Best New Music: October 2024

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

#20: ROSÉ & Bruno Mars, “APT.”

Put simply, “APT.” is a whole lot of fun! Its name derives from both the Korean word for “apartment” and a Korean drinking game, giving multiple meanings to the lyric “Meet me at the apateu.” With an earworm of a chorus, lyrics that are only serious in the context of game competitiveness, and a mix of indie-rock and pop-punk sensibilities, the song’s wide popularity is earned and unsurprising! ROSÉ and Bruno Mars have natural chemistry, and that becomes even more apparent when watching the music video. The oddly-paced, pink-saturated, goofy video makes viewers want to join the duo’s game night and almost forget the artists’ A-list status! “APT.” channels genuine enthusiasm that makes it a crucial addition to a “Good Vibes Only” playlist! 

#19: f5ve, “UFO”

“UFO” is more than just a quirky and catchy pop song. In the music video, the members of f5ve play aliens, going so far as to wear all-white contact lenses! Their spaceship takes the form of a gacha ball (a small, plastic container that crane machine toys come in), and they are surrounded by more gacha balls at the end. They spend time on Earth winning a crane game, to the point that they start picking up humans instead of toys! The premises (excelling at a crane game that has been popular in Japan for decades and introducing themselves and an aspect of their “home planet” to Earthlings), combined with the fact the video was filmed in a key origin center for the J-pop idol scene (Akihabara), add context to lines like “She plays so good, she’s an alien” and “Gacha, gacha, gacha, find out!” (Aka “Gotcha, gotcha, gotcha, find out”!) “UFO” is about “playing the game” with flying colors in a true-to-f5ve way; it is a song that uses Japanese pop culture references to cheekily let people know that they are about to “find out” how much this group comes out on top in the global music scene!

#18: Nissy, HOCUS POCUS 4

Whether a carnival, parade, or circus comes to mind while listening to HOCUS POCUS 4, it is undeniably one of those three! Drumrolls, trumpet blasts, and other signals of a special event commencing are present throughout the album. Aside from brief breaks for moodier (“Rendezvous” and “WISH”) or mellower (“I Need You”) material, HOCUS POCUS 4 is about fast-paced pizzazz! Standouts include the EDM banger “Liar” and the 2023 single “When You Were Mine.” The latter has a music video that is more accurately described as a short film, and other songs on HOCUS POCUS 4 also have videos matching that description. The videos for “WISH” and “Time To Party” are titled “Fragments of the story,” and viewers learn how the stories end upon watching clips at Nissy’s concerts, an interesting marketing tactic! In more ways than one, Nissy puts on quite a show!

#17: MIRROR, “Culture Vulture”

“Culture Vulture” is a searing indictment of a public that prefers to live in idealized realities over the real one. MIRROR criticize many of society’s pervasive toxic impulses: a desire to see others suffer when one is also suffering (“Let’s drag you to hell as [a] cellmate”); the ability to say harsh things online that one would never say to someone’s face (“Dying to let off steam behind the avatar”); and the perceived inability to halt not just the supply of malice, but the demand for it (“Theory too vivid renders the public livid;” “Give this show trial a round of applause”). The music video portrays the members of MIRROR as participants in the society they are strongly criticizing, going through the daily office grind in a literally black-and-white world. Despite security cameras and a countdown clock that implies a fast-approaching deadline, the members end their shifts trashing the workplace instead of being productive. They have a “What’s the point?” attitude when it comes to following social norms and niceties, and they express no desire to show gratitude for a system that seems designed to keep them stressed, angry, and distrustful. “Not gonna say farewell if I’m goin’ through Hell,” they repeat. “Culture Vulture” holds a “mirror” up to people’s fatalism, and by not acting like they are above that fatalism, MIRROR’s words and actions - not to mention their resentful tone - strongly resonate.

