There have been tonnes of great Korean tracks between late November and the end of May; here’s some of the biggest and best!

The move from 2022 to 2023 has brought with it the beginnings of a shift towards the fifth generation of K-pop. But until it arrives, we have a plethora of second, third, and fourth generation artists to choose from, as well as tracks from the Korean hip-hop and RnB genres over the past few months.

Who run the world? Girls!

2022—2023 has, without a shadow of a doubt, been in the hands of the girl groups. Think NewJeans, Red Velvet, FIFTY FIFTY, Le Sserafim, IVE, TWICE, and you’ll get close to the amount of incredible girl group releases and successes there have been.

Speaking of NewJeans, “OMG”, released in January, has helped to power the HYBE girl group up to superstardom and over 318 million Spotify streams on that one track alone. Thanks to its bouncy synth bass, trap layering, and delicate harmonising vocals, the girls found their dreamy single rising the ranks on TikTok, with millions around the world recreating their iconic choreography and even their music video outfits.

On a different point of the sound spectrum, we find aespa’s “Hold on Tight”. Released as part of the soundtrack to the 2023 Tetris movie starring Taron Egerton, the track is techno-pop at its finest. Within its short two-and-a-half minutes, the song reworks the iconic Tetris videogame theme song to mix with a thumping electro-beat, and the glorious, eerily echoing English vocals of Karina, Giselle, Winter, and Ningning.

The track, similarly to “OMG” and many other recent releases, was propelled by TikTok thanks to a fan-made dance challenge that took advantage of the Tetris theme with the creation of an original tutting choreography. Its popularity, combined with the release of aespa’s latest mini album, is a sign that aespa and their fellow girl groups will continue to thrive this year!

Other amazing girl group releases from winter/spring 2022-23 include:

• “UNFORGIVEN” — LE SSERAFIM ft. Nile Rodgers

• “Spicy” — aespa

• “Queencard” — (G)I-DLE

• “I AM” and “Kitsch” — IVE

• “EUNOIA” — BILLLIE

• “Cupid” — FIFTY FIFTY

• “Giddy” — Kep1er

• “Lemonade” — DreamNote

• “Rose Blossom” — H1-KEY

• “GGBB” — MAMAMOO+

• “Love Me Like This” — NMIXX

• “SET ME FREE” and “MOONLIGHT SUNRISE” — TWICE

• “SHOOTING STAR” — XG

• “Teddy Bear” — STAYC

• “AURORA” — cignature

• “Cheshire” — ITZY

• “D N D” — APINK

• “Stamp On It” — GOT the beat

• “Sweet Juice” — PURPLE KISS

• “NO LIMIT” — CRAXY

• “KARMA” — PIXY

• “Karma” — BLACKSWAN

Bring the boys out

Whilst the girls have taken the main spotlight recently, there have still been a multitude of great tracks over winter and spring from the boys. NCT, for example, have continued to prove that third generation groups will not be overlooked.

NCT DREAM gave us an instant classic in their vibrant, upbeat cover of H.O.T’s “Candy”, whilst NCT 127 released their re-package album Ay-Yo, with an eponymous title track to match. “Ay-Yo” leaned more into the powerful synth-based ‘noise music’ sound cultivated by the group that was reminiscent of past releases like “Punch”, leaving the groove and charm to the new subunit NCT DOJAEJUNG. “Perfume” has been described as ‘sultry, sensual and scintillating’, showing that NCT really have still got it.

Notable boy groups releases over the past six months include:

• “Super” — SEVENTEEN

• “Sunshower” — EPEX

• “Fighting” — BSS ft. Lee Young Ji

• “ERASE ME” — ONEUS

• “HALAZIA” — ATEEZ

• “Beautiful Liar” — MONSTA X

• “Sugar Rush Ride” — TOMORROW X TOGETHER

• “Here I Stand” — TREASURE

• “Bite Me” — ENHYPEN

• “Puzzle” — SF9

• “Groovy” — CRAVITY

• “I Need U” — TNX

• “Hair Cut” and “Freakin’ Bad” — Xdinary Heroes

• “Back Down” — P1Harmony

• “Virus” — VICTON

• “Wind And Wish” — BTOB

• “Madness” and “Chup Chup” — MOONBIN&SANHA (ASTRO)

• “Crazy Like That” — VERIVERY

Together or apart

Whilst co-ed groups have practically remained limited to the tropical house/Latin-sound perfecting KARD, soloist comebacks seem to have come in abundance over the last few months.

NCT’s MARK lived up to his name by making his own with the track “Golden Hour”. The hip-hop/rap-rock song was strangely inspired by the 23-year-old’s inability to cook some eggs on a variety show! This led to a fan tweeting the failure to world-famous chef Gordon Ramsay (pretending Mark was their boyfriend who had tried to cook for them) who recommended the fan “Get back on Tinder!”.

Clever lyricism, mixed with the kind of instrumentation one might expect in a Kayne West track, the vocal tonality of DPR IAN, and the music video visuals of the Dream Perfect Regime team, resulted in a fantastic release.

Another recent showstopper is LEE CHAE YEON, formerly of IZ*ONE. After a solid debut with “HUSH RUSH” in October 2022, the solo sensation came back onto the scene with the much more dance-based “KNOCK”. With melody lines harking back to Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” and an outstanding choreography to match the bright, fast beat, CHAE YEON seems to have secured the sound that suits her perfectly, showcasing both her airy vocals and impeccable dance skills.

