(Part 3) The 100 Best Albums of 2024 So Far
A ranking and review of the best releases from Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and Thai artists!
Check out part 1 of this list (No. 100 - 76) here!
Check out part 2 of this list (No. 75 - 51) here!
#50: Epik High, PUMP
With PUMP, Epik High subversively treat their haters like they were right all along; they appear to feed into the “overrated” label while actually mocking it… Their message is not “We’re trying our best,” but “We’re not, and that’s fine by us.”... Epik High feel like they have nothing more to prove, so making music for the love and fun of it is what matters to them. They do not feel a need to reach even more “Epik” highs! Epik High’s caution-to-the-wind sentiment is in addition to, rather than replacing, their biting ways with words… PUMP cleverly speaks to the natural and simultaneous desires to earn more and more validation and to accept the fact that praise has a ceiling. Read the full review here!
#49: Seori, Fake Happy
Fake Happy lets Seori unleash her inner rockstar! She has both the voice and the earnest angst needed for rock music. She never apologizes for how she feels, wallowing in a lack of motivation, a sense of despair, loneliness, and insecurities. This isn’t some generic down-in-the-dumps EP, however. Seori’s distinct way with words keeps her songs compelling for music enthusiasts in all kinds of moods. In the title track, as she sighs over losing the sense of childlike wonder she used to write about having in her diary, she compares her grown-up state of mind to mere crumpled paper. And in “and Me,” she complains about being a wallflower and wanting to go home while comparing herself to the water at a party: present but ignored and unmemorable. Seori sincerely addresses a state of languishing in ways that are cathartic for people in the same boat but are also just artistically commendable.
#48: imase, BONSAI
BONSAI is an album-length reminder to look on the bright side. imase speaks to youths with a mix of pragmatism and optimism… imase compounds his album’s sense of authenticity by circling back to the same metaphors and expressions across different songs. He starts the album by calling BONSAI his “monologue,” so it is only natural for the songs to stay topically connected, like each song is a different entry from the same journal. The metaphorical voice throughout BONSAI stays imase’s, and that voice is a likable one to which a wide audience ought to be receptive. Read the full review here!
#47: ATEEZ, GOLDEN HOUR : Part.1
ATEEZ are clearly in their “doing whatever we want” era!... The album’s opening monologue asks, “[W]hat should we dream of and hope for, as these fleeting moments pass?” This leads into songs that show their ideas. Life is short, and ATEEZ’s enthusiastic music is a testament to their sense of urgency to make the most of it, starting right now. There is no time to choose between one bizarre plot over another, so they combine them all! The “no time to waste” sentiment is also expressed in the B-sides, which seem to put conversations and songs on collision courses! GOLDEN HOUR : Part.1 screams “Seize the day!” in typical ATEEZ fashion - meaning in no narrow, predictable fashion at all! Read the full review here!
#46: Red Velvet, Cosmic
Red Velvet deserve a warm welcome back to their musical and aesthetic sweet spots! Cosmic has everything fans expect and love from them. The B-sides are filled with heavenly harmonies, dreamy high notes, and romantic framing… Also on-brand are the ways they show their “red” side in addition to the “velvet” one!... The album’s B-sides have some cloudy undercurrents… The Cosmic era is light and uplifting much more often than it is not, but the inclusion of less-sunny moments is meaningful and speaks to the group’s range. Read the full review here!
#45: 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. Read the full review here!
#44: BOYNEXTDOOR, HOW?
The HOW? era is a testament to BOYNEXTDOOR’s 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?” and “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. Read the full review here!
#43: Diana Wang, BAD
BAD is neither overly simplistic nor needlessly complex. These are easy-listening songs yet have many moving parts, allowing listeners to follow a single storyline without growing tired of it… The instruments perfectly capture her increasing contentment with starting over, and as straightforward as her emotional evolution is, the lyrics include plenty of details that are vague enough for listeners to fill in their own blanks. Diana Wang presents easily relatable thoughts and feelings in vivid ways without needless dramatization. The images her words conjure up, like going into a forest, can easily bring to mind a fairy tale, but she instead stays rooted in realism. BAD has an admirable sureness in what it wants to say and clearly guides listeners through its message without being overbearing. Read the full review here!
#42: GARNiDELiA, Ten
This J-pop duo remains sensational! The instrumental buildup in the opening number, “-Ten-,” has a “not a moment to waste” feeling, and that momentum is sustained over an impressive time frame. The group continues to show preferences for electronic and pop sounds, but they shake things up again and again, adding rejuvenating post-chorus guitars (especially in “Soten”) and brassy finishing touches (like in “Gen Ai Yugi”). In addition to experimentation, the listening experience avoids tedium by ending with “Only,” which differs from the rest of the tracks the most, and “Future Wing,” which concludes the show with some of MARiA’s best vocals. Since GARNiDELiA’s sound is as conspicuous as ever, the title track’s music video benefits from its “less is more” approach; it plays with light, shadows, and hologram-esque filters in lieu of a plot. Overall, Ten is a testament to GARNiDELiA’s deserved longevity and enduring intrigue.
