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Hello! So, as an avid listener and discusser of K-pop, I have to admit something. A lot of the music is not good. I like it subjectively, but a lot of it is just loud noises and silly lyrics, something I am drawn towards. Would I recommend it to other people unironically? Absolutely not... at least most of the time. I think there are some exceptions: music that's pretty good in an objective sense. Here are my unironic recommendations of a few of my favorite recent K-pop EPs.
New Jeans- NewJeans
Whenever I get the chance to talk about K-pop, I love talking about NewJeans. They debuted three years ago with their first and eponymous EP, and it's still one of my favorite K-pop projects despite containing a measly four songs. NewJeans are such a breath of fresh air in an industry ripe with oversaturation and sterilization. They pull off an effortless Y2k "girl next door" concept. They have also been facing a lot of problems within the K-pop industry right now, and as I am just slightly older than the members, I feel a motherly instinct for them (except what the heck can I do?). Either way, when NewJeans dropped their first singles, "Attention" and "Hype Boy," in the summer of 2022, it felt like the world stopped. I remember loving the brightness and energy they exuded and don't remember feeling that much innocent joy out of anything in K-pop. Again, maybe it's just the "look at these young girls having fun" concept, which reminded me of my own youth, and maybe everything isn't so bad. It was a sense of hope from simple Y2k pop R&B songs and music videos. It's a quick listen at 12 minutes, so consider giving it a shot.
Whiplash- æspa
Whiplash is æspa's most recent project, but since they are my favorite group right now, I talk about and listen to them all the time. I talked about "Drama," my favorite song from them, in a post last semester. aespa's genre is hyper pop and dance-pop, and their sci-fi concepts always make for fun futuristic music videos. Their EPs usually follow the same song structure with a title track, some sort of hard-hitting B-side, one R&B, one hip-hop, one pop rock, but always being carried out in original ways. This album is no different, my favorites being the B-side "Flights, Not Feelings and "Whiplash," which is an EDM techno track made for the runway. There's also "Flowers," a gorgeous R&B track, and "Kill It," which I can only describe as melodic beep boops. This EP came out last year and is just under 20 minutes, so definitely check it out.
28 Reasons- Seulgi
A lot of the best yet most underrated K-pop comes from soloists, and this is no different. 28 Reasons dropped in 2022 from Seulgi, a member of the group Red Velvet, as her first solo project. It definitely feels like it came out in October, with songs like "28 Reasons" and "Crown" having a spooky vibe. "Anywhere But Home" is a dreamlike city pop song about being on a late-night drive, "Los Angeles" is an EDM club banger, and "Bad Boy, Sad Girl" is a cute R&B song. The highlight for me is "Dead Man Runnin'," which is an emotional dance-pop song that was apparently inspired by the film Joker, so do with that as you will. I just love this album and think it's fantastic. Like Whiplash, the runtime's about 20 minutes, so consider giving it a listen.
Loop and I Did- Yves
I put both EPs by solo artist Yves because she currently has a short discography. She is an ex-member of the group Loona and made her solo debut this past May with the EP Loop and returned in November with I Did. Yves's my favorite "indie" K-pop artist with some alternative and house bops. For the two title tracks, "Loop" is a garage track with a catchy melody throughout, and "Viola" is hyperpop with an A.G. Cook-inspired drop, making her the Charli xcx of Korea in my eyes. I haven't listened to the B-sides as much, but "Diorama," the intro for Loop, is a vibey R&B track with dreamlike chords. There's so much else to love, like the minimalistic music video for "Viola" and lovably bad English lyrics in songs like "Hashtag." It helps that Yves has an oddly high sapphic audience base (don't look at me), apparently a target audience, as Yves herself has been facing lesbian allegations for a long time. Either way, I am completely obsessed with her music and concepts. As someone who is trying to get into more underground alternative music, Yves's songs are the perfect mix of recognizable pop but also genres that are less common in K-pop. Her whole discography is under 30 minutes, so I would definitely recommend checking her out.
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