Best New Music: November 2024

A ranking and review of the 20 best new releases from Korean, Japanese, and Chinese artists!

#20: Yang Da Il, My insecure

My insecure is filled with earnest and endearing love songs. Yang Da Il wears his heart on his sleeves, from the first song, which is about how he can’t “Stop Loving You,” to the last notes of the finale, a moving piano ballad that is about his fear of loneliness (“Curtain Call”). Other can’t-miss songs include one about taking accountability for relationship missteps (“page”) and one that makes a self-explanatory request: “Call me more sometimes”! Each song is more of a love letter than a diary entry; he wants his genuine intentions and insecurities to be evident! His disinterest in putting up a front makes him come across as humble and likable, and his obvious nerves during over-the-top attempts to woo his crush in the “about you” music video add to that image!

#19: GOOD BYE APRIL, HEARTDUST

HEARTDUST keeps the throwback city-pop vibes strong, and tedium is avoided thanks to spread-out collaborations. Asako Toki and Ai Higuchi add their own separate colors to “Summer BGM of Us” and “Your Nuance,” respectively. Other standout songs include “Ride on a Dawn Train,” for the killer saxophone solo, and “The Gentle Song,” a feel-good finale and the epitome of the band’s “roll with the punches” outlook. The group’s sound stays neither excessively chill nor excessively celebratory, making their mood contagious instead of annoying! Overall, these songs sound like what they probably are: the products of genuine music lovers just jamming out together and seeing what magic gets made!

#18: KnowKnow, Mr. Enjoy Da Melody

Mr. Enjoy Da Melody is an impressive reinvention. Although known for his rapping, KnowKnow focuses on flexing his vocal chops this time, which are plentiful in both quality and quantity. He shows off rougher and lighter dimensions to his voice, sometimes within the same song. He also plays with his delivery, through filters (like the auto-tune in “Play It Cool”) and volume changes (like the whispering in “No Pressure”). Instrumentally, he navigates and blends different musical worlds with just as much ease. This collection of songs is a deft display of KnowKnow’s singing abilities and musical instincts, and it justifies the addition of yet another self-proclaimed moniker to his ongoing list!

#17: TRiDENT, DUX

Although this album is primarily a compilation of older tracks, each new addition packs a strong punch. “Opening -follow the DUX-” has an epic rise and fall, stylistically going from A to B to C, then back to B, then back to A. After the sound of a coat flapping and a stadium crowd rising to their feet comes a dramatic string segment, followed by electronic glitching and a lion’s roar. That roar triggers the reverse order, from electronic glitching back into a string segment, then back to centering a noisy crowd - with some new alarms added to the mix! Another new track is “Haha!,” which is live-show-ready and maximalist in its own ways. Then there is “U,” a more serious song but one that maintains TRiDENT’s stamina. DUX summarizes and solidifies this J-rock group’s fierce and grandiose image in the audience’s mind.

#16: Stray Kids, GIANT

GIANT is a grab bag of classic Stray Kids songs. It compiles Japanese and English versions of older songs, anime OSTs, and some brand new songs, including a Christmas one! As much as it is a random assortment, there are some through-lines, including witty wordplay and triumphant declarations. Some ideas are clever on their own, like “Saiyan,” a song named after a Dragon Ball Z character who possesses rare, superior levels of skill and discipline. Other songs are welcome throwbacks to early-day Stray Kids songs. The 2019 song “Side Effects,” in which they shout “MY HEAD HURTS!,” comes to mind when listening to “WHY?,” in which they growl, “LEAVE US ALONE”! Other songs that are begging to be cathartically yelled along with the members include “NIGHT,” which alludes to “Thunderous” (“The thunder keeps on crashing to a crescendo”), “MOUNTAINS” (“I’m climbing pinnacles and heights”), and more. Even if some allusions to past Stray Kids eras are coincidental, they are still commendable; they show an impressive consistency in Stray Kids’ true-to-themselves and empowering lyrics. The strengths of GIANT do not come from an overarching narrative (although there are nods to the group’s ongoing, multiverse-themed story in the “GIANT” music video) as much as they come from the display of Stray Kids’ strengths in pieces, and there is nothing wrong with that!