#16: Billlie, Of All We Have Lost

It is impressive how tightly Billlie’s songs and music videos continue adhering to a specific fictional narrative, one that began upon their debut! And while their new material is not a carbon copy of previous material, the presentation remains the same. Their lyrics and music videos still incorporate the same symbols, including the number 11, bewitched objects including coins and candies, and contrasting blue and purple items. Their song titles are still intentional in their grammatical choices. Their album cover is another hodgepodge of Easter eggs to analyze! And their overall story arc remains rooted in a search for “Billlie Love,” a former friend who has gone missing. Additionally, Of All We Have Lost lets the members show off their different vocal pitches and strengths. These are more evident in the second half, when pop bops are elevated by Billlie’s specific vocal colors.

Billlie’s story continues to have sequels that are written by the same authors. Their narrative is clear in its direction as a result, which is ironic given the mystery that is inherent to its plot! Billlie’s story has the kind of dependability and intrigue that loyal fans of a book series desire. Here’s to hoping that there are still many more pages to come!

#15: KISS OF LIFE, Lose Yourself

Lose Yourself conveys confidence with refreshing caveats. “Get Loud,” “Chemistry,” and “Igloo” celebrate self-love and the single life, but the other songs expose holes in KISS OF LIFE’s sense of completeness on their own. “Back To Me” is about gaining inner strength through hardships, but “No One But Us” yearns for the days they received strength from someone else. “R.E.M” describes a love interest as someone who is like something out of their literal dreams, while “Too Many Alex” is about realizing maybe that is all their ideal love interests will ever be: dreams! Lose Yourself demonstrates two very different definitions of the phrase: KISS OF LIFE “lose themselves” and struggle to find themselves again, and they “lose themselves” in a euphoric sense, regaining courage while releasing inhibitions and embracing their passions. They do so in the album trailer and “Get Loud” music video, which prioritize individual plots and settings over shared ones. From getting a visit from a guardian angel while studying to seeing an empty auditorium magically fill up with screaming fans, the members show how there is not one “right way” to discover what makes one shine. 

The group does not entirely discount the value of camaraderie; their harmonizing, synchronized dance moves, and hangout session in the “R.E.M” video celebrate that. But by focusing more often on separate journeys, KISS OF LIFE show how people can actually be stronger together after getting space and time to “lose themselves,” both in negative and positive ways. 

#14: CNBLUE, X

For a group that has not released an album in years, X is an impressive return to form. CNBLUE’s ways with words remain concise and clear, like “The sharp corners of time / Pierce me” (“A Sleepless Night”) and “My mind is out of control” (“RACER”). Sometimes, cutting to the chase packs a stronger emotional punch than extended metaphors and flowery wording, and each song benefits from establishing its topic from the jump. CNBLUE do not only prove that deeply-felt emotions can be conveyed without meandering, but also that those deep feelings can coexist with traits of easy-listening songs. The main track is a great example: “A Sleepless Night” is a rock song with catchy whistling, and it draws inspiration from poetry. “BAD BAD” and “RACER” make their topics apparent right away and have straightforward instrumentals, but they too have a sense of seriousness. The slower second half tells love stories in a more relaxed way, but CNBLUE sing with the same degree of passion that they do in the higher-tempo first half. Overall, X is a short but solid release that speaks to why CNBLUE have stayed popular for so long.

#13: aespa, Whiplash

Fortunately, aespa’s comeback dwells on their sharper edges more than their softer sides! Whiplash starts off with the best and boldest instrumentals, with the strut-worthy EDM song “Whiplash” and the in-your-face “Kill It.” Their self-assuredness remains even as the songs fall into a more easy-listening style. They embrace marching to the beats of their own drums in the mid-tempo “Pink Hoodie,” and they end the album with a scathing pop-rock takedown of a cheating ex (“Just Another Girl”). The other songs, “Flights, Not Feelings” and “Flowers,” are relatively subdued, but they maintain interest with ambiguous lyrics and an impressively softened tone, considering the songs that come before them. As for the “Whiplash” music video, they capture attention through many blink-and-miss-it moments. One second, they are just posing with cameras, spotlights, or a shiny new car, and in the next second, they are shattering things with their bare hands, are covered in a chrome filter, appear tilted sideways, or pose behind text. Like the songs themselves, the image distortions give viewers “whiplash”!

