#20: Monochrome by Lee Hyori

Lee Hyori laminates her icon status with the album Monochrome, marrying her self-penned lyrics with 60’s styles from surf rock to funk and creating something so irrepressibly groovy it’s impossible not to shake your hips along. From classic showgirl single Miss Korea to Magical Mystery Tour esque Holly Jolly Bus to Bossa nova Bounced Checks Of Love, this style suits Hyori perfectly, and this entire album is so cohesive without feeling repetitive. It’s a tribute to her female fans and the sound of a woman growing into her own voice.

#19: ISTJ by NCT Dream

Harkening back to NCT Dream’s early work with a wide range of pop genres, ISTJ has the added benefit of the group’s matured voices, perhaps a bit more wisdom when it comes to thinking on the past, and their group finally being seven again. Single ISTJ blends sing-talk with electropop, while Yogurt Shake is understated yet catchy, Broken Melodies grows beautifully from a classic ballad to one of the year’s best anthems, and Like We Just Met features sweet, nostalgic lyrics written by each of the members.

#18: The World; Outlaw by ATEEZ

Through its six dramatic, bombastic tracks, ATEEZ’s EP The World Outlaw channels the legends of runaway slaves (the insistent, fierce Django), Wild West heroes (the synthy yet bass-heavy Dune), and infamous dissidents (the almost operatic industrial anthem This World). It’s a call to everyone to make a change in the world, no matter how small, and it’s clear that it’s made to be performed on a stage, with as many pyrotechnics as is humanly possible.

#17: The Book Of Us; The Demon by Day6

Capping off Day6’s excellent “The Book Of Us” series, which looks at mental health through the lens of scientific concepts like gravity and negentropy, The Demon is an exploration both of pain and healing, and both of frustration and catharsis, self-penned by the members during the pandemic. From the insistent instrumental of Stop to the easygoing, quasi-anthemic 1 To 10 to the simple yet heart-rending single Zombie, it does what music is best at: making the listener feel like the artist is listening back.

#16: Indigo by RM

As a longtime kpop fan, I admit I have a knee-jerk reaction to BTS that’s not entirely fair. Yet, leave it to RM to convince me differently with his second solo album Indigo. There’s the clever turns of phrase and great vocalsin Yun, the surprisingly touching build-up in the vulnerable, acoustic Lonely, and of course the comparison of unfinished paintings with a live not yet lived in hip-hop single Still Life, all taking inspiration from great painters and works of art.

#15: The Chaos Chapter; Fight Or Escape by TXT

It only feels right to follow a BTS soloist’s album with TXT, doesn’t it? An even greater repackage of an already great album, TXT’s The Chaos Chapter: Fight Or Escape goes in on the drama in eleven tracks. From the delightfully disco-inspired beat of Magic to the alt-rock driven Dear Sputnik to the anthemic single Lovesong which features singer Seori, it feels like the soundtrack to a coming-of-age roadtrip movie, propelling you forward with a hand on your shoulder.

#14: The Renaissance by Super Junior

It’s rare for kpop groups to even make it to their 7th anniversary (hence the whole “7 year curse), but to make it to their 15th still with ten people is something incredible, and Super Junior’s The Renaissance doesn’t let you forget it. In only ten tracks, it manages to go from a heartfelt, understated track about their friendship (The Melody) to a shockingly catchy demand to follow COVID restrictions (House Party) to a gorgeous slow-burn of a song in the crying-in-the-club tailored Burn The Floor. It’s SuJu to a tee: weird, all over the place, and just fantastic.

#13: Warning by Sunmi

Short but incredibly affecting, Warning manages to cover fame, self-doubt, depression, female friendship, and sexualization in just under twenty minutes, and stays cohesive the whole time, as well as featuring three of her biggest hits. Sunmi’s “Sunmi pop” is on full display here, in the bizarre, entrancing Gashina, in the choppy, intensely queer Curve, and in the saxophone-led city pop track Black Pearl, and she’s never sounded better.

#12: Planet Nine: Alter Ego by ONEWE

Known for their space-inspired, sprawling rock music, ONEWE’s Planet Nine: Alter Ego may seem a bit out-of-left-field at first, with a Spanish guitar led ballad as a title and several pop-heavy b-sides. But it’s stood the test of time, from the heavy percussion of Logo to the chiptune-meets-orchestral sound of Aurora, to, of course, the frantic, heart-pumping beat of single Rain To Be, creating a sprawling epic of an EP that will convince even the least Kpop-inclined.

#11: Spark by Taeyeon

With a voice like hers, it’s almost impossible to imagine Taeyeon making a bad album, but even then Purpose is something special. Gliding effortlessly between piano-led R & B (the encouraging Find Me), sensual jazz (the Adele-influenced Spark), and ballads that break your heart and put them back together again (the gut wrenching My Tragedy), Purpose is a journey from start to finish, and not one for the weak-hearted.