Best New Music: August 2024

A ranking and review of the best new releases from Korean, Japanese, and Thai artists!

#20: CHANYEOL, Black Out

Black Out is a solid set of songs perfectly suited for CHANYEOL’s rugged voice. The first half is good, but the second half (starting with “Back Again”) is when he really hits his stride. The pivot into more pop-rock-leaning territory is smoothly done, and the full-circle lyrical moments further prevent disjointedness between the album halves. For example, the final song is “Clover,” a tender one about wanting time together to last forever. This echoes the “Promise we’ll meet again” urging and question of “Is tonight the final period?” in “Hasta La Vista.” Moments from the second half of Black Out that can be seen as conversing with moments from the first half make the case for CHANYEOL to release more songs in the future in both pop-rock and more stripped-down styles.

#19: ONE OR EIGHT, “Don’t Tell Nobody”

“Don’t Tell Nobody” is a fantastic choice for any boy band’s official debut single, but it is particularly fortunate to have a home with this new group! The beyond-catchy song has all the right ingredients to make an impact on global pop radio and social media, including an earworm of a chorus and a dynamic mix of rapping and singing. The natural boy band “It” factors abound in the music video too, as the group shows off their dance moves while rocking casual street style and surrounded by flashy cars. Obviously, it will be great to hear more daring music from ONE OR EIGHT in the future, but for just getting started, “Don’t Tell Nobody” does everything right!

#18: go!go!vanillas, “来来来”

“来来来” (“Come Come Come”) takes a very unusual approach to expressing the desire for a break from human routines and responsibilities! The group expresses the urge to throw away their titles (“We should just throw away this pathetic honor”), celebrates being underachievers (“I’m so sick of the new challenges I made myself”), and overall wishes for a reprieve from their busy brains. The lesson is to be careful what you wish for, because someone literally loses his brain in the music video and then takes on the traits of a dog! 

Long story short, the video goes from a rescue mission out of a mad scientist’s lab to a football game in which the brain is the ball! “来来来” is a fittingly frantic and funny soundtrack for the unforgettable absurdities! “来来来” is about a sense of fatigue that all humans experience but has an out-of-left-field approach to answering this hypothetical question: “What if we could just act like pets for a day?”!

#17: THE FIV5 & Karn The Parkinnson & Jorin from 4EVE, “Let’s get it on”

“Let’s get it on” is a humorous, disco-inspired jam with nothing to dislike about it! The main vocalist oozes charisma, rocking a decorated cowboy hat and hitting every note out of the park. Like his ensemble, the lyrics make quite a statement: “I just got dumped / No more being a good person… I’ll be naughty”! Jorin echoes that sentiment, agreeing it’s a good night to stop playing “nice”! She raps in the style of a cheerleader: “L-O-V-E: True love is probably only in dramas / C-A-R-E: Pretend to care about each other / H-U-R-T: Hurt so much.” The playful delivery matches THE FIV5’s; they both turn bleak outlooks on relationship prospects into a groovy good time! 

#16: BiTE A SHOCK, BiTE A SHOCK the FiRST

While this album has its hits and misses, the hits are exciting enough to dilute any disappointments caused by the misses! The only consistency in this album is a lack thereof. The headlining family of instruments constantly changes, transitions between genres are nonexistent, and vocals often engage in odd dances with instruments. The pacing varies not just among songs but within them, and the constant returns to lightning-fast singing are thrillingly disarming! There are auto-tune-heavy, electronic/pop/rock concoctions (the best one being “Patient!!”), wavy-synth-fueled delights (“Yoru ni saku,” “Dolls”), bubblegum-pop moments (“Give You A SHOCK”), jovial and guitar-focused bops (“SiX SHOCK”), and indescribable wild cards (like “Overline” and the best song on the entire album, “Hug”). BiTE A SHOCK the FiRST features a host of colorful and can’t-miss characters!

#15: COPTER ft. PUNCH from 4EVE, “คืนนี้ไปส่ง”

“คืนนี้ไปส่ง” (“I’ll Take You Back Tonight”) is a sweet and likable love story. In the music video, COPTER and (presumably) his dad run a restaurant, and PUNCH plays COPTER’s love interest and the restaurant’s sole customer. Every time he delivers a course to PUNCH’s table, he makes sure part of the meal is heart-shaped! That is all he can do to show he is crushing on her, and all she can respond with are knowing smiles and glances, because any attempts to have a conversation are interrupted by his dad! After his dad falls asleep, they attempt to sneak out of the restaurant. Their tip-toeing out of there takes ages, since his dad keeps appearing to wake up and yell at them before they realize he is just talking and moving in his sleep! Thanks to natural chemistry in terms of both acting and singing, the audience roots for COPTER and PUNCH, and a sequel video to this love story is more than welcome!