#12: THE BOYZ, TRIGGER

TRIGGER is one of THE BOYZ’s strongest comebacks in many months. They explore more genres than usual and do so to extents that are not overkill. In other words, they keep their sound new yet familiar. Some of the B-sides bring to mind other K-pop boy bands without sounding derivative. For example, “bAd” will win over fans of the earliest P1Harmony eras. Likewise, “Slip Away” is reminiscent of OnlyOneOf, with its wavy synths and alluring vocals. THE BOYZ put their own spin on the other songs, too. There is an eccentric array of sound effects in “Bite Back,” and “Re-Wind” is its own genre enigma. They end with “They See Me Dream,” which has an unreliable instrumental that sums up the inconsistency of the album’s pacing! If fans of THE BOYZ have been hoping for a comeback in their signature style, their wish has been granted, but the same is also true for fans who have hoped to see new sides of them. Summing up the best of both worlds is the title track: “TRIGGER” is a classic THE BOYZ song, a rush of electronic energy that is the soundtrack to the music video’s new premise of a revolt! 

#11: John Park, PSST!

Even the smallest elements of John Park’s songs sound melodic and lovely! These include the “Hmmm”s in “BLUFF,” the distant-sounding choir that complements his voice in “SILVERLINE,” and the spoken interludes in “STUTTER.” He does sing about some darker periods of a relationship, but more often than not, his songs circle back to an earnest belief in the power and daily presence of true love. In “Skit (Today’s Forecast),” he plays a flight captain and announces over the “intercom” that “The storm will pass, and something beautiful is on its way.” This is followed by a dance party in the form of “NIGHTCRAWLER”! He ends the album with “SILVERLINE” and the lyrics “Every ending door / Opens to new light,” reiterating how PSST! is a sweet tribute to love and optimism. While no song is worth skipping, John Park’s voice is particularly a must-hear on the heavenly “ALL I WANT”!

#10: Bryn, SUPERCHARGED

Bryn airs out a lot of complaints, but she does so in humble and humorous ways! She raps about the money-obsessed world in “Discharged” but includes herself in that population: “I’m so addicted to money… Even I am too much for myself”! She admits to feeling pressured to make music with virality and speed in mind over substance in “Plug it, Charge it, Work it”: “They keep saying ‘Efficiency’... Hurry up… So you don’t lose anything;” “Big yes to easily-written lyrics… the trend these days.” She continues to say the quiet part out loud, saying in “So What” that she only asks “How was your day?” as a force of habit, not because she is actually interested in the answer! She recognizes her accountability for a relationship’s deterioration in “STILL.” She confesses to pursuing a music career against her parents’ wishes in “OoOo.” And she goes back to addressing the grind she feels obligated to endure in “Dopamine”: “Honestly, I don’t remember what it’s for… When I say music is my life / It’s half true… I need to pay my bills.” From anxiety to apathy, from a desire to throw in the towel to steadfastness, and from critiques of the music industry to admissions of not resisting its demands, SUPERCHARGED has a refreshing lack of filters. That boldness applies to the instrumental choices, too, which mix pop, rap, and hip-hop tendencies with bits and pieces from the worlds of of R&B and hyper-pop.

#9: Xdinary Heroes, LIVE and FALL

LIVE and FALL is a well-crafted culmination of Xdinary Heroes’ self-described “Xperiment Project.” The compilation of newer and older songs covers a broad emotional and sonic spectrum that center the band’s best go-tos: uncontainable expressions and unpredictability. “XH_WORLD_75” is a surprising start that goes from calm to chaotic, slowly and then all at once. “FEELING NICE” and “XYMPHONY” are similarly chameleonic, the former having a mid-song BPM switch and lots of messing around with reverberations. The latter includes pitch changes and a spooky twist on keyboard-playing! The fourth new song is “Night before the end,” a bitter ballad that speaks to Xdinary Heroes’ range. As for the older songs, they include everything from a cappella to alt-metal moments, always with a specific vocal presence. Xdinary Heroes have found their true sound, one that is diverse yet distinct, and LIVE and FALL is an encapsulation of it.

