#so i have nothing t oshow!

[plaid-n-converse]

the chemical burn on my face is flaking and i Hate it!

[kpopgerapitico]

Under 13 Million: K-pop 2020

A/N: this is part three. The previous parts can be found here and here.

These songs range from just over 13 million views (as of mid December 2020) to under 100,000 (and in one case, a true b-side without any known view numbers). So you may have heard of these, but if not, here some stuff you missed. As always, explanation under the cut.

Under 13 Million K-pop 2020 10. Give you Up - UNVS 9. Without You - Golden Child 8. Obliviate - Lovelyz 7. Lupin - Dongkiz 6. To Be or Not To Be - ONEUS 5. Zombie - Day6 4. So What - Loona 3. Oh Really - N.Flying 2. Made For Two - VAV 1. Clover - A.C.E

10. Give You Up by UNVS This song wormed its way into my brain, without ever having learned the title or the artist. It was one of my most listened to tracks of the year despite me knowing nothing about it, because I enjoyed it so much., and it ticks so many boxes for me It has dreamy synths under a medium tempo track. It has an addicting chorus. But the best part is easily the hook, slightly different each time, and always powerful.

9. Without You by Golden Child Another sleeper track, Without You shows the growth Golden Child has had as a group. The intro is a simple plucked instrumental, with clean sweet vocals, contrasted against heavily distorted synths and a dance beat chorus. The builds are what set it apart from the rest this year.

8. Obliviate by Lovelyz I have never really liked Lovelyz, so I didn’t expect to love this song as much as I did. Obliviate leaves some of their cutesy side behind, adding driving synths in their place. It is a perfect example of the sound a lot of girl groups are shifting to now, with a little bit of freshness from 2020.

7. Lupin by Dongkiz Dongkiz continues to be one of my favorite rookie groups. Lupin has a jazzy verse, with the retro vibes they seem to always include. And then the chorus hits with one of the most dramatic synthetic brass dance breaks of the year. It almost converts into liking all music choruses in general, it’s that good.

6. To Be or Not To Be by ONEUS ONEUS continues to push boundaries musically. And you don’t get to the title of this track until almost 1:30 in, where the repetition becomes the most addicting part of the track. The vocals are powerful and clear, white the raps are gritty, making for a lovely contrast.

5. Zombie by Day6 Day6 may not have had a prolific year (by their standards), but what did drop was great. Zombie manages to completely incapsulate one of the moods of 2020, before we even really got into the pandemic. And it does it with mood and style and the trademark Day6 sound.

4. So What by Loona Loona continues to drop banger after banger. So What continues the trend, with powerful vocals and a beat that drives so so well. They manage a large girl group in a whole new way, and continue to push for a harder sound for girl groups on the whole.

3. Oh Really by N.Flying This was the year where I discovered 2 Idiots, and then got hooked on their music with Oh Really. It embraces the juxtaposition of fairly downer lyrics with an upbeat track. It uses its title as a tone and rhythmical line as well as a sarcastic meaning. And it fits into k-pop’s long history of ‘fuck you’ relationship songs, as yet another stellar entry.

2. Made For Two by VAV I am a sucker for a layered harmony like the one at the beginning of Made For Two. Even more so when it replaces the guitar line. This track really hits its stride in the hook, and the huge distorted kick right at the beginning of the chorus. From there, it pushes hard to the end, with only short breaks in the hook, especially into the last chorus, that makes the final hit so much stronger.

1. Clover by A.C.E I like Favorite Boys, and the aesthetic of this whole comeback. But Clover is what has stuck incredibly hard for me. It allows for all 3 main vocals t oshow off, while also staying musically fun. I would probably classify this track as fan service, but it does it so well that it represents what that subgenre of k-pop can be at its best.