Best New Music: April 2024
Best New Music: April 2024
A ranking and review of April’s best releases from K-pop, J-pop, and C-pop artists!
#20: Vicky Chen, “Guiding Light”
With guitars and strings faint enough to not overpower Vicky Chen’s angelic voice and a repeated synth twist that keeps things interesting, “Guiding Light” is as pleasant to listen to as its lyrics are important to hear. She marvels at how easy it is to forget the sources of one’s happiness (“Happiness once owned… unsure of its whereabouts”), how many blessings are not appreciated before hindsight kicks in (“Only when turning back did I see a light shining gently upon me”), and how much joy is robbed when one lets jealousy win (“I once wished to become someone else / Missed out on too much”). “Guiding Light” offers evergreen life lessons in a mellifluous way.
#19: Ian Chan, “Thank You Postman”
This acoustic guitar-driven number has lyrics reminiscent of an elementary school student’s love poem. There is an endearing earnestness in the direct yet poetic format of Ian Chan’s words: “I must jot down every secret that’s on my mind / Once every two days, in my letters you’ll find / Open your mailbox, my sweet stories there’ll be / Thank you postman, for delivering this love from me.” The lyrics read like a children's book, and the music video is just as charming. The majority of the video is split-screen and shows Ian Chan and his love interest complementing each other’s movements from different locations, their minds mentally together even when they physically are not. After time spent on trial runs of sorts, practicing how to interact once they are face-to-face, they finally are, and his love interest gets a special delivery. The package that arrives is filled with the love letters he has written to her, and he looks as excited to watch her reaction as she is to receive the surprise! “Thank You Postman” has a straightforward but sweet message that is easy to love!
#18: LA POEM, MIRROR
This classically-trained quartet always sounds stunning, and the group’s new songs are no exceptions. Both bring the needed passion and strength to the topic of love’s irresistible pull. “Mirror” involves two opposing voices, one warning, “Watch out, she’s dangerous… Run away,” and the other exclaiming, “Are you crazy? Why are you so hesitant? / Come on, follow her.” The group adds additional context to the song with several mirror analogies, including a mirror maze (in which they’ll “get lost willingly”) and light reflecting off of a mirror, obscuring one’s view (“I’ll be blinded by love”). While the lyrical layers are what stand out the most about “Mirror,” the B-side, “Rose,” stands out the most for its instrumental layers. Vocals, pianos, percussion, and strings all make space for one another. Both “Mirror” and “Rose” are well-arranged, thoughtful additions to LA POEM’s discography that convey relatable feelings in ways only they can.
#17: KISS OF LIFE, “Midas Touch”
“Midas Touch” and its music video deliver the glitzy visuals, group choreography, and catchy sound that early-aughts pop fans will love! The KISS OF LIFE members turn heads by rocking decadent nail art, hairstyles, makeovers, and outfits while posing on and by props that go with the song’s mythical inspiration. Their collective presence shines bolder and brighter than ever, although they still show off their individual sources of sparkle, thanks to different fashion choices, solo settings, and lyrical shout-outs to past solo tracks. The R&B B-side, “Nothing,” is further proof that KISS OF LIFE have found the perfect nostalgic-yet-new place for themselves in the world of K-pop. They sing about realizing an ex is “not worth [their] songs,” an extension of the self-assured message of “Midas Touch.”
#16: BABYMONSTER, BABYMONS7ER
The spooky castle in which most of the “SHEESH” music video is located is transfixing, with shadows of bare trees spread across the walls and a primary source of light being periodic lightning strikes. Viewers are first reeled in with BABYMONSTER’s commanding presence and the dramatic setting, and then they are kept feeling trapped in the story with the maze images that appear sporadically before suddenly appearing everywhere. There are two other particularly attention-grabbing details in the video. One is a blink-and-miss-it transition from a close-up of a red candle to a ring of fire that outlines an inky-black pool. The fire and pool resemble a giant eye from an aerial view. The second particularly striking visual is when individual members appear in different windows. They show off their riches and pose while saying the hushed bridge (“B-A-B-Y-M-O-N / Tell a friend, tell a friend, tell a friend”) like an incantation. Spellbinding music video aside, the album itself gives fortunate attention to the members’ killer vocals. The standout is the whistle-filled B-side “LIKE THAT;” the song is a gift from Charlie Puth, and while that is unsurprising to know upon hearing it, the song sounds right at home with BABYMONSTER.