#14: THE SPELLBOUND, Voyager

There is sure to be at least one song on Voyager for everyone that proves listening to it is worth the dizzying journey! “Monster” rapidly goes from 0 to 100, with drumming kicking into overdrive as if growing impatient with the slow murmur of the bass guitar! The next few tracks are just as breathless, although THE SPELLBOUND duck and weave past expectations through more ways than just speed. “2colors” is both one of their most pop-like songs on Voyager and not quite accurately described as a typical pop song either; “Subete Ga Soko Ni Arimasuyouni.” is not quite a ballad but not quite not a ballad either; “Hana Ga Saku Mitaini” can only be described as an easy-listening track when comparing it to the other songs on this specific album. All in all, the band’s relentless gambits are admirable and pay off more often than they do not. The best ones are “Sekaijuu Ni Hibiku Miminari No Doukasen Ni Hi Wo Tsukete” and “Speeda.”

#13: SF9, FANTASY

FANTASY is a “Choose Your Own Adventure” soundtrack for a post-breakup life. SF9 encourage themselves to move on with the self-explanatory “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” and the super-upbeat “My Fantasia.” Other times, they painfully dwell on the relationships that are definitively in the past, singing about numbness in “Just” and about feeling played in “Cruel Love.” After moments of both mourning and appreciating what they had, they end with “Melodrama,” an unexpectedly subdued and blurry reflection on a bittersweet taste left by an ex. 

One key lesson to take from FANTASY is that there is no “right way” to heal from a breakup. They vent, show sympathy, and offer some suggestions for moving on, but what they and the audience alike do with those feelings and suggestions remains up to each person. The “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” music video is the same; it is akin to a self-help tutorial video and offers one idea after another for moving on from a relationship. FANTASY takes a refreshing approach to the topic of adjusting to singledom, and musically, it does so in SF9’s classic style.

#12: AB6IX, Find YOU

This short but sweet EP gives each member of AB6IX a worthy and separate spotlight. First is LEE DAE HWI’s “KILL ME,” which has the same appeal as “ROSE, SCENT, KISS,” thanks to his instantly recognizable and irreplaceable voice. Next is KIM DONG HYUN’s pop-rock “present for [their] haters,” “F_ix YoU,” which matches the sense of conviction in “KILL ME” in an obviously very different way! Third is “Just do it!,” a fun and full celebration courtesy of JEON WOONG. The post-chorus “nananas” and extra-funky synthesizer tweaks are nice finishing touches. Lastly, PARK WOO JIN gives “Top Tier” a makeover with a new rock version that is, to be honest, better than the original! 

#11: ZEROBASEONE, CINEMA PARADISE

CINEMA PARADISE is both a tribute to classic movies and true to ZEROBASEONE’s brand. The group adds personal twists to movie scene recreations, and their lyrics are about flipping the scripts. “Flipped destiny… it’s not a tragedy,” they decide in “KILL THE ROMEO.” “Our odyssey begins [with] the highlight,” they insist in “Road Movie.” And in the “GOOD SO BAD” music video, they show a clear divergence from what the script-writer originally had in mind, ensuring stories have happy endings and a storyboard that spans a limitless canvas. 

When it comes to movie genres, ZEROBASEONE show an openness to exploration that suits their youthful, can-do image. This approach extends to music genres too, which, in this album’s case, include everything from synth-pop to pluggnb. With CINEMA PARADISE, ZEROBASEONE make every kind of story their own.

#10: PENOMECO, Organic2

Organic2 has an impressive variety for just six songs, and it balances vibes-focused and story-focused moments nicely. It also impresses for the ways it builds on the Afrobeats foundation that PENOMECO dipped his toes into with the predecessor, Organic. This sequel starts with a bass-heavy suspense-builder, “ORGANIC,” followed by the thematically rich “ASURABALBALTA.” Things mellow out from there: There is a fittingly bubbly feeling to “SODA,” romantic butterfly analogies in “GARANGBI,” and a chill R&B collaboration with the inimitable Crush, “AURORA.” Closing out the album is “ICN,” which treats the listener as PENOMECO’s love interest and welcomes the listener home after a short but impactful trip - much like the trip that is the Organic2 listening experience! 

