At the end of each month, I look back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists. I take my own ratings into account, but there’s a bit of wiggle room as certain songs tend to grow or fade.
November 2022 Overall Thoughts
The calendar may show one month left in 2022, but the year has already ended when it comes to eligibility for my “Top 50 Singles” list. We’ve now heard every song there is to hear, making this moment feel like a real turning of the page. Honestly, a part of me gets a little annoyed when November ends up being super strong since it makes my countdown ranking trickier. Recency bias is a very real thing!
This month won’t go down in history, but it was more solid than I’d expected. After a slow start, we had a slew of new releases. Many of these songs became quick growers on my playlist. If not classics, they were at least standouts in a somewhat middling year.
As often happens with on this blog, November’s highlights tended to come from lesser-known acts. Most of the big names fizzled, while some old favorites made a rebound. We had a couple of strong debuts and the return of a legend after seven long years.
My top three of the month didn’t turn out the way I had predicted. To be honest, I was holding that number one slot for Kara. But, the more I listen to When I Move the less enthused I am by the song. I’m so happy to see the girls back, but nostalgia and goodwill only gets you so far.
Instead, we’ve got one slam dunk and two major growers. I could see this top three changing with time. B.I, woo!ah!, TO1 and NINE.i nearly slipped in, and that Kara song might make an unexpected u-turn in the coming weeks. But for now, I’m locking in three different songs of vastly different genres and charms. They certainly weren’t the three highest-rated tracks of the month (at least, initially), but it’s satisfying when music organically improves with time.
When it comes to J-pop, my November seemed equally split between two agencies: Johnny’s and LDH/Exile Tribe. The former takes the top spot this month, though it’s a song tinged with bittersweet feelings.
Even without all the new releases, it was a busy month on the blog. I continued my yearly tradition of grading most of the big K-pop agencies (and one J-pop agency) and opened November with an extended spotlight on some of my favorite J-pop acts and songs. Next month will be equally busy, as the year-end countdowns kick off on December 12th.
Month Cumulative Rating: 7.7
(compiled by averaging the scores of every K-pop review from this month)
J-Pop Highlights
Fantastics – Choo Choo Train (review)
King & Prince – Irodori (video)
Kis-My-Ft2 – Omoibana (review)
Naniwa Danshi – Happy Surprise / #Merry Christmas (video / video)
The Rampage – Round Up (ft. Miyavi) (review)
STAYC – Poppy (review)
TOP J-POP SONG OF THE MONTH
King & Prince – Tsukiyomi (review)
K-POP
Honorable Mentions
B.I – Keep Me Up (review)
BoA – Forgive Me (review)
CSR – ♡TiCON (review)
Fifty Fifty – Lovin’ Me / Higher (review / review)
Just B – Me=(Naneun) (review)
Kang Daniel – Nirvana (ft. pH-1 & WDBZ) (review)
Kara – When I Move (review)
Mill (OnlyOneOf) – Beat (review)
NINE.i – Young Boy (review)
NTX – Old School (review)
Tempest – Taste The Feeling (review)
TO1 – Freeze Tag (review)
Treasure – VolKno (Choi Hyunsuk x Yoshi x Haruto Unit) (review)
Trendz – Vagabond (review)
Victon – Virus (review)
woo!ah! – Rollercoaster (review)
This Month’s Risers and Fallers
TOP THREE SONGS
3. VERIVERY – Tap Tap (review)
2. Nature – Limbo! (review)
1. DRIPPIN – The One (review)
Top Three K-Pop Songs Of October 2022
Top Three K-Pop Songs Of September 2022
Top Three K-Pop Songs Of August 2022
Top Three K-Pop Songs Of July 2022
Top Three K-Pop Songs Of June 2022
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I have, in some order:
Drippin “The One”
Nature “Limbo”
Mill (OnlyOneOf) “Beat”
AIMERS “Fight Inside”
I also discovered Lexie Liu this month, which is a Cpop-English-hybrid.
“Magician” and “Fortuna”
Magician sounds like if Grimes would make something kinda normal, in Mandarin.
‘https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_Bu_sWxQoI
‘https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=um8-0zDtdpQ
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Lexie Liu’s amazing. I really liked her gone gold album — shadow is a particular favourite!
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I loved November’s comebacks!