#15: BREIMEN, AVEANTIN
AVEANTIN is a fearless album that makes it obvious the members had a blast making it! Regardless of the musical family or origin of an instrument, they play around with each one in countless ways. BREIMEN take full advantage of the potential in every sound they use, and the result is a colorful and compelling musical cornucopia. The standouts are “TPP,” for serving as a nice chaser to the equally playful “LUCKY STRIKE,” and “JUGEMU,” for its frenetic but fun murmuring and saxophone-playing. The songs’ exaggerated nature has a visual match in the music videos, especially the retro-game-show-esque “BREAKTHROUGH.” AVEANTIN is endlessly entertaining and benefits from the band not taking themselves too seriously.
#14: GADORO, TAKANABE
GADORO starts off with a bang, with the busy, genre-blurring “Garakuta” and “Pain” (featuring the inimitable Awich). He plays things a bit safer throughout the rest of TAKANABE, with relatively laid-back hip-hop songs (like “Hadashinobouken,” “Kanade,” and “Shinon”) and danceable moments (like “Jiyukukan” and “Walk”). TAKANABE’s title refers to “high” or “tall” (“high” in terms of status, in GADORO’s case), and that perfectly suits the sureness apparent in GADORO’s musical identity. He most strongly proves that sureness does not equate to self-seriousness with those opening numbers; the element of surprise remains in his musical toolkit. Overall, TAKANABE lets GADORO dabble with various styles before settling back into a more anticipated lane, and there is nothing wrong with that! He has a good time, invites memorable collaborators to the party, and effectively leaves his musical mark.
#13: May J., AURORA
Fortunately, May J.’s latest batch of enchanting songs sticks with her R&B origins, although there is also an organic evolution to her sound. A sunnier sheen covers these pop gems, sweetening her delivery and warmly welcoming new fans into her dreamy musical world. Named after the Roman goddess of dawn, AURORA signifies the sun rising anew, and the songs are fittingly filled with uplifting messages, often without pretexts. Songs like “Spread Love” and “Be Free” are self-explanatory, ensuring their encouragement is easily felt by all listeners. While the best instrumental is in “Sweetest Crime,” the all-around best song is “Superwoman;” it is the perfect example of May J.’s ability to effortlessly deliver a sparkling vocal performance that is accentuated by, rather than a distraction from, instrumental busyness.
#12: EPEX, Youth Chapter 1 : YOUTH DAYS
Youth Chapter 1 : YOUTH DAYS summarizes the experiences of growing up well. Its core is optimistic, but it spends ample time dwelling on darker feelings, too. All the while, the lyrics come across like messages from a peer, someone who knows what growing up is like and promises to make it easier by simply being there. EPEX sing about strength coming from togetherness, and the lyric that best epitomizes their message is in “Youth2Youth”: “Hold my hand and start your life.” They sing about uncharted futures feeling more manageable when approaching them with friends, and that confidence boost from companionship is a theme in every song. The “Youth2Youth” music video expands on this theme, visually representing how the transition into adulthood feels. In the innocuous first half, the members wear casual clothes, but they switch into ties and button-ups - “grown-up clothes” - in the chaos-filled second half. The songs themselves oscillate between periods of being busy and boisterous (like “KILLSHOT” and “Lay Up”) and slower and gentler (like “My Secret” and “Graduation Day”). Overall, EPEX’s album is a solid snapshot of what it’s like for a group of friends to grow up.