Other co-ed/duet and solo comebacks lately include:

• “Journey” and “ABYSS” — WOODZ

• “Without You” and “ICKY” — KARD

• “VIBE” — TAEYANG (of BIGBANG) ft. Jimin (of BTS)

• “Shoong!” — TAEYANG (of BIGBANG) ft. LISA (of BLACKPINK)

• “Dear My Light” — DAWN

• “Sour & Sweet” — BAMBAM (of GOT7)

• “People Pt.2” — Agust D ft. IU

• “love you twice” and “I ≠ DOLL” — HUH YUNJIN (of LE SSERAFIM)

• “on the street” — j-hope (of BTS) and J. Cole

• “Killer” — KEY (of SHINee)

• “Spring Song” — LAS ft. MIYEON (of (G)I-DLE)

• “Happiness” — LEEWOO ft. YUJU (formerly of GFRIEND)

New faces

Recent debuts have kicked off a lot of discourse as to whether or not we are officially entering the fifth generation of K-pop. This is usually separated by epochs of around five to ten years, but is also shaped around a change in style and sound.

One idol group making waves with their debut is the boy group xikers. The younger brother group of fourth gen monsters ATEEZ, xikers were released to the public with the track “TRICKY HOUSE”. The song blends EDM, hip-hop, sea shanties and Arab-esque instrumentals. This cleverly acts as a way of appealing to fans of groups like ATEEZ thanks to its familiar style, whilst offering something slightly less intense than much of the ‘noise music’ genre. It may be a fairly formulaic debut, but a well received one nonetheless.

A more divisive track was the solo debut of BLACKPINK’s JISOO. As the final of the four members to do so, hopes were high. However, many were let down by the simplicity of “FLOWER”. A straightforward choreography was soundtracked by an empty anti-drop chorus, elegant in the eyes of some but described by others as ‘competent yet underwhelming’.

When combined with the gorgeous visuals of the song’s music video, fans deemed it ‘classy’ in comparison to the usual intensity of tracks by BLACKPINK and other idols, setting JISOO apart. And many clearly felt the same way, with the track racking up almost 130 million streams on Spotify by mid-May.

Other debuts across winter and spring were:

• “Like Crazy” and “Set Me Free Pt.2” — JIMIN (of BTS)

• “Primrose” — PRIMROSE

• “FREEDOM” — JOOHONEY (of MONSTA X)

• “Cherry Coke” — Yeeun (formerly of CLC)

• “PANDORA” — MAVE:

• “Tic Tac” — 8TURN

• “Rising” — TripleS

• “Hidden Side” — HWANG MINHYUN (formerly of NU’EST)

• “Keeping the Fire” — X:IN

• “Lights Up” — QI.X

• “Cherry Talk” — +(KR)ystal Eyes

Raps and rhythms

Arguably the most anticipated hip-hop release in the Korean music industry came from BTS’s SUGA, under his solo artist name Agust D. Following up on the powerful “Daechwita” from 2020, “Haegeum” showcased even more grit from the rapper as he crossed the line from K-pop idol to KHH star.

Alongside a cinematic music video, a pulsating bass line drives the track’s intensity as Agust D encourages socioeconomic and personal liberation:

‘Slaves to capitalism, slaves to money

Slaves to hatred and prejudice…

Everyone's been blinded by envy and jealousy

Without realizing that they're putting shackles on each other’.

In the realm of RnB, producer and composer CODE KUNST was back on the scene with his Remember Archive album. The record features the likes of LeeHi, JUSTHIS, DeVita, pH-1, and Jackson Wang.

One track making waves is the album’s pre-release, initially part of the teaser EP Archive 01. The soulful “55” stars songstresses Yerin Baek and WENDY of K-pop’s Red Velvet, who each lend their warm vocals to the track. “55” is smooth and almost sultry, punctuated with an ambient electric guitar and the delicate tapping of cymbals. Perfect for those warmer evenings, or solo coffee shop dates.

More hip-hop and RnB releases can be found below:

• “Still Life” — RM (of BTS) ft. Anderson .Paak

• “Smoke Sprite” — So!YoON! ft. RM (of BTS)

• “Buck” — Coogie

• “TTM” — B.I, Sik-K, and REDDY

• “Keep me up” — B.I

• “RINDAMAN” and “PEW!” — PENOMECO ft. ZICO

• “BORA” — Kid Milli

• “Heartbreak Club” — Colde ft. LEE CHANHYUK

• “Amazing” — Hoody

• “I AM SHAMPOO” — BIBI

• “WONDER” — ASH ISLAND

• “55” — CODE KUNST ft. Yerin Baek and WENDY (of Red Velvet)

• “Jumper” — CODE KUNST ft. GAEKO, and MINO

• “Trippy” — Beenzino

• “Rollercoaster” and “Do Me Right” — GEMINI

• “Ride For Me” — DeVita ft. DAWN

• “Candy” — Jay Park ft. Zion.T

As we head into summer, we can look forward to comebacks from Stray Kids, ATEEZ, and DREAMCATCHER to name just a few. There will also be the highly anticipated debuts of BABYMONSTER, Boys’ Planet’s ZEROBASEONE, and the TWICE sub-unit MISAMO, made up of Mina, Sana, and Momo.

What was your favourite track of winter and spring of 2022—23? And let us know what you’re the most excited for!

Edited by Chelsea Cheetham.