With its genre-blending and natural-sounding transition from high-energy to low-key, Organic2 proves that PENOMECO has grown as an artist and that the sequel is sometimes better than the original!

#9: OH MY GIRL, Dreamy Resonance

These sweetly-sung songs conjure up picturesque images, from dancing in the moonlight (“Sway (YOU & I)”) to playing fairy-like creatures who infiltrate dreams (“Classified”). The “Classified” music video adds whimsy and orchestral flair to OH MY GIRL’s storytelling, and the video’s handmade elements make for endearing finishing touches! OH MY GIRL also enchant with the album’s B-sides, particularly because of (fittingly!) angelic harmonies in “Heavenly.” That standout B-side goes from describing the scene of a car nearly running out of gas to a serendipitous moment of romance in the rain. While “Classified” and its video are all about sweetening dreams, the story ends with “Heavenly” and a sweetening of reality. Dreamy Resonance isn’t solely about sweetening situations, however; it is worth appreciating the take-charge moments too, like “Start Up,” an energetic song about taking a leap of faith and betting on oneself, and “La La La La,” in which they crown themselves the winners of the flirting game!

#8: Nerd Connection, And yet, We still

This rock band shows their trademark unamused attitude in amusing new ways! Standouts include “She,” and “Clown,” the latter in which they sing about following some norms just to avoid the reactions that norm-breaches might cause! They are full of dissatisfaction and distrust, and their complaints include the following: “In this world of capitalism, money is everything” (“CASH”), “The time of crisis arrived… I wasn’t ready” (“Freddy”), and “I just wanna be alone” (“headshrinker”). Subtlety is not their specialty! However, there are some less obvious intimations throughout the album, thanks to two variables. One is the thoughtful instrumental arrangements; the instrumental-only parts of songs speak volumes too, through how much they dwell on or stop evoking certain emotions. The second source of additional meaning comes from the silver linings acknowledged within certain lyrics. Despite all the annoyances Nerd Connection experience, they also offer advice for carrying on, through the lighter arrangements of songs like “Losing Myself” and ideas like “Shut your door and scream louder / To your favorite rock and roll tune” in “Hold on Tight.” Also, the album title represents Nerd Connection’s lack of optimism in a way that still alludes to keeping the faith. Their message is that despite gloomy thoughts, there are ways to carry on, and this soundtrack for stressful times is proof of concept. 

#7: BE:FIRST, 2:BE 

2:BE is the ultimate guide to BE:FIRST. The group fires on all cylinders most of the time, and when they do pivot to mellower material, they manage to not irreversibly kill their momentum, because confident, commanding singing and rapping serve as a through-line. 2:BE approaches delivering high-energy bops as a marathon instead of a sprint, turning from mellow to melodramatic and back again repeatedly. There are hip-hop-inspired songs (like “Boom Boom Back”), eccentric electronic detours (with songs like “Slogan”), and suitable songs for a rising-action sequence (like “Metamorphose”). 2:BE is chock-full of new-to-BE:FIRST sounds and styles, but the best track is the one most similar to the BE:1 song “Betrayal Game”: the deep-bass-and-synth-laden “Guilty.” 2:BE shows that BE:FIRST are sharpening their identity and bolstering their “It” factors in the process. 

#6: UNIS, CURIOUS

Who knew that a plot that, at the end of the day, is just about back-and-forth social media messages could be made so eventful?! The “Curious” music video has a clever beginning and end that bring refreshing originality to the “merging the digital and physical worlds” premise. It starts with someone in school surreptitiously scrolling through UNIS’s social media posts. A peer “likes” one of UNIS’s pictures before he can be stopped, sending a digital notification to UNIS that turns into a meteor-like, physical force! This digital-turned-physical heart crashes in UNIS’s environment and leaves a heart-shaped opening in a wall, which the UNIS members walk through to engage in many inexplicable adventures! The video ends with UNIS gathering around a rocket and launching a message back to the fan, which turns from a physical message into a digital phone notification!