#11: HIROMITSU KITAYAMA, BET / THE BEAST
In the best ways, “THE BEAST” is a bizarre song with the music video to match! The dancers around HIROMITSU KITAYAMA move as one organism, before fragmenting as if the swirling smoke and flashing lights have triggered that distancing. There is an eye-catching contrast between his untamed hair and sharp suit, but he fits the mold of neither a “beauty” nor a “beast,” glitching in and out of a cyborg form instead! In another scene, he has a red hood and glowing eyes, while figures in dark hoods surround him and wear silver masks. The overall effect of seeing indoor, smoke-and-flashing-light-filled scenes and outdoor ones where everyone gathers in disguises is one of discombobulation. The song itself has an equally loud presence; it pairs a choir with rugged rapping. “THE BEAST” is much more dramatic than it needs to be, but its enigmatic nature offers audiences the “something different” their playlists need! The sense of “Where is this going?” remains throughout the listening experience, too. It is hard to predict what vocal filters, instruments, sound effects, and pacing changes are on the horizon. The best B-side is “Violet,” which has an unexpectedly dramatic lead-in before turning into an EDM banger! BET / THE BEAST can most succinctly be summarized as a whole lot of fun, untamed energy!
#10: IVE, IVE SWITCH
These polished pop songs are characterized by fast BPMs, high-pitched voices that contrast with the lyrics’ cold demeanors, and well-placed finishing touches, like echo effects. The album has its cuter moments, like “WOW” and “RESET,” but the message IVE always circle back to is one of knowing their worth. On the other hand, there are some cracks in their confident facade, like when they sing about having a “frozen smile” in “Blue Heart,” which can be interpreted as either playing hard-to-get or putting up a false confident front. Also, they question, “Why didn’t you treat me right when I was around?” in “RESET,” a brief moment of acknowledging hurt before returning the focus to how they did not deserve that manipulative ex (“spare me the tearful stories;” “I’ll sleep peacefully now”). IVE’s classic “better off without you” attitude is prevalent, as is their sweet delivery of even the most bitter comments. Like these songs, the “HEYA” music video is multidimensional. The action unfolds when what resembles a giant makeup compact opens, revealing a tiny world inside of it, and the action ends when the compact closes. The aesthetics draw inspiration from folklore, so the makeup compact also brings to mind a pop-up book. IVE SWITCH is a contained body of work with uncontainable adventures!
#9: Xdinary Heroes, Troubleshooting
There are countless lyrics throughout Troubleshooting in the band’s typical style of self-hype, about breaking out of thought confines, living by their own rules, and not caring what others think of them. But there is a pivot point once the listening experience gets to “Dreaming Girl” and “until the end of time.” The members are struck with the realization that they are kidding themselves when they use words like “always;” nothing lasts forever. The wave of sadness upon comprehending the fleeting nature of time is palpable, but so is their newfound resolve to make the most of every moment. The last few songs stop dwelling on the “We only have one life” thought and move on to the “so let’s make it count!” one. They savor a “Night of Fireworks,” ending the album on a satisfying and emotional note. Allowing this story to linger longer in listeners’ minds is the corresponding “Troubleshooting” short film. The characters in it have their lives lightened up through the power of music, and while that premise is not new for them, the question on a poster on a wall in the film is: “Are you alive or just eXisting?” It brings to mind the question at the start of the “Test Me” video from an earlier era: “If you rig a rigged system, are you a hero or a villain?” Xdinary Heroes’ use of thought-provoking prompts continues to add a distinct direction to their journey, and that journey is more emotionally effective than ever.
#8: Solar, COLOURS
This Solar era is one of her most literally and metaphorically vivid yet! She starts COLOURS with an empowering, runway-walk-ready anthem (“Colors”) and ends with her most powerhouse performance (“Blues”). Another highlight comes mid-album, when she updates her use of a honey metaphor. In an older song, “HONEY,” Solar insists she’s too sweet for someone to handle (“You’ll let me slip through your fingers”). In the new song, “Honey Honey,” she indulges in a hot and steamy romance (“Here, the taste that strongly resembles you and me”). Solar impresses with the many ways she makes a comeback theme as simple as “colors” memorable, and this ability extends to the “But I” music video. The song starts out like a ballad before turning into a fiery ode to independence, and Solar goes from solemnly playing the piano to smashing it! The video ends with her slipping on some shades and confidently striding away from a fire she has set, a sign of both the new fire lit within her and the burning away of her past (comparatively) meek self. Solar uses an array of colors to show off her many musical sides, and she keeps her songs thematically linked through not just a color theme, but through self-aware lyricism and shameless video antics.
