TOP 100 KPOP SONGS 2021
by motorp77
taglist (ask in the comments) :
previous episodes :
90 - 86
90. Somi - Dumb Dumb
Dumb Dumb is a pre-released track of Somi’s first full album “XOXO”. The song is a typical Teddy EDM track, with a beat drop chorus followed by a chanted climax before going back to verses. The song isn’t too ambitious in its instrumentation and production, staying with piano and an electro chorus like Teddy always did. The whispering is probably the most interesting thing about the song, though it has been used in many kpop tracks in the past. The background music tries to be as secondary as possible, letting Somi do most of the heavy lifting.
What I liked :
I liked the whispering that was well used throughout the song, it was the main line to follow and helped string together all parts. The instrumentation in the verses were quite “comfy”, and fitted well the theme of the song. The chorus was generic and catchy and I liked it, it’s not that annoying and you can easily listen to it multiple times in a row.
What I would change :
I would change the verses, almost all of them. The singing part of them were very uninspired imo, it felt plain at best. It feels like the song is waiting for the chorus drop. The 2nd verse idea with the “rap” wasn’t really good either. The song also lacked a memorable bridge that would have made me remember the music more. Overall the production is still good for a kpop song and the end product is definitely top 100 worthy. It’s just that it’s clear that it could have been higher imo.
Rewind is the 6th track of WJSN’s 10th Mini Album “UNNATURAL”. The song is a ballad. One of the most typical ballads (with a little twist) that I have ever heard. Of course, the most important part is the vocals, and they slayed it (especially Dawon and Yeonjung). The instrumentation is classical, with the piano being the main instrument.
What I liked :
I liked the vocals. 
What I would change :
I would change the twist, the rap part. Exy can sing (a little) let her sing.
Beautiful Beautiful is the title track of ONF’s first full album “ONF:MY NAME”. So I will be clear, I think that the song is incredibly good, like I wouldn’t be surprised it made the top 10 of a lot of lists last year. The retro/funk pop concept was insanely well produced, the hooks are catchy and addictive, the verses are fun and it’s by far the most important thing with this kind of music. The background music always know its place, hitting at the right time and staying behind on other parts. The acapella part might as well be the best bridge in kpop history. An insanely good song for ONF’s already admirable discography.
What I liked :
I liked the catchy chorus, the flawless instrumentation with extremely well used synth. The genius acapella part. The fun verses that were stringed perfectly. All members were great, the rap was very good, the vocals were even better and the typical ONF high note was well used to start the bridge. Yeah I can’t stress enough how good that acapella part was. I really liked how the song slowed down when needed, and the smooth vocals let us breathe before going nuts again.
What I would change :
I don’t think I would change much, except one thing that explains this low placing on the list. The chorus is way WAY too repetitive and annoying after numerous listens. Of course when this song came out last year, I absolutely adored it. Then I made the mistake of listening to it too much. Now I’m at a point where I can’t really enjoy it that much anymore. I still remember why I liked it so much, but I can’t objectively put it higher because frankly I don’t really listen to it anymore. I kind of killed the song for myself.
87. Weeekly - Check It Out
Check It Out is the 2nd track of Weeekly’s 4th Mini Album “Play Game : Holiday”. Electro-house, bass, cute concept, fun song, basically a compilation of a lot of things I crave in KPOP. With the concept alone, I already liked the song. The end product is quite well made, not original, but it didn’t need to be. The vocals were good enough, and the chorus was really addictive imo. The production was tropical summer style electro house, and it fitted the concept well.
What I liked :
I liked the background music, it was fun. The vocals were cute, and the chorus with all the vocals mixed together was really fun. The song is ultra repetitive but I don’t care, it's too cute, I love it.
What I would change :
I would change some verses and add a real bridge to make this song the real title track of the album. Really the song is better than the title track with barely anything original so it could only become better. It’s a gimmick song, you either like it or hate it and there is no in between.
Deja Vu is the title track of ATEEZ’s 7th Mini Album “ZERO : FEVER Part.3”. Deja Vu is a very classic Ateez song. Like if you tried to do a caricature of an ATEEZ song you would get this. I might be a bit harsh to begin with but it needs to be said, the song is very unoriginal and they clearly do not try to change things with their previous title tracks. The instruments and production is still the same, metallic clanging things with distortions and generic kpop high note and chorus. Still the members carry the whole thing as always so they end up in the top 100.
What I liked :
I liked the rap part, Hongjoong and Mingi were legendary in this comeback. Their raps really uplifted the song extremely high. The verses, even though unoriginal were well put by the different members and the unimpressive structure of the song was still put together better than most songs. Oh, and I will never ever not enjoy a Jongho high note.
What I would change :
I wouldn’t change this song particularly. I would just ask them to try something different cz since Answer they seem stuck in that kind of music. Of course they are the kings of that style but they should really try other things with the talent they have. So I will just ask them one thing : please try something new, I’m sure you all will slay it?
and they delivered…
