TOP 100 KPOP songs of 2021 - 100 - 96

  • :akorns::akorns: TOP 100 KPOP SONGS 2021 :akorns::akorns:


    by motorp77 :akorns:


    taglist (ask in the comments) :


    other episodes :




    100 - 96



    100. Onewe - AuRoRa


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    AuRoRa is the 3rd track of Onewe’s first Mini Album “Planet Nine : Alter Ego”. It’s also the 3rd track of their “star” series, following Regulus and Parting. It’s a slow and emotional rock ballad balancing out the more rhythmic Raint to Be. The intensive use of Yonghoon's powerful vocals created a big devastating drop after the slow emotional verses of Dong Myeong and Yonghoon. The small rap of CyA counterbalanced those overly dramatic parts to let the listeners some time to breathe. Kanghyun's solo guitar part was also a nice bridge to the end of the song, reminding us of the more moving music they also produced.



    What I liked :



    As always, Yonghoon and Don Myeong voices fit really well together in the beginning of the music. CyA’s rap was also a good enough (for their standart) intro to the chorus. The chorus is very impactful as always, the very powerful instruments in the background were on point as they felt totally in harmony with the voices. The electric guitar was imo particularly well used, giving more punch to the music overall. And of course the solo part was also incredible in itself, showing the talent Kanghyun has. Dong Myeong imo nailed the song the most, his voice being perfect for those type of rock ballads.



    What I would change :



    Doing more with less, I think they kind of obligated themselves to include CyA’s voice at multiple moments in the song. I am not against parity in songs but in this particular instance I think more Dong Myeong solo parts would have benefitted the song. Once again this song felt really dominated by Yonghoon (just like almost all their songs) when imo it was the perfect time for Dong Myeong to take the lead. Also letting him do one high note in chorus could have diversified the song a little and make the song more replayable.




    99. Epex - Do 4 Me


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    Do 4 Me is the title track of Epex 2nd Mini Album “Bipolar Pt.2 Prelude of Love”. It’s a dancing retro pop music drawing inspiration from Dua Lipa’s Break My Heart all the way to Queen’s Another One Bites the Dust. Of course the loop on the chorus is extremely obvious, but also the retro production and choice of instruments remind a lot of Dua Lipa’s work. The rest of the music is more kpop generic, following what is already working with the structure including a rap and some cute parts etc…The unadventurous vocals of the song are regrettable but the good hook and decent verses are more than enough to let this music enter most kpop playlists. The great production was the main factor in this song entering the top 100.



    What I liked :



    It’s hard to attack some of the most well known music of each generation, so I just applaud the audacity they had with the concept. Fortunately, they pulled it off well, with the verses and raps on good timings and the chorus being well crafted. People will complain about the lack of originality but I don’t think it’s that much of an issue in Kpop looking at other works (shots fired). Individually the song was great, moreso carried by the production rather than the boys performance imo. Still with this kind of music they still needed to put a decent verse and they imo succeeded.



    What I would change :



    The vocals were not easily distinguishable, with some parts being redundant and others being maybe unnecessary. Overall the backing of the chorus was dull to say the least, boring some could say. With Epex being so new, I think they didn’t want to break things, after already associating their names to Queen in the first place. The song could be more polished on the edges, with better verses, and more vocal diversity would bring this song to top tier status. I think that Epex can have a future in Kpop but I still need to see the rest of their talent. Their production team was really good though.




    98. Brave Girls - After ‘We Ride’


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    After ‘We Ride’ is the title track (and only new track lol) of the repackaged version of the 5th Mini Album “Summer Queen”, now called “After ‘We Ride’”. The song is a slow and emotional retro synth rock track, drawing inspiration from their past work like the city pop We Ride from 2020, eventually even being named after this song. The song is the continuation to this other music, following with a more rock emotional style to amplify the break up meanings of the song. Overall the song is a nice exploration into the rock band genre for Brave Girls, after their huge success on dance tracks like Rollin and Chi Mat Ba Ram.



    What I liked :



    Apart from the musical aspect of the song, I just find it quite refreshing to have some slower songs from them, with the ultra domination of their dance tracks in the first half of 2021. Now for the music, the production is insane, like literally one of the best I’ve ever heard. The synth rock is just perfectly used, the retro concept and the ‘We Ride’ allusions are just so good and clever. The drums are insane, the guitar too, the instruments all support the voices really well. The structure of the music is also extremely cool, the intro is quite powerful and really gives the mood of the song very fast. The 2nd verse is extremely well made. Overall the song is just perfect to listen to during summer when you are tired of dancing and just want a slow trip.