#15: EPEX, Youth Chapter 2 : YOUTH DEFICIENCY

This boy band continues to tell universal stories in distinguishable ways. Both the “Closer” and “UNIVERSE” music videos emphasize how daunting it can feel to have two main choices, with either option resulting in long-term consequences. This takes the form of two portals to different dimensions. Yet despite this monumental dilemma, the things the camera fixates on show that EPEX make time to dwell on the little things: a flower bouquet; a flimsy but lingering outline of a person they used to know, close-up moments when hands reach to hold each other… It is as if the portal decision is reduced to a secondary plot point, and the album has a similar way of de-centering high-stakes plots and placing a higher (or at least equal) priority on down-to-earth ones. Song topics include how fast time flies (“Attosecond”), curiosity over a love interest (“1997”), embracing imperfections (“It is what it is”), the importance of not letting feelings fester (“Loner”), perseverance (“Closer”), and a love of the little things (“Wonderful”). EPEX address relatable issues with empathetic reminders that regardless of how the highest-stakes moments unfold, there will still be lower-stakes aspects of daily life that endure and are worth cherishing.

#14: Bii, “Glacier”

The music video for this beautiful ballad has not just a powerful premise in theory but in execution. The mini-movie speaks volumes about forging connections and maintaining them across geographies, identities, and the ruthless passage of time. It stars a passionate alien believer and searcher who finds B, Bii’s alien character, in a deserted location. She socializes him, causing his dark eye holes to be replaced with piercing, blue, human eyes. One of the ways she gets through to him is via a picture book in the classic “A is for ___,” “B is for ___” format. As she reads the “G is for Glacier” page, B recognizes how his external world mirrors the one in the picture. This sense of place makes him warm up further to the human world, and he willingly lets their hands touch. The explorer’s dream-come-true moment is shattered when she realizes that physical contact with B results in her growing weaker and older.

After passing out and waking up in a hospital room, B sends her a secret signal that he remembers her. The image on the TV screen becomes the one from the “G is for Glacier” picture book page. Like many others, this scene is a layered emotional gut punch. Her fear and confusion melt into laughter and a big smile, but the moment of levity has a foreboding undercurrent, knowing this signal is as close as their bond can safely get.

Fortunately, there is still time for a happy ending, since the story ends with a “To be continued” message! The intended takeaways of “Glacier” will crystallize more later, but what is already clear is Bii’s willingness to thoughtfully explore the themes of love, longevity, and the relationships between the two.

#13: Sunnee, Crimson

In understated yet effective ways, Sunnee sings about metaphorically seeing red. Her naturally subdued demeanor complements these songs, which always channel either a sense of malaise or an energy boost that turn out to be a temporary sugar high. The single “Numb” and its music video are the strongest example of Crimson’s theme of disillusionment. After attempting to teach others how to put on a happy face, Sunnee drops the act and joins the others in tying a piece of fabric around her face. “I just get numb,” she repeats, as if asked why she decided to give up and conform. She doesn’t see the point of trying to resist when the only person who seems to feel the consequences of doing so is herself. She says, “Those who screwed up everything were not punished / What do you want me to do?,” “They are all verifying my mistakes,” and other complaints about how those who cast scorn in society leave those of a lower status to deal with the repercussions of their actions. The B-sides also convey resentment in a way that favors quiet seething over loud rage. For example, “Dumb”’s ballad-style verses but synth-pop choruses reinforce Sunnee’s feeling of being directionless and constantly led astray. In both style and substance, Crimson is an effective messenger.

