Friday Bonus: 2024 Quarter 1 Kpop Awards
Here are my awards for quarter 1 2024 (aka basically the Grammys)
I want to highlight the best output each quarter because I think it will help me remember what I did and didn’t like in time for the end of year awards. It’s also a chance for me to take a look back at what I’ve published this quarter and put a nice little bow on everything!
Best New Artist
Winner: TWS (see my article for more)
Honorable mention: ILLIT (but did we really need another girl group from HYBE already?) and ALL(H)OURS
Best Female Comeback (strict version)
LE SSERAFIM, “Easy” - we all know this was the comeback of the quarter.
NMIXX, “Dash” - loved this for them, see my whole article about it
Purple Kiss, “BBB” - this only came out last week but I love it
Lim Kim, “ULT” - underrated, but perhaps not for long!
IU, “Love Wins All” - what a beautiful song from my queen IU
Best Male Comeback (so strict it hurts my heart version)
CIX, “Lovers or Enemies” - I’m serious, I love it.
8TURN, “RU-PUM-PUM” - I am also extremely serious about my love for this song
TWS, “plot twist” - such a solid debut
Dabin, “Shower Song” - for something completely different, and see my DPR article for more detail
THE BOYZ, “Nectar” - this is the second extremely good THE BOYZ comeback in a row. Keep your eyes on them!
Honorable mention: Tempest, “Lighthouse” - I really love and rate Tempest. This isn’t their best comeback, but they deserve so much more attention than they get!!
Album of the Quarter
xikers, “HOUSE OF TRICKY: Trial and Error” - Surprise! I’m now a xikers stan. We Don’t Stop was the lead single from this album, and it’s good, but the real standouts IMO are Red Sun and Every Flavor Jelly. Honestly, it’s just all so good!! Brace yourselves for sonic overload but I won’t lead you astray!
DPR Arctic, “KINEMA” - I’ve already mentioned this album in my DPR story, but it’s cold dystopian vibes are transportive. Highly, highly recommend. I know it’s not really Kpop so I’m kind of cheating by including it here, but deal with it.
DK, “NAKSEO” - this album went very under the radar, and that is too bad because it is an excellent piece of work. This is DK from iKON (not to be confused with DK from Seventeen, but they are both 97 liners!)
Wendy, “Wish You Hell” - the lead single of this album sent me on an All American Rejects bender for a few days, but if you can get past the fact that “Wish You Hell” is kind of a rip off of “Gives You Hell”, the rest of the album is really good and Wendy is just such a vocal talent! I especially want to flag “Best Ever” and just remind you that I wrote a whole article about how jazz is influencing Kpop :)
LE SSERAFIM, “Easy” - I’ve already published a whole album review of why I think this album is pretty great!
NCT Dream, “DREAM()SCAPE” - coming in under the wire with its release this week. NCT Dream are the most critically acclaimed NCT unit, but I’ve never loved their albums as much as everyone else. I do love their new, more grown up and darker sound on this album though!
Taeyong, “TAP” - Taeyong is one of the most creative and influential artists in mainstream Kpop, and his second album (and last before his enlistment next month) builds on his excellently weird first album and is even more Taeyong - he has writing credits on every song.
Twice, “With YOU-th” - Twice has consistently released strong singles off of weak albums. I went through a phase of listening to their whole back catalog and never found an album that I thought really popped. I honestly think this might be the strongest album of their career.
Yugyeom, “TRUST ME” - This album is LONG. 43 minutes in an age of 15 minute Kpop albums feels like an eternity. But it’s also quite good, and it’s easy R&B vibes will take you through a good chunk of your afternoon.
Disappointments of the Quarter
Ten’s album in general, and his being overshadowed by the last minute release of Taeyong’s album one week later - bit shady on SM’s side honestly.
Cha Eun Woo’s blip of an album felt like his halfhearted good bye to music before he fully pivots to acting.
SuperJunior’s BSS cosplay, so cringe.
Was not a big fan of (G)I-DLE’s second album, such a shame because I truly love them and I know they put a lot of themselves into it!