    What I would change :


    I might sound a bit harsh but I do think that their vocals could be more diversified apart from Minyoung. Yujeong, Eunji, Yuna, could have more distinctive colors during their part, to make more clear cut parts. The chorus could also have been more impactful imo. I know it’s the concept of the song that created a chorus like that, but I still feel like it is kind of weak compared to their other works. Maybe a little more catchy or going heavier on the band aspect. Without those catchy hooks, I think the song loses in replayability, overall becoming not a song that I am able to stream a lot before getting bored of it. Overall I think some minor tweaks to the song could improve the song and maybe it could have reached close to top 50.




    97. StayC - ASAP


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    ASAP is the title track of StayC’s 2nd Single Album “STAYDOM”. This Black Eyed Pilseung production is, like most of his songs, incredibly well polished music with a very catchy hook. The song relies extremely on its absolutely mind shattering catchy chorus that will stay in your head for weeks. The synth pop style is totally on brand with what StayC and BEP did before and after its release and surf on the synth pop trend of the 2020s. The music overall tries very hard to be as memorable (traumatizing) as possible, looping multiple parts of the song a lot, at points where it’s kind of hard to know which point of the music you are listening to.



    What I liked :


    The song is really catchy and with the very good production of BEP, they managed to not make the song boring. I would even say that the song becomes enjoyable to listen to on the first few replays. Sumin and J’s lower voices were quite important to making the song even remotely listenable. But the good distribution and the nice and satisfying structure of the music, with multiple members doing the chorus at different point of the music make the overall product really enjoyable. Of course, because I’m a BEP stan, the song obviously rose to TOP 100 status as his works are just too good, even though it was one of his weaker ones in recent years (better releases later 00).



    What I would change :



    The song could be less insufferable, just saying.It kind of destroys the brain, like a tumor. The song is kind of like drugs, it makes you go really high but the fall is really long and brutal. Honestly the song anesthetized me, I can’t really feel anything with the music anymore. I just know that I thought it was fking genius at first so let's just say it was good. There are no real improvements to this song, it’s kind of a gimmick, maybe more memorable verses or even completely shift the focus of the song on the verses. Overall a good song, though unfortunately I can’t listen to it anymore (fortunately?).




    96. Even of Day - Right Through Me


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    Right Through Me is the title track of Day6 subunit Even of Day 2nd Mini Album “Right Through Me “. The song is as expected a dramatic rock band track in Day6’s typical style of music.The song is slower than most of their tracks they released with the full lineup, and has a less impactful chorus, but is also more sentimental and convey a very strong meaning. The track relies heavily on Young.K and Wonpil vocals harmony and strong verses to balance the less impactful chorus.



    What I liked :


    Compared to other songs on this list, I think that this song truly shines on its verses, managing to reflect the meaning of the song beautifully with Young.K and Wonpil voices. The chorus, even though not extraordinary, was able to spread its message quite nicely, letting the listeners feel the pain of the singers. The song really reaches the next level in the 2nd part of the song with a very nice ending bridge, before the end chorus, creating a nice climax for the track. The instruments were well used as always for Even of Day, though not special and in the continuation of what Day6 managed to do in the last 6 years.



    What I would change :


    I think that most people would agree that the song was a safezone for Even of Day. They stayed in their comfort zone, producing music that could totally be released by Day6. This lack of exploration makes the song a little too comparable to other songs and it loses in replayability because of it. There are other songs they released that probably managed to do better than that. Anyway the song is still very good, does the job, and in typical Day6 fashion has a lot of impact and a good hook, but maybe lack that x factor their other title tracks had.

    Edited 2 times, last by motorp77 ().

  • I loved After We Ride! I know it didn't get as big as We Ride or Rollin, but I probably like it more than either of those songs.


    Totally agree on your criticism, though. I think the best arrangement of the group was the 7 of them in Deepened, High Heels, and Yoo Hoo. Losing Hyeran was a bit of a hit for their sound overall, but I'm glad they didn't try to make one of them a rapper and just fill in for that.

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