My top 3:
Nine.i – Young Boy
Just B- Me
Drippin – The One
Bonus:
NTX – Old School
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nick pls stop poking the twitter bear (armys) it’s like trying to put out a fire with gasoline 😭
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LOL writing about RM’s release tonight should be interesting…
I’m drafting up a preamble now. These people are insane.
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you got 21k likes on the original post holy shit
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(a couple death threats, too 👀)
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they’re eating you up on twitter 😭 praying for u…but everyone on tumblr agrees w u, even the bts fans thank god there’s some common sense somewhere
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The twitter mute button is a wonderful thing 🙂
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I really do appreciate you continuing to write your thoughts even as people threaten you
What you wrote: The Bias List: K-pop reviews and discussion with just a
hint of bias…
What they see: The Bias List: You bitches have no taste
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The fact that someone had the AUDACITY to post a McDonalds Application form implying that “he should go get a job and do something else” is insane. All of those little sevens were MAD. It’s actually gross how people would send death threats and insults all because of someone’s opinion
Also there’s nothing wrong with working at McDonalds! Do these people realize that nobody can give them their nuggets without them? IDK why it’s so common to bash on fast food jobs when those exact same people go eat at said places #FastFoodWorkersNeedMoreRespect
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I absolutely agree. I work as a produce clerk and disrespect from customers is easy to come by, but the same people who antagonize me wouldn’t have half their cart without me
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The amount of hate people spew anonymously on the internet because someone likes or doesn’t like a thing is crazy.
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Mine one be The One, Me=,and Loveticon for Kpop.
I’m obsessed with Poppy though.
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1. The One
2. Because (what happened to it? it’s not even in honorable mentions :(( )
3. Limbo, especially when played crazy loud.
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Because was a late-October release, so it was accounted for in last month’s round-up.
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Ahh I see. Somehow it registered as November in my head lol
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My top 3:
1) Fifty Fifty – Tell Me
2) Fifty Fifty – Higher
3) LE SSERAFIM – Impurities
Because of those 3 songs, I didn’t have a difficult time coming up with 3 for November. On the other hand, only Only Rie (OnlyOneOf)’s Because seemed truly great to me from the month of October.
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Limbo! has been a grower for me, too. From “Hahahaha, what is this??? It’s kinda fun” to “Yeeeaaahh, let’s GO!!!” whenever it comes on. Lovin’ Me definitely wins my top spot this month though – I’m a big sucker for the rhythm and the time signature, and I keep actively seeking it out rather than just letting it come up on shuffle.
And it didn’t come out this month (or this year), but this was the month I discovered NCT Dream’s “Hello Future” and I’m smitten, so I’ll throw that into my makeshift top three of November 2022 for kicks even though it doesn’t actually count.
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Here is what I enjoyed in 2022 for me:
Vagabond – TRENDZ
Hair Cut – Xdinary Heroes
Virus – VICTON
= – JUST B
Rollercoaster – woo! ah!
Poppy – StayC
Keep Me Up – BI
Ghost Light – EVERGLOW, TheFatRat
Dragon – TEMPEST
Under The Skin – &Team
Birthday – Red Velvet
Paradign – ATEEZ
Chesire – ITZY
Back Down – P1Harmony
(yes I have bad taste ha ha laugh)
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No you don’t! Everyone’s taste is valid. It’s what makes music interesting 🙂
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it was a joke as a metaphor of how I like noisy music, which is hated.
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My top 3 would be Kang Daniel’s Nirvana, BoA’s Forgive Me, and Fifty Fifty’s Lovin Me. I’m a little surprised to see you have Tap Tap and Limbo at the top. Personally, I was not fond of them too much so just further proof we all have our own tastes.
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I just have two title tracks, Young Boy by NINE.i and Keep Me Up by B.I.
Now that Tempest has turned to the dark side, I feel like Young Boy is one of the few bright spots for new boy groups. Also the choreo reminds me of early Seventeen.
As for Keep Me Up…I’m slowly succumbing to the force that is B.I.
If the criteria could be expanded to b-sides, I’d make Look at Me Now by P1Harmony my #3. The guitars are pretty spectacular and I feel like it could have been a solo for someone like Woodz.
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… although Treasure’s Hello has really been growing on me of late. Sometimes I too late to things…
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(sorry, meant to place that under my own earlier comment)
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Surprised CSR and Kara didn’t make the top 3.
Solid selection though.