#8: Sakurazaka46, I want tomorrow to come (special edition)

This album has a strong sense of purpose conveyed with dexterity and deftness. The group does not sing about emotions in a watered-down way, and textured instrumentals do justice to their complexities. They sing about feeling protective over someone even after growing apart in “Honshitutekinakoto,” a fear of change that turns into excitement in “Imasara Suddenly,” and a resurgent zest for life in “I want tomorrow to come.” The songs that have a more one-note emotional tenor still have a lot to them, like “Bokuha bokuwo sukininarenai,” a serious song about insecurities with an upbeat melody. The songs have contrasts at a narrower level, too. For example, the spoken, piano-led intro of “TOKYO SNOW” leads into a variety of instruments, as Sakurazaka46’s words contrast cold weather with warm emotions. Another example of contrasts comes from the galvanizing guitars that drive the song about how daunting change can be, “Imasara Suddenly.” The instrumental arrangements and song lyrics effectively balance each other out to do justice to layered feelings.

#7: WOOSUNG, 4444

WOOSUNG makes a convincing case that substance and great EDM music are not mutually exclusive! There are a few ballads on 4444, but the album is more often danceable, with heavy thoughts accompanied by enveloping synths. WOOSUNG tells his story in two parts, and the “Before Rebirth” part starts with “Paper Cuts,” which raises a glass to all sorts of memory fragments. The second song, “Before We Die,” reminds listeners to live like each moment is their last: “Don’t you ever sell your soul for future nows.” A transition comes from “Day That I Died,” a piercing piano ballad, and “44 (Forget Forever),” an atmospheric song that takes its time. After crossing that bridge into part two, the EDM returns to its full volume with “Never Let Go.” In part two, WOOSUNG vows to make different decisions than the old him would. He apologizes for previously being unable to see “The lights that were right in front of [him]” in “Found You,” he kicks someone toxic out of his life in “Happy Alone,” and he ends with “Let There Be Light.” The last song, which returns to the hazy synths from the album’s intro, ends with him saying, “Just let there be light / Hope we’ll be alright.” Part of the text on the screen at the start of the “44 (Forget Forever)” music video says “THIS IS HIS FOURTH AWAKENING,” suggesting that WOOSUNG is not actually telling just a two-part story, but one with infinite additions. No arbitrary limit can be placed on the number of re-awakenings he can have, and that ever-present ability to start over is why the album ends on a cautiously optimistic note.  

#6: LEECHANGSUB, 1991

1991 dips its toes into many waters, from ballads to dance-pop, but it also sticks to one overall theme: the passage of time. LEECHANGSUB looks back to the past in songs like “OLD TOWN” and “#RUN,” paints a picture of his ideal future in songs like “vain hope,” and soaks in the present moment on the fun-loving “Saturday night” and “BUMPBUMP.” The past appears to have the strongest hold on him, infiltrating the songs that would otherwise only be about moving forward. For instance, in “33,” he asks himself “What if” questions about how his present day would look were he to have made different choices. He also repeatedly acknowledges being the same person he has always been: “Even as time passes, I never grow up” (“BUMPBUMP”); “I’m still by your side / I’m just walking a little differently” (“As always”). The “33” mini-movie has the same tendency to show the ongoing influence of the past on the present. The extended music video travels through time and shows pivotal moments in the relationship between LEECHANGSUB and a playground-foe-turned-adulthood-friend. Long story short, he goes from struggling to get her to even crack a smile to persuading her to let loose and dance in the rain with him! It takes years, but she finally realizes the value in what LEECHANGSUB has been trying to teach her about lightening up. He inspires her to reconnect with her inner child, and all the stresses from her first day at a new office job seem to wash away with the rain in which she now dances and plays with him. 

The way that memories and life lessons can be ingrained in people and only leave their subconscious state years later is a thought-provoking thing, one that is paid tribute to through “33.” 1991 speaks to the powerful potential for the past to shape both one’s future and the futures of others. 

#5: Li Ronghao, The Dark Horse

These songs combine philosophical reflections, unique metaphors, and personal revelations, and the images they provoke are often simultaneously dramatic and down-to-earth. Li Ronghao’s gift for provoking mental imagery through his words gives each song a life of its own, making the cinematic corresponding videos an unnecessary but welcome bonus!  