#41: 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... Read the full review here!
#40: TRiDENT, spice “X”
These songs range from mildly to wildly chaotic! Right out of the gate, racing guitars and drums set the stage, with strings, piano notes, and even a saxophone tossed in here and there. Just as jolting are abrupt exclamations and periods where instruments suddenly fall silent. Unpredictability is the name of TRiDENT’s game, which makes “SPICE!” the perfect album opener and the epitome of the album’s essence… TRiDENT’s typical in-your-face attitude remains on full display. Read the full review here!
#39: D.O., BLOSSOM
BLOSSOM is a touching ode to what love is all about. This set of gentle love songs sticks to an acoustic guitar or piano most of the time, allowing this charming crooner’s voice to stay the focal point. He celebrates how love makes ordinary days feel extraordinary in “Simple Joys,” likens a butterflies-in-stomach feeling to popcorn popping in “Popcorn,” and promises to be there for his loved one through both the best and worst times in “My Dear.” When he isn’t earnestly expressing his commitment to and joy over a relationship, he sings words that are meant to soothe. On “Good Night,” he encourages someone to try to fall asleep despite it being difficult, trusting that the worries of today might disappear by tomorrow. “About Time” is sonically similar but lyrically different, reminding listeners to cherish relationships before they are gone. The other song on BLOSSOM is “Mars,” which combines both the album’s instincts to console and to celebrate. Read the full review here!
#38: 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… 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. Read the full review here!
#37: hannah bahng, The Abysmal EP
The Abysmal EP is a post-breakup balm, permitting listeners to wallow in self-pity before glimpsing slivers of light at the end of the tunnel. Listeners will surely relate to the mix of feelings hannah bahng expresses in this order: anger (“OLeander”) bitterness and vengefulness (“POMEGRANATE”), “Vertigo,” fear (“hannah interlude,” in which she softly whispers, “I’m terrified”), and confusion (“Thought that the hell would be just a trend”). There are seven stages of grief, the last two being “testing” and “acceptance.” In the EP’s penultimate song (“tonight’s the night i die to a frank ocean song”), hannah describes skipping “through the five waves of grief” (emphasis added). The remaining stages require her to challenge herself to shift her mindset to the future. The ability to cast aside past memories enough to move on from them is analogized to letting ocean waves sweep her away in the final song, “perfect blues.” The pop-rock instrumental, in contrast to the previous songs’ more solemn sound, channels that newfound ability to let go and that sense of hope on the horizon.
#36: TAEYONG, TAP
TAEYONG’s musical storytelling involves pressing “Rewind” repeatedly, so that he can both relive the joys of first-time sensations and approach situations in more mature ways. Ironically, by putting scenarios in the context of a game, TAEYONG makes the “real world” seem easier to maneuver. Read much more here about the ways TAP and TAEYONG’s first solo mini-album share some core themes and admirable qualities!
#35: RIIZE, RIIZING
RIIZING is a time capsule for the first chapter of an up-and-coming boy band’s story, and it shows how RIIZE’s brand of boy-next-door charm has a distinct flavor to it. RIIZE treat talking about lived experiences and talking about the power of music as inextricably linked; they treat music itself as a metaphor. From “Boom Boom Bass” to “Talk Saxy,” songs about crushes and other relatable feelings are intentionally discussed through music-themed contexts… Besides using music itself as a theme of their music, RIIZE take the boy-next-door appeal in a unique direction with new spins on other artists’ songs… By repurposing familiar tunes and revealing what memories they personally attach to other ones, RIIZE’s songs trigger nostalgia and forge connections with listeners that become stronger than what is typical. Read the full review here!
#34: miwa, 7th
7th is a fun and full emotional ride that speaks to miwa’s versatility and likability. She starts out with soaring vocals in the anthemic “GIRL CRUSH,” and she takes on a cuter tone with the flirty “BUZZ!!!” She seamlessly transitions into a more piano-focused section of the album, singing about spring in a hopeful way in “Harunooto” before a more serious ballad, “Soredemo tada.” A guitar in “February 14” is a bridge into the sway-worthy, feel-good “Kimi ga sukidesu,” and miwa leans a bit more into pop-rock territory on the OST “Karappo.” After “oARTo,” a song during which a call-and-response or stomping along is in order, breezy synth-pop becomes the focus. The album then repeats itself pacing-wise, with another slow and piano-driven phase before guitars serve as a bridge between the ballads and the more up-tempo songs. Some hopeful mood-boosters round out the album and bring it back up to the high energy level with which it started. Overall, 7th is a satisfying, mood-boosting listening experience with songs that gently lean from one path into another.