“Curious” is worth raving about for more than just its cute and creative music video, though. It is also an energy-booster with one of the catchiest choruses a K-pop main track has had in months! Plus, “Curious” has personal touches, including a nod to the group name’s meaning (“You and I story”) and an acknowledgement of being a different kind of princess (“Sneakers rather than glass shoes”)! Also, while the video shows validation via social media, the lyrics are about validation coming from within: “Kicking the locked door / Bring it on,” and “Just trust myself,” they assert. 

#5: imase, “Et cetera”

The “Et cetera” music video tells a “so close yet so far” love story in intriguing ways. Most of the action unfolds behind a curtain, and the main love interests appear as shadows. It is as if their love story is a faded memory, stuck in the “summer haze” about which imase sings. imase repeatedly ends his thoughts with “et cetera,” acknowledging that some love stories are so meaningful that no words can fully and precisely recall them. imase plays both a voyeur and a facilitator, hiding behind a plant for a while but then making his presence known by offering one of them a balloon to give the other. This brings to mind Love is in the Bin, a work of art by Banksy described here. The “Girl with Balloon” Banksy series became especially buzzed-about after this installment, because Love is in the Bin was partially, intentionally, secretly shredded while on display. Love is in the Bin received much higher bids post-partial-shredding, raising questions about what really makes art valuable. 

Whether an intentional homage to Banksy or not, the fact Love is in the Bin comes to mind when watching the “Et cetera” video is unsurprising; “Et cetera” provokes similar contemplation. Does the value in the memory of a relationship actually increase the farther in the past it becomes? Does imase’s interference in the shadow characters’ love story cheapen or enrich it? What has made the mere shadows seem worth watching to imase in the first place? Would their love story appear more or less genuine if the curtain fell? Many questions remain upon watching the video, a special surprise considering the easy-listening nature of the song itself!

#4: TAEMIN, ETERNAL

TAEMIN proves to still have a knack for turning heavy and abstract sources of inspiration into a digestible, compelling, and condensed collection of songs. This time, those sources of inspiration include states of consciousness. His layered lyrics cast him in the role of a dimension-hopping yet wary protagonist. Viewers do not have to choose between songs with rich, psychoanalytic context and songs that put a spotlight on TAEMIN’s seductive voice; songs like “Sexy In The Air” and “Deja Vu” have both! TAEMIN has incorporated psychological and philosophical concepts into his music before, but not in these specific ways, and never before with so much hands-on writing and production input, proving that his musicianship is indeed eternal!

#3: LE SSERAFIM, CRAZY

This era picks up right where LE SSERAFIM’s last era left off. The EASY era represented making the most out of the “good bones” the members had, building something special and sturdy out of whatever foundation fate handed them. Similarly, with the CRAZY era, they do not lie to themselves about the odds that work against them, but they do insist on playing the cards they have been dealt by their own game rules. Since they admit they cannot “change the weather,” as they say in the album’s intro, they might as well “chase lightning”! They cannot change the minds of people bent on seeing them as “crazy,” but they can turn that label into a badge of honor. 

Their confidence appears sky-high as they vogue in the phonk-inspired “CRAZY” music video and sing about “Chasing Lightning” in the runway-ready album intro. However, like the EASY era’s “They make it look easy” message put emphasis on the word “look,” the CRAZY era’s “Their confidence appears sky-high” message needs emphasis on the word “appears.” The EASY era, through lyrics and a music video in which they performed in a place befitting a rehearsal more than a final show, had a “Don’t let them see you sweat” mentality while also admitting there was indeed behind-the-scenes sweat! They offered the audience a peek behind the curtain, not exposing their confident and “perfect” selves as frauds so much as revealing other authentic layers to their identities. The CRAZY era shares this nuance, through a music video in which they dance like there’s no tomorrow but also do not maintain that confidence without help (in the form of using app filters, for example).

Also, implicit in the new mantra “Embrace the ‘crazy’ label and stop caring about what other people think of you” is an acknowledgement that they have been caring about how they are perceived. The final track, “Crazier,” includes their wish to let that urge go; they show wistfulness for childhood and the days before they grew preoccupied with how others think of them: “I was happy back then, free to dream, no strings attached / Now I ask what all this means.” Just like in the EASY era, the CRAZY era acknowledges a gap between the outlook LE SSERAFIM want to embrace and the one they currently have. “Pierrot” offers another example: They sing about being “Ready to run” and break all norms, but the song’s title refers to an archetype for concealing true feelings. LE SSERAFIM convincing themselves that they are worth the hype is not mutually exclusive from acknowledging insecurities, and they do both in thoughtful ways throughout the CRAZY songs and videos.