#12: MISAMO, HAUTE COUTURE

In HAUTE COUTURE, flirtatious pop songs with high-pitched, heavenly harmonies abound, and the album has the same level of confidence that is expected from a runway show. They cut to the chase with lyrics like “Let’s get this romance started already!” (in “Baby, I’m good”) and “Say you need me” (in “Jealousy,” the best B-side). HAUTE COUTURE also shines thanks to its solos. Each MISAMO member thrives in her own right, MINA proving to excel with R&B material (in “Misty”), MOMO with hip-hop material (in “Money In My Pocket”), and SANA with pop music that keeps her voice the focal point (“Mirage”). But as much as the members thrive individually, their music videos emphasize a “better together” belief. “NEW LOOK” starts with a flashback to a modeling gig from “16 years ago” and ends with a photo shoot taking place in 2024. This is meaningful both because of mentioning that number (MISAMO is a subunit of TWICE, a group formed on a reality show called Sixteen) and because they pose as a collective in both the “16 years ago” and “2024” scenes; they are still together all these years later. The image engraved on a floating rock in the “Identity” video is of all three of them posing together, too. The latter video is worth a watch for not just the sentiment, but for the picturesque locations and group formations!

#11: SUNGJIN, 30

Whether as a literal movie director, like in the “Check Pattern” music video, or as the metaphorical director of his own life, SUNGJIN expresses an urgent desire to learn how to balance his personal definitions of success and happiness with society’s. There are primarily inward-looking songs on 30, like “Nowhere You Are,” but more often, he takes an analytical and removed role first, then applies his observations to his own circumstances.

In “Check Pattern,” he sings about life being like a chess board. Life has some patterns and order to it, and people continue to cross paths again and again at intersections. For SUNGJIN, that motivates him: “I just know that we’ll face each other again someday;” “If it’s the endlessly repeated meeting and separating / I can endure.” In “EASY,” SUNGJIN notes that, “They say it’s only natural to struggle at this age,” and he then questions “how much more pain / Until [his own] youth finally ends.” “as always” also combines personal and broadly-applicable commentary. SUNGJIN acknowledges everyone taking different lengths of time to reach their “thriving” season, which allows him to show himself grace and patience: “In a world of vibrant lives / Not everyone is the same / And so I endure another winter.” He describes himself as a lonely tree on an island, one that will blossom once spring arrives and whose sense of self will grow more stable as his “roots grow deeper.”

30 has many observant takes on what “they say” and which edits ought to be made to those assumptions about life’s patterns and potential.

#10: Jin, Happy

Despite being the product of worldwide collaborations, with contributions from the U.S.’s MAX, British musician Gary Barlow, and Japanese rock band members Taku and Toru; despite having some darker moments, most notably in “Another Level;” and despite its refusal to stay in a specific genre box, with “rockabilly” sounds, a piano ballad, and rock songs; Happy manages to be cohesive. Each song sticks to the main theme of optimism. This is the most overt in the main tracks: “Running Wild” and “I’ll Be There” have music videos that show Jin having a good time. The B-sides bury their optimism more: “Another Level” is about getting back up after falling down, “Falling” is about an unrequited love but an exciting love to feel nonetheless, and “Heart on the Window” is a wistful yet grateful ode to the passing of the seasons. He ends with the ballad “I will come to you,” in which he promises to be there “When the warm spring breeze” arrives. These words particularly strike a chord for members of the ARMY (aka fans of Jin’s group, BTS), since “Spring Day” is an all-time BTS classic. “Spring Day” carries a message of finding strength in remembering that spring will always come again even after the most brutal winters, and for Jin to convey the same sentiment on a solo album (especially during the group’s hiatus) makes the “Life goes on” reminder extra meaningful - and certainly does give people a reason to feel happy!

#9: XG, AWE

To watch an XG music video for the first time is an experience! Each member gets very into character, with an elaborate costume, hairstyle, and makeup. They often appear in separate but equally larger-than-life settings, and the quantity of colors and patterns extends beyond fashion to include their surroundings. “HOWLING” is a case in point. The members’ superpowers range from shooting lasers to having plants grow wherever they walk. Their outfits are inspired by fantasy characters, including a dragon, a mermaid, and a fairy. The surroundings keep changing, and the video goes from black-and-white to color and back again repeatedly. It is worth several rewatches to catch all of the subtler details, too, like the fact a dragon that moves rightwards in a black-and-white scene later moves leftwards in a scene in color. Other ambiguous symbolism includes QR-code-bearing face shields and the fact that not all of them disintegrate.