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Me too, honestly! Especially Kara.
I do like both songs, though.
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CSR Love Ticon, Kara When We Move, and WooAh! Rollercoaster in some order or another, the NINE.i song was pretty nice also
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Sorry for being off-topic, but I should really never go on Twitter again. I can normally brush off the bad takes, but when they’re directly targeting someone who makes a lot of things I like…
Based on the attention the original tweet got, it seems to be a case of “lots of people mildly agreeing” vs. “a heated minority going insane.” I didn’t see a single critique which actually seemed to understand your original point. Ugh I hate the internet. I’m going to go study.
(Top 3 for November are “Back in Vogue” – AleXa, “Lovin’ Me” – Fifty Fifty, “Rollercoaster” – woo!ah!. Bonus mentions to “No Celestial” – Le Sserafim & “Narcissism” – Sunmi which got video releases this November.)
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I didn’t think this would happen but I just listened to the last November song I had to catch up on, which was “Funky Glitter Christmas” by NMIXX. And… I think it’s better than Rollercoaster, oops. I think this is a sign that I need to get back into musicals soon.
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So sorry! 😭😭 Site messed up and added my comment as a reply! 😭😭
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I think Nine.i Young Boy was the biggest grower for me! Almost shocking really because one day I didn’t even remember it and the next day a part popped up in my head and then I was going -“oh shit, this is insanely good!”
I remember thinking that with no ONF this year we will miss the bright happy vibe patch in bg songs but I have to say…. Cravity to Treasure to T01 to Nine.i and so many more bgs really decided to switch it up and put out some surprisingly upbeat amazing songs! ❤
Limbo was another favorite – it’s quirky done right and I just burst into laughs (happy enthusiastic ones lol) everytime I think of the chorus 😀
Verivery’s bright sound isn’t what is familiar to me as it was Get Away and Trigger that drew me in initially – but the song is a grower (the chorus is a RUSH) and I’m amused to see it make it as your third even after the more hesitant review XD
Drippin definitely had a solid year! Zero and One are like partners in this amazing synchronized act; loved them both – and I think it’s a perfect end to the year for them!
Vagabond, Freeze Tag, Rollercoaster were all pretty fun though I didn’t get much time to watch the stages this month – and all these groups rock on stage. Kara’s When I Move felt pretty amazing on first listen though it might need time to sink in.
Also I’m kinda 50-50 on Fifty-Fifty lol – I liked their voices a lot! Really strong tones and Lovin Me sounded amazing. But I noticed Higher was the song that was blowing up more and it didn’t hit me as much as the other one – Kinda like a Hype Boy to Attention NJ effect for me lol.
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My Top 3 Title Tracks:
1. Fifty Fifty – Higher
2. Kara – When I move
3. TO1 – Freeze Tag
B-sides that released an MV this month:
1. Fifty Fifty – Lovin’ Me
2. LE SSERAFIM – Impurities
3. YooA – Melody
Bonus: Treasure – Volkno
Top 3 B-sides:
1. Fifty Fifty – Tell Me
2. TO1 – Troublemaker
3. Red Velvet – Celebrate
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No order, 5 tracks, b-sides and titles.
NTX – Old School
Victon – Time Chaser
Red Velvet – ZOOM
Drippin – The One
JustB – Domino
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I’m more of a girl group fan so when I’m crunched for time i usually skip the posts on boy groups
1. wooah-rollercoaster ( Though honestly, I skipped to the second chorus several times)
2. CSR- loveticon ( really grew on me)
3.Nature- limbo ( For being a more recently debuted group they definitely deliver on the bonkers 2nd gen energy)
I was pretty harsh on “when I move” by KARA but then I started singing it all the time….
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I wouldn’t go out of my way to listen to Limbo but I think we all know that “Limbo limbo liiiiimbo limbo limbo liiiim” is ICONIC.
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Top 3 Songs:
1. Fifty Fifty – Lovin’ Me
2. Kang Daniel & PH-1 & WDBZ – Nirvana
3. B.I – Keep Me Up
My Honourable mentions:
&TEAM – Under the skin ( Nearly tied with No.3 )
Kara – When I Move
P1Harmony – Back Down
Just B – Naneun
Victon – Virus
Drippin – The One
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&Team’s Under the Skin is pretty amazing! I wonder if it would have got promoted more if it were in korean. I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected!
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I think Nine.i