“Names” simultaneously uses a flame analogy to represent a hot romance and one that is melting like wax. “Black Horse” implies the lessons a horse can teach humans, by mentioning “the whip of self-discipline,” “reins of persuasion,” and the fearless freedom to gallop towards the unknown. “Sea-Land Breeze” applies an ocean metaphor to both memories that “wash away” and emotions that get caught up in a “whirlpool.” Other lyrics worth unpacking: “The once-familiar names [are] now listed as missing persons” (“Names”),  “Right and wrong in the world come together but are hard to stay” (“Wander”), and “Time has never been dominated by others” (“Hongmen Banquet”). While his way of putting things remains fascinating and thought-provoking, there are moments of levity too! “The Other Side” and “Ordinary Love” are sweet, family-oriented songs, and “Lovers” is a gentle, acoustic cover of Juice Liu’s classic.

There is enough depth to each song on The Dark Horse that it feels larger than a ten-track project and feels brand new despite being a compilation of singles released throughout the year. Each single proves to be worth revisiting and can be looked at in a new light in the context of the others. 

#4: PURPLE KISS, HEADWAY

HEADWAY is a testament to PURPLE KISS’s strong artistic intuition. They manage to make all kinds of adjectives suitable for their songs, and often seemingly contradictory ones at the same time. Their lyrics do not pick and choose between being spiteful or sweet, and their songs can be breezy but maintain an ominous undercurrent! The album starts with an introduction that perfectly epitomizes PURPLE KISS’s multifaceted identity and multitude of strong suits. “Intro : Concrete Jungle” immerses listeners in an industrial atmosphere, and their message sounds just as stark: “Give it all you’ve got… Only the strong survive.” Guitars and engines rev up to start “ON MY BIKE” with a bang. The pop-rock song has attitude in spades. “Sweet Nightmare” shows their knack for bouncing off of each other’s voices with perfect timing, as well as the ease with which they weave ominous connotations into their lyrics (bringing to mind the dark-magic-wielding characters they play in their music videos)! They interrupt a message about enjoying each other’s company to acknowledge “The whispers of the devil” nearby! They stay in character in “Encore,” which is like the spooky sequel to “Sweet Juice.” Again, their lyrics can be interpreted in a darker-than-it-sounds way: “Sing more… Before my time is over;” “Let the music drown us;”  “Come closer.” Another strength of “Encore” is also present in “Light the way”: seamless switches between rapping and singing. “Light the way” ends the album on a softer, more romantic note, but the air of mystery from the first tracks remains:  “I’ll be looking in the same direction / Even if it’s endless.” With terrific teamwork and distinguishable lyricism, PURPLE KISS have once again released a project that is as smooth as it is dynamic.

#3: MIYAVI, LOST IN LOVE, FOUND IN PAIN

LOST IN LOVE, FOUND IN PAIN is like the opening of a Pandora’s Box. All of MIYAVI’s thoughts are unleashed and take on lives of their own, and inner demons are made to sound like literal monsters surrounding him. With wacky synthesizers, aggressive percussion, pounding EDM beats, and rollicking guitars, this is the soundtrack to an unforgettable haunted house party! Sometimes, the monsters MIYAVI sings about sound like they are party attendees, hooting and hollering as they repeat his sentiments. Other times, the party sounds like it is over, but memories of the monsters still ring in MIYAVI’s head. Whether the party is at its liveliest or dying down, MIYAVI’s voice is never alone, a thought that is as comforting as it is unsettling. Compounding the sense of listening in on a raucous, unpredictable haunted house party are mid-song changes, including instrumental-only breaks and pace switch-ups. Each song is chaotic in its own ways, and MIYAVI’s overall mentality seems to be, “If I’m going through Hell, I might as well throw a party while I’m here!”

#2: YUTA, Depth

Stay tuned for a separate write-up all about this fantastic album!

#1: SEVENTEEN, SPILL THE FEELS

Read a separate write-up about this album and how it relates to SEVENTEEN’s past eras here!

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