Once XG have people’s attention visually, they hold onto it with their music, which has the same sci-fi-inspired, futuristic essence. They lean into this most fully at the beginning of AWE, with “HOWL,” “HOWLING,” and “SPACE MEETING Skit.” The second half taps into more R&B sensibilities and explains the reasons for their popularity outside of the storytelling: immense vocal talent and A-list approval (“WOKE UP REMIXX” features a lengthy list of famous collaborators, each one a notable musician in their own right).

#8: Yves, I Did

The “Viola” music video addresses needing space in more ways than one. Yves appears in liminal space, dancing despite the eyes on her via giant screens. The lyrics focus on metaphorically needing space from others. And the song title alludes to wanting time alone by retreating into a small, confined, physical space into which no one can follow her, like a violin case! In addition to wanting space, Yves clearly wants more time, and her energy decreases as the EP continues. The energy she brings to the hyper-pop “Viola,” the spunk in “Hashtag,” and her disarming choice words in “Gone Girl” are not qualities that continue into the second half. “Tik Tok” is a plodding song, and “DIM” is the sonic equivalent of fatigue. “DIM” ends with an extensive, clubby instrumental, as if Yves has left an ongoing party in which she lost interest! The repetitive, wordless ending portion of “DIM” suggests that Yves even needs space from her own thoughts! I Did is an interesting project that purposefully loses steam as it goes on, and the lack of a happy ending or clear lesson makes it refreshingly relatable.

#7: TAEYEON, Letter To Myself

While the “Letter To Myself” music video is ambiguous, a strong case can be made that the moral of its story is that people are their own worst critics.

TAEYEON gives a presentation at the front of a bus, complete with chalkboard and school uniform, as if it is just another day in class. The passengers either ignore or throw wads of paper at her. When the bus breaks down, TAEYEON hopelessly tries to fix it, and the passengers move to the back window to watch her struggle and laugh at her. Suddenly, her teddy bear grows life-size and shoots lasers at them, causing them to flee! It seems like TAEYEON and the bear have the bus to themselves now, although the bear is actually not driving. The passengers push the bus from behind, and whether or not TAEYEON is aware that the bullies have actually started to help her remains unclear.

After much more mayhem ensues, everyone enters TAEYEON’s house and takes a group photo, the bear among them! This is particularly notable considering TAEYEON’s placement in the photo. In earlier scenes, those who she interacts with have pictures of themselves appear near them, as if they get to choose which side of themselves they get to present to the world that day: the polished one or the more authentic one. TAEYEON does not have that option; she can only be her truest self. This leaves her feeling vulnerable, but the “Letter To Myself” video shows her perspective shift from fear of not having a mask to feeling unburdened by the lack of one. Liberated, she rocks out in the presentation space that has transformed into a party bus!

If all TAEYEON can be is herself, she decides that she might as well embrace her imperfections! She addresses doing so in the album’s B-sides, singing about being a “Hot Mess,” inviting a lover to “Mess up [her] life some more,” and indulging in a relationship that is a perfect “Disaster”! Elsewhere, she sings about feeling swept up by the uncontrollable force that is love, and “Hot Mess” and “Disaster” reaffirm the fact she thrives on that messiness and uncertainty!

#6: KAVE, Say My Name

Say My Name is chock-full of the best kinds of kooky and spooky chaos! Each song has its own personality, brought to life through electronic and rock concoctions with humorous and haunted-house-approved twists! The song most worthy of headbanging and jumping along to is “Stone;” the energy is delightfully infectious! The song most likely to be the widest crowd-pleaser is “You.” The most excessively dramatic lyrics are in “Follow Me” and “Say My Name”! The wildest ride comes from listening to “Umm Umm Umm”! Lastly, the first and last songs (“Achoo” and “Blue,” respectively) bookend the adventure with eerie and echo-enhanced production. Say My Name invites listeners to a frightful-in-a-fun-way, fast-paced event!