#7: ONF, Beautiful Shadow
Lyrically and instrumentally, this is ONF’s richest project to date. They go all-in when it comes to singing about feeling intoxicated by love, losing control, and holding onto profound regrets. They flex their vocal skills in different ways while doing so, from shining one at a time in “Breath, Haze & Shadow” to two of them hitting an impressive note together in “Bye My Monster.” Even their lightest new song substantively, “Slave To The Rhythm,” sticks to the theme of emotions beyond their control. The “Bye My Monster” music video takes that theme to the next level. They dance amid destruction while wearing black outfits and then wear all-white outfits while performing in front of a multicolored, calm sky. The peaceful setting includes a lopsided, giant bird cage with nothing in it, representing both freedom and the precariousness that comes with it. The cage’s tilted angle is just one of many details complicating the seemingly binary contrast between dark and light experiences. Feeling off-balance comes with good times, and grappling with the good and the bad simultaneously is also represented through the sunny scenes being interrupted by moments of darkness. The reverse happens too, with signs of hope interrupting ominous scenes (for example, one member nervously writes a letter in the dark, but later on, the pen’s ink turns into purple flower petals). Signs of hope and reasons for fear interact with one another at unpredictable times, a great summation of what this era of “Beautiful Shadows” is all about.
#6: DOYOUNG, YOUTH
DOYOUNG starts at the “Beginning,” comparing going where a melody for “the song of a new spring” takes him to riding a wave. He shows faith in the unknown in “Little Light”: “It’s fine if the skies get muddy for a second.” “From Little Wave” likens the ripples of a receding wave to the lingering “words [that are] held onto.” In the next song, DOYOUNG describes a desire to relive a romance, unsatisfied with just clinging onto memories of it: “Shall we try the time machine?” The thought experiment commences across the next few songs, “Serenade,” “Rewind” (in which he wonders, “What words could hold you?”), and “Warmth” (in which the couple suddenly “become[s] a green light”). If the first part of YOUTH reflects on the past and the second part tries to resurface and strengthen memories of it, the final third of the album assesses the results of those attempts. DOYOUNG sings about feeling lonely, only having his memories for company again, while being grateful for the time he spent being “Lost In California”: “I’m not fine / With my dusty memories… California seems to have lost the light / But I’m gon’ try / Never gonna fade out.” In “Rest,” he reminds himself that “It’s okay to stumble” through days when the light seems to be out. He ends with “Dallas Love Field” and a reaffirmation that the light will always come back if he keeps the faith: “Chasing love across the receivers / Everything we missed / Now, I feel those moments again.” YOUTH tells a descriptive yet abstract tale about a search for meaning in memories and the many “little lights” and “little waves” that assist in that search. DOYOUNG brings this story to life beautifully, with a focus on pop-rock and band music that enhances the story’s coherence.
#5: BOYNEXTDOOR, HOW?
This group could easily stay popular with minimal effort; the baked-in appeal in their name and overall branding makes them easy to love. This makes it even more commendable that they opt to not just skate by on a winning formula; they prove to be anything but a one-trick act. The HOW? era is a testament to their unnecessary but welcome ambition and creativity. They start by admitting they are only “Pretending to be calm” in front of a crush in “OUR.” They plead for a clear answer to the questions “You’re my darling, right? Are you teasing me?” in “Earth, Wind & Fire.” In “l i f e i s c o o l,” they acknowledge their youth, saying, “It’s still too early to be tied down,” while admitting they’re not picky about the kind of companionship they get: “Anyone want to hang out with me?” They vocalize their “Oops!” moments, like when they say “I love you” before “Huh? What’s this? I left the mic on?” in “So let’s go see the stars”! All the while, they do not put up a front. They speak before thinking at times, as youths tend to do! Another example is in “Earth, Wind & Fire,” when they convey their honest feelings toward someone but do so at 10X speed, worried about losing their cool before spilling out all their compliments! BOYNEXTDOOR’s uncontrollable inner monologues allow their imaginations to spill into both the new video and the set of funny teaser films. In one of them, furry hand puppets accidentally FaceTime their human owners and frantically try to do damage control before the humans come back, like a scene out of Toy Story; things that should not have minds of their own do! BOYNEXTDOOR’s world remains disarmingly and wonderfully fun and unfiltered!