#2: Kenshi Yonezu, LOST CORNER

LOST CORNER is a surreal and subversive take on movie tropes and pop music cliches alike. In “RED OUT,” Kenshi Yonezu portrays being a famous musician as frustrating, uncontrollable, and involving a fear of not checking off all of a boss’s and/or company’s boxes. At the same time, he purposefully gives minimal effort, sticking to mundane comments instead of meeting the moments warranted by the bold, bustling instrumentals. In “KICK BACK,” over warp-speed drumming, he observes that he finally has the laundromat to himself. In “Tomaremiyo - Stop Look Both Ways,” he is accompanied by an upbeat instrumental but sounds anguished as he complains about a long road trip. In “Garakuta - JUNK,” he sings about an “incessant snooze alarm.” He bounds through performing “LOST CORNER” while listing objects that come to mind.

In other songs, Kenshi Yonezu is even more overt in his mockery of expectations. He makes fun of his own “empty-headed” and “pointless” words in “POP SONG,” calls the plot “randomly written” in “LADY,” and sings about picking flowers and reading storybooks in a beyond-repair setting in “POST HUMAN.” Despite going through “pointless” motions, he adds meaning to them on some occasions, but often morbid ones! For example, “Shinigami,” named after a term for characters from Japanese mythology who lure people towards death, questions when the story will end and laments that it is ending just as “it was about to get interesting”!

With a dark sense of humor and inventive approach, LOST CORNER is a tongue-in-cheek musical collage worth every second.

#1: JAEHYUN, J

From the album title (just one letter, yet a classically JAEHYUN choice, given his habit of writing his first initial on his possessions) to the “Smoke” music video (with a seemingly basic premise of wooing someone yet numerous strange twists during his attempts to do so), this project shows the “more than meets the eye” nature of JAEHYUN. He manages to be an open book at the same time that he conveys an air of mystery. Surface-level and subtler sources of appeal coexist in everything from the music video details to vocal colors, and together, these attributes imprint an intractable mystique on the audience’s impression of him, making it incomplete at best to characterize J as a testament to mere duality. Rather, J shows how JAEHYUN thrives in a gray area, making moves that show who he is without removing all doubts.

Each song’s topic seems straightforward: JAEHYUN compares his crush to flowers (“Dandelion,” “Roses”), something zesty (“Flamin’ Hot Lemon”), and heat (“Smoke”). When he’s not focused on an obvious symbol, he’s focused on an obvious message, like how he wants someone “Completely” or is disappointed that he “Can’t Get You.” While his husky yet flexible voice takes listeners on a delightfully jazzy journey, he makes blink-of-an-eye transitions between clean-cut, old-school charm and a smoldering stage presence.

An album trailer called “The Smoky Night” is a great example of how JAEHYUN conveys clear messages that also court curiosity. He puts roses in a freezer, presumably a symbol of wanting to preserve a memory of a romance. However, a very different meaning cannot be ruled out; given lyrics like “everything red’s a cold reminder of you” (from “Roses”) and the fact that the frozen roses end up in flames, the symbolism could be of an unwanted memory of a relationship that won’t disintegrate no matter how many methods JAEHYUN attempts. A love story’s memory will stay imprinted in his mind until hell freezes over! Then again, one could make the case that JAEHYUN’s relationship is going so well that it’s hot to the touch and needs to cool down!

J is neither a tribute to a relationship’s highs nor its lows; there are more complexities to its messages, and these complexities are all the more impressive for how deceptively simplistic they appear at first listen and first video-viewing. JAEHYUN sings about love in all its multitudes and turns on a relentless charm that keeps changing forms without changing its level of sincerity. Overall, J and its corresponding videos excel for the smart and surprising ways they make audiences feel like they know exactly who JAEHYUN is and yet never fully know; his artistic dependability has caveats that keep people intrigued about every next move.

For more music recommendations, revisit the “Best of 2024 So Far” lists, which cover releases from the first half of the year!

The 150 Best Songs

The Best K-Pop Music Videos, No. 50 - 26

The Best K-Pop Music Videos, No. 25 - 1 

The 100 Best Albums, No. 100 - 76 

The 100 Best Albums, No. 75 - 51 

The 100 Best Albums, No. 50 - 26

The 100 Best Albums, No. 25 - 1