#5: HEIZE, FALLIN’

FALLIN’ deconstructs memories to assess them in pieces, seeking to understand how and why they form. In the title track’s music video, this is shown through many images: the reminders of people from HEIZE’s past, the inclusion of fresh and dry greenery in the same terrarium, and HEIZE’s passive narrator role while witnessing others make their own memories. A young man sprinting towards an emergency vehicle, schoolgirls celebrating a birthday together… Life’s highs and lows are shown as snapshots in time, ones that HEIZE may witness but ones in which she does not participate. HEIZE’s scenes involve her wandering alone; staring at a table covered in tea cups, as if hoping to force those objects to develop special meaning for her; and inspecting parts of plants in a science lab, each part representing a different memory or memory fragment. She appears lonely and lost in thought until the end, which aligns with the end of the album, an instrumental-only track called “November song.” There is much left unsaid, which begs the question: Are the most worthy memories those which have meanings that words cannot express? Must some aspects of memories always stay a mystery? Do sufficient words even exist to articulate a memory in full? FALLIN’ represents the alluring enigma that is the nature of memory, in ways that show the concept is always about more than the sum of its parts.

#4: NCT DREAM, DREAMSCAPE

The DREAM()SCAPE era involved a series of mini-movies that clarified the NCT DREAM narrative, one involving a group of young men who broke out of a conformity-requiring institution and entered a limitless world of their own making. The DREAMSCAPE era visually and auditorily depicts that new world, which is a logic-free one that shows just how many dreams NCT DREAM have come up with while constrained. The variety of sounds, styles, and sentiments in DREAMSCAPE carry extra meaning with this backstory in mind; the members’ ideas are now able to all burst out of them! In fact, their characters have so many ideas to share with the world that they do so at a rapid clip, sometimes not even waiting until one song ends and another begins to move on to the next daydream, literally and metaphorically changing their tune! For example, “INTRO : DREAMSCAPE” includes a serene, nature-themed soundscape, but it is interrupted by glitchy tech noises! And “You” sounds like listening to a fast-forwarded TV show trailer, complete with a jazzy theme song and an announcer’s voice, before a hip-hop pivot! After a prolonged period of captivity, this chapter of NCT DREAM’s fictional story brings to life the feeling of freedom to explore all possibilities.

How the DREAM()SCAPE and DREAMSCAPE eras compare to each other is just as notable as how they contrast. They both display a childlike worldview, and in DREAMSCAPE, this is apparent throughout the lyrics. They liken memories to bubbles (“No Escape”), compare a crush to a sunflower while comparing themselves to butterflies (“Flying Kiss”), and characterize the thrill they feel as being like the rush of going down a playground slide (“i hate fruits”)! Both eras also include butterflies and flowers in their music videos, contributing to the themes of rebirth and optimism.

DREAMSCAPE is NCT DREAM’s time to enjoy their earned frivolity! It is an enjoyable and energetic album starring characters for which it is always worth rooting!

#3: Younha, GROWTH THEORY : Final Edition

With three new songs and a new tracklist order, this is more like a rebirth than a reissue. GROWTH THEORY : Final Edition gets Younha’s points across in new ways that reinforce, rather than detract from, the album’s original takeaways.

The original version began with “Mangrove tree,” a song that questions how much of fate is predetermined versus within one’s control. Second came “Antmill,” a song in which Younha bluntly asks, “Where am I? Who am I?” Now, the order is flipped, so Younha asks where and who she is before asking if fate is in or out of her hands. This change gives her the answer!

On the other hand, the original album included “Curse for the rocket formula” right before “Sunfish,” while the order is flipped in the new version. Now, instead of asking “What’s the difference between a dream and an ideal?” and determining “Maybe it’s a miracle,” she suggests miracles are possible before asking the question about dreams versus ideals.

The conclusion Younha reached in the original album’s third song, “Attention!,” was “I was born as myself by chance.” Now, “Attention!” does not appear on the tracklist until much later; the new third song, “Silvering,” just asks more questions: “When we reach the end of the distant sea / What will happen if we’re the first to find out?”