#4: ONEWE, Planet Nine : ISOTROPY
This album impressively synthesizes heavy subject matter by using contrasting symbols as conversation springboards. The album cover includes an infinity symbol wrapped around a hot-air balloon, a combination of something never-ending (suiting the “Isotropy” term, a word for sameness in something’s measurements regardless of the format those measurements take) with something whose presence is temporary. A hot-air balloon can only soar for so long; it can only represent freedom for as long as the fuel supply lasts. The most frequently recurring analogies throughout the album fall into two categories: outer-space-themed ones and ones referring to dust, smoke, or other fading and/or flimsy material. Songs that analogize with things that are vast and endless circle back to comparisons to fragile things. They sing about memories turning into “Beautiful Ashes” in the song of the same name, mention a memory that has only “whispered faintly” to them in “Kiss in the Rain,” and describe memories as “faint” again in “Pleasant.” On the other hand, they express the desire to expand their recollections in “Shoot It Out” (“Shoot it out towards you / Towards that parallel universe… Spreading out further”), and they affirm that “Those fleeting moments are captured” in their minds in “Count The Stars.” When they are not singing about memory preservation, they are singing about memory dissolution. In other words, when they are not singing about making something last, they are singing about the opposite. Ironically, change is the only constant in life, perhaps besides love. Change and love, therefore, can be considered metaphorically isotropic, so ONEWE’s mix of galactic and fragile metaphors is a surprisingly apt way to depict life.
#3: YUQI, YUQ1
In the “FREAK” music video, YUQI embraces and redefines what it means to be a villain. Classic movie villains (including Billy from Saw, The Grady Twins from The Shining, and Ghostface from Scream) become her friends and roommates. The kooky, spooky misadventures have comedic twists, from a seance-type ritual involving a stuffed animal to a scene that riffs off of the rom-com Love Actually. The story has four chapters, ends with a house party for which the musical act is YUQI and her fellow villains’ rock band, and includes a “To be continued” message on the screen. While it is exciting to anticipate more to this specific story, people should be just as prepared for YUQI’s next video to do a 180. After all, this era’s pre-release video (for “Could It Be”) resembles a vacation house’s infomercial! And even the comeback trailer has not prepared the audience for “FREAK”: It shows YUQI becoming possessed but gives no indication that her crossover to the dark side is about to take such a playful turn!
Besides drawing inspiration from well-known pop culture and making those stories her own, YUQI incorporates messages of past (G)I-DLE songs into her solo material. She details what led to her becoming a vengeful person in “Red Rover,” which brings to mind the group's song “VILLAIN DIES.” Also, she sings “Our story’s never ending” in “Everytime;” in “VILLAIN DIES,” the members sing about a definite ending to an adversary’s story. YUQI takes the lessons from (G)I-DLE’s songs about reclaiming one’s narrative and repurposes them, and her openness to creative reinterpretations lines up with her album’s opener, “My Way”: “We can be the fighters / And write down what we deserve… no matter who tries to stop [us] / [We can] already feel free.”
YUQ1 and its corresponding videos merge the familiar with the unfamiliar to tell a one-of-a-kind tale about confidently shaping one’s own character arc.
#2: TXT, minisode 3: TOMORROW
Read all about how this album furthers TXT’s exceptional world-building in this essay!
#1: SEVENTEEN, 17 IS RIGHT HERE
Stay tuned for an upcoming write-up and podcast episode all about this release!
To learn more about these picks and find out who won Honorable Mentions, check out the corresponding episode of 17 Carat K-Pop!
Stream the episode on Spotify here!