The Top 100 K-Pop Songs of 2020 (60 – 51)

It’s time to countdown my top 100 songs of 2020! 10 songs, everyday, for the next 10 days. The rules for the countdown are as follows:

To be eligible for this list, the song must have been released between the 1st of January 2020 and 15th December 2020.
Song must be paired with a full music video and be promoted to some extent.
Performance video’s (Gfriend’s Labyrinth and ONF’s New World) will unfortunately not be considered for the singles list and will make their appearance in the Top 100 B-sides of the year list.
Songs must be by a Korean artist and be in either Korean or English (Japanese / Chinese singles will get their own seperate countdown)
And finally, this is all just my opinion. There is much bias to be found and if you’re unhappy with any of the placements, just remember that this is not meant to be a purely objective list.

60. ITZY – Not Shy (review)

The first ITZY track to not wow me out of the gate caught up to me eventually thanks to a fantastic performance and soaring pre-chorus. It continues ITZY’s strong singles run in style.

59. Stray Kids – God’s Menu (review)

An abrasive beast of a song, God’s Menu continued Stray Kids’ flirtation with harder edged material to create a track that was knew not to take its self too seriously whilst still acting as a great representation of that style. And that lack of self seriousness went a long way in selling this single.

58. Dreamcatcher – R.o.S.E Blue (review)

For me, one of the most important aspects of a track is its chorus and Dreamcatcher’s R.o.S.E Blue thrives solely thanks to the megawatt hook at its core. The verses play around with tempo and instrumental shifts but all bets are off when that gorgeous hook comes around.

57. Rocket Punch – Bouncy (review)

After being more or less indifferent towards their debut, the incessant baseline and electrifying build of Rocket Punch’s sophomore effort Bouncy won me over big time. The tracks final minute is phenomenal, providing one of the years most electrifying bridges before bursting into that megawatt disco inspired hook.

56. Moonbin & Sanha (ASTRO) – Bad Idea

A smooth, slinky debut for Astro’s first sub-unit, Bad Idea took advantage of many of the musical corner stones of Astro’s discography whilst still having enough tricks up its sleeve to differentiate itself. It’s rhythm guitar and bass driven groove is invigorating and is only enhanced by the alluring vocal performance.

55. ONEUS – A Song Written Easily (review)

A track that managed to fuse both bombast and melancholy into one enjoyable package, A Song Written Easily was a fine return to form for one of 2019’s most promising rookie groups. It isn’t the most original of singles but that soaring instrumental hook is just fantastic.

54. Ghost9 – Think of Dawn (review)

A throw down the gauntlet debut from Ghost9, Think Of Dawn attempts to meld so many different elements together that the end result could have come across as abit of the mess. Thankfully, it’s anchored by a monster chorus and some exceptional vocal work that help connect the tracks many structural shifts.

53. LOONA – So What (review)

An absolutely crazy comeback single for Loona, So What took everything fans expected and threw it out of the window for a track that doesn’t slow down for a minute. You either love it or hate it but there’s no denying that it’s sheer energy and cavalcade of mile a minute hooks.

52. TXT – We Lost The Summer (review)

A B-side turned single that has aged like fine wine, We Lost The Summer is one of those tracks that only a group like TXT can perform so god damn well. The percolating tropical instrumental retains a sense of playfulness whilst still adhering well to the more downbeat percussion that follows which expertly compliments the gorgeous vocal melodies during the hook.

51. BTS – We Are Bulletproof: the Eternal (review)

We are Bulletproof: the Eternal was the song that reaffirmed my belief that few groups can pull of synthpop like BTS. From the slow opening verse to the soaring hook, few songs this year have been imbued with so much emotional pathos.