know if this song is about that, but the song is very pretty. I'm not familiar with IU's discography minus a few songs, but her singing style is very interesting, like she's whispering very loud or she burnt her tongue.
17. Soccer Mommy - circle the drain
another songs that feels like it was cut from the 90s.
16. Haim - don't wanna
There's so many songs to choice from for this album, but the most accessible one seems to be my favorite and the one I look forward to when I let the album play out. That guitar melody is just too groovy for me and makes me feel upbeat despite the lyrics.
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15. Dreamcatcher - Red Sun
If I was being truthful, "can't get you outta my mind" would be here, but it's such a poor representation of what the group sounds like, so here's "Red Sun." It's hard to pick a stand alone song, but I like the instrumentation here the best, it sounds creepy, eerie, and the melody basically tip-toes their way into your head.
14. Loona - Universe
with the exception of Kim Lip and Chuu, I still haven't learned their names, but seeing the "stan loona" meme, of course I would give them a listen. Unfortunately, I think I had established what type of kpop I was looking for, but this song stood out to me for being lowkey, dreamy, and beautiful.
13. Apink - Yummy
one minute into the song and Bomi goes, "You you [...] chu chu [...] kungkung." like holy shit, that is so satisfying to listen to. Thankfully the entire song is incredibly sexy so repeated listens just to get to that part again makes it fun.
12. Beach Bunny - April
I'm a sucker for female vocals and I can't really tell you why this song is any different from other female fronted bands, but the lyrics to this particular song is relatable, and it just feels good.
11. Spanish Love Songs - Routine Pain
I was never an emo kid, but hey man, I love a good opening track that builds up, and when the lyrics hit deep, they hit deep. Plus it's fun to sing along to a grown man spill his guts out.
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10. Itzy - Wannabe
I originally dismissed this song because lyrically, it was your typical "be yourself" song, but when I got deeper into Twice's discography and started consuming their extra content, there was a recent vlive where Nayeon was on the phone and Sana and Momo were in the background humming along and dancing to this song. I liked the humming so I started listening to Itzy with a open mindset and was addicted to Ryujin's shoulder dance. My resistance to the lyrics went away once I accepted that this song is catchy as fuck and their choreography is a workout.
09. Charli XCX - c2.0
This was an early soty contender when it came out because nobody knew how long lockdown would be and it certainly captured the vibe 2020 was beginning to feel. I like this song for being glitchy and the simple lyric of missing your friends, missing going out.
08. Weeekly - Hello
Are you ready? Tag Me deserves to be the title track, but "hello" felt somber in a way. It's ridiculously catchy and has fun lines to shout along to like "I feel so cool" and obviously it's bubbly and fun, but there's something about that post chorus where they shout "guedaedo hello" that makes me feel emotional. Like I miss my carefree childhood.
07. Iz*One - So Curious
I sometimes see copy-paste about certain songs being a cultural reset and well, in my little world, I had to include this on my list because, "So Curious" was my cultural reset. Up until this year, I viewed kpop to be artificial, manufacturer, and heavily sells the appearance of being single. And so, when I first hear this song, I could not believed how illegal it sounded. It felt like it belonged in an animated movie. I was shocked to find out that this song was just a song, no music video. Granted, the rest of the album is great, but this song (along with Destiny) was a big reason why I kept coming back. Sure, its manufacturer, but this song is so cute, and it goes beyond cute, it is the purest form of cute.
06. Oh My Girl - Dolphin
YouTube recommended me Nonstop, which led me to Dolphin. The singing style on this song drives me nuts because its like they are whispering the whole time.
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05. Red Velvet - Psycho
Technically released at the end of last year, but at the beginning of January, there wasn't much going on, so I just kept going back to this track because it was a mix of their two styles. But as we wrap 2020, I still think about this song. I don't know if any kpop song really topped this. There's a nice hum in the chorus.
04. Taylor Swift - mirrorball
On initial listens, there are other songs that stand out, but it's that line in the bridge "I've never been a natural, all i do is try, try, try" that just resonates. I original thought this song was about not knowing who you are so depending on who you were with, you can reflect a mirror of what the other person wants so you can feel included. But then I heard it explained that a mirrorball is beautiful on stage at a distance, but up close, its ugly and broken. whatever the case may be, it's very relatable how we as people have different personality depending on who we are with and it can feel exhausting to navigate life like that.
03. Taylor Swift - 'tis the damn season
Recency bias maybe, but I had already grown attached to this song because it was part of Mistaken for Strangers and when Aaron announced People, he posted a bunch of unused instrumental sketches and this track was part of it. Lyrically, I love how complex these thoughts are that Taylor is making me think about a past love. As kid, we probably have a code to not do bad things, but a lot of people just want to find love. And so this entire song makes you think about the past, but there's that inner struggle to think with your heart or think with your brain. And you know what road to take, but that "what if" question just lingers.
02. Rina Sawayama - Bad Friend
I love this song because it's straight forward, plus, there's not a lot of songs about being a bad friend.
01. Iz*One - Dreamlike
I took a break from this album and one day, I just had the melody of this song stuck in my head and I couldn't find it. This song is tricky because it feels like a slow ballad, but there's actually a lot of beats. I love how the vocal delivery sounds chilly and they aren't singing loud, but just enough. So it has this calm, peaceful vibe to the song. And maybe I'm being weird for saying this, but when they all say "Dreamlike" and the instrumentals has this swirling sound, I sorta have a sense that the song is cleansing my head of negative thoughts. Also, there's tiny things in this song that feel so satisfying like Wonyoung's "i told you before" and Hitomi's "ocean view baby," and of course the sound of a car engine.
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