#33: Kim Sawol, Default
Kim Sawol is not a household name, but not due to a lack of talent; her relative anonymity is by design. Taking her stage name from the Korean word for “April,” her birth month, and playing peculiar roles in her music videos, the real Kim Sawol is elusive. Her genre is also hard to pin down; Default starts out as a rock album before turning into a folk one. However, the audience gets a sense of who she is through the understated yet powerful ruminations of which Default consists. Her songs do all the talking for her, with a purposeful and impactful “less is more” approach. This does not mean Sawol waters down her experiences; her careful word choices maintain her feelings’ multitudes. Read the full review here!
#32: TEN, TEN
Throughout this release, TEN’s identity stays in flux. He is the epitome of boyfriend material and a smooth crooner in “Lie With You;” unleashes his inner rapper in “ON TEN;” breezes through the Latin-inspired “Water;” switches in and out of an impressive falsetto in “Dangerous;” and further proves to be an agile performer with “Shadow,” an R&B-rooted song that layers an ominous tone on top of a low-key one. Each song has its own colors, but the most memorable one is the main single, “Nightwalker.” Its electrifying instrumental and high notes keep the audience alert, and his music video character is the stuff of movie villains. Read the full review here!
#31: NAYEON, NA
Through the NA era’s videos, NAYEON is both trying to be a star and already is one; there are tributes to her already, yet she continues generating the kind of word-of-mouth campaigns that make stars the “next big things.” The songs themselves also speak to NAYEON’s ability to be a timeless superstar. She works with an increased range of genres but returns to the cute lyricism of her past solo work (“I love you more than a mouse loves cheddar!,” she exclaims in “Butterflies;” “Love is a HalliGalli bell / The flickering glances, the hesitant motions,” she sings in “HalliGalli,” a song that analogizes love with the speed-themed card game). In short, NAYEON carries herself as the versatile icon that she is! Read the full review here!
#30: Cha Eun-Woo, ENTITY
Through repeated references to rain, oceans, flowers, and dreams, ENTITY paints poignant pictures of lingering love… ENTITY follows a natural post-breakup emotional evolution, and Cha Eun-Woo’s vocal and acting skills ensure its vividness and effectiveness are absolute. Read the full review here!
#29: DAY6, Fourever
Fourever is a strong representation of a rebirth. The songs stand apart from the DAY6 songs of the past, covering an expanded soundscape that includes grunge-rock, pop-punk, synth-pop, and more. However, the album is not too in-your-face about marking a new beginning. They do not rely on shock value to show they have grown up; a natural maturity from life experiences is apparent… Life lessons and the power of hindsight add meaning and a new tone to their music, and the strengthened sense of self that comes from growing up has enabled an evident expansion of their musical horizons. Read the full review here!
#28: HANRORO, HOME
Great albums find the sonic equivalents for all that words fail to encompass. By this description, HOME is a great album; it mines a deep well of emotions in ways that allow listeners to intuitively know how HANRORO feels, often feelings that are hard to neatly summarize… HOME is the musical score for a rebirth - a chance to find a true “home” - with the attention to detail and variety that do the heavy subject matter justice. Read the full review here!
#27: FUMON, Sad Melody
Sad Melody mines a well of despair with admirable depth and on-point delivery. They describe acute pain and loss that feel permanent, a sense of inescapability enhanced through lyrics that routinely circle back to previous ones (for example, pain is described as flowing like a river in both “Sad Melody” and “Bleeding”). What also compounds the message of feeling trapped in a loop of distress are the times when FUMON’s pain sounds like it is lessening, only to be replaced with a tidal wave of apathy, a numbness that is as heavy as its antithesis. Sad Melody is self-explanatory but admirable for the ways it portrays visceral pain as a spectrum. The projections of that spectrum of pain are just as wide-ranging and alternate between internal and external targets; some songs seem to reprimand others, while others are self-scolding. This group achingly and artfully captures both the sounds of an emotional state that could not be any more pronounced and the opposite, a lack of one entirely. To put it one more way, Sad Melody is a gutting exploration of feelings’ layered impacts.
#26: STU48, Natsukashii Ashita Special Edition
While this album comes across as classic feel-good J-pop fare, it has many layers to it. The title combines terms for “nostalgia” and “tomorrow,” and the tracklist features a handful of older songs alongside new ones. The album stays on-message about evaluating the past and future at the same time, and the audience is made to be more receptive to these evaluations because of the way they are sent: with an encouraging, compassionate tone… STU48 then gather all the pearls of wisdom they have dropped in the previous songs and bring them together for a satisfying conclusion. Read the full review here!
Subscribe here to find out what’s in the Top 25 as soon as it’s revealed!
More of the year’s best new music so far:
The Best K-Pop Music Videos of 2024, No. 50 - 26
The Best K-Pop Music Videos of 2024, No. 25 - 1
For even more music recommendations, revisit the “Best of 2023” lists!
The Top 100 Albums of 2023, Part Two