This pattern recurs many more times, where a question that Younha posed on the original album and the following song that gave an answer are flipped, so a possible answer becomes just a prompt for thinking of questions. GROWTH THEORY was about finding answers; GROWTH THEORY : Final Edition is about rethinking everything she thought she knew. But both albums are about making peace with this cycle of knowns and unknowns. GROWTH THEORY showed Younha’s willingness to embrace life during both its most turbulent waves and its calmest waters. The brand new songs reiterate that: “I’m ready… No matter what waves come” (“QUASAR”); “At that time, that was the right answer” (“Point Nemo;” emphasis added); “I’ve grown to another level / I thought it was the end” (“Give it up”).

Younha’s “GROWTH” eras are ultimately about realizing that life’s meaning comes from the journeys, not the destinations. Younha’s albums are tributes to life’s endless opportunities for learning new things, changing one’s mind, exploring new places, and overall navigating new waters.

In GROWTH THEORY : Final Edition, the final lyric is “Thank you,” as if Younha is thanking the big and beautiful world for the lessons it has taught her, which were really more of a reminder about how much there remains left to learn!

#2: TXT, The Star Chapter: SANCTUARY

Stay tuned for a separate write-up about this album, coming very soon!

#1: YAOCHEN, Better With You

Better With You is a high-quality song and album, but what deserves the most praise is its corresponding mini-series, which ought to stick with viewers for a very long time.

The story is about Achen, a time-traveling physics student who charmingly brings up statistics at inopportune times! He is not great at reading the room, so he finds a kindred spirit in Xiao Jia, someone who can also manipulate her surroundings in supernatural ways.

The genre hybrid combines mystery, action, suspense, and what could be called romance. But the bond between Achen and Xiao Jia is something more profound and complex. Not only do they share oddities and code numbers on the backs of their necks, both implying some sort of cosmic and prophesied bond, but they also connect on the most human of levels. They validate each other’s anger, pain, and sorrow. One way they do so: Xiao Jia has a breakdown at the thought that the swarms of butterflies she has witnessed have been “a lie” and “fake.” She is frightened by how much of her memories might be entirely imagined. Achen reassures her by triggering a swarm of butterflies so that he sees them too. He reiterates that she is neither “crazy” nor entirely alone in her ways of experiencing “real life.”

A fascinating and tense scene in the sixth episode involves a psychiatrist quizzing the pair. He tries to convince them that the swarms of butterflies they believe they have seen are imagined, and he describes made-up things as a normal coping mechanism for enduring life in a brutal world. They do not disagree about the practical explanation for daydreams, but they remain firm in their belief of the butterflies’ realness. Frustrated, the psychiatrist gestures to a fan and asks if Achen thinks it will eventually stop spinning. As a physics expert, Achen can easily answer (something spinning will only stop if acted on by an external force). But Achen also knows the butterflies are real, and this baffles the psychiatrist. He asks the follow-up question about the fan in the hopes that Achen’s answer will prove that he is not insane. The implication is that a person is either a rational thinker who understands the laws of physics or a person who believes in scenarios like the butterfly one; the assumption is that Achen cannot believe in both.

Perhaps the butterfly incidents have been all in their heads, but that remains an open question. Compounding the confusion are the 2D scenes, expertly woven into the episodes in blink-and-miss-it fragments. As Xiao Jia’s and Achen’s senses of certainty keep getting shaken again, viewers are trapped in the same confusion.

The characters in “Better With You” are multifaceted puzzles whose stories are told in philosophically rich yet action-packed ways. There are moments of levity too, like when Achen finds the model of a human hand in Xiao Jia’s bag and freezes her in time so he can change it to not be flashing a crude gesture!

One last praiseworthy aspect of “Better With You”: its scripts. Deep prompts for reflection are framed in contexts that are specific to these characters (involving science-related analogies, in Achen’s case), yet everyone ought to find the commentary relevant and worth pondering. Just to name a few: “Every object in the universe attracts other objects. You’re attracting everything around you with your own little gravitational field,” “Even the best disguise is betrayed by your instincts,” and “Dreams are just replacing the pain of life with the beauty of imagination.”

For more new music recommendations, stay tuned for the “Best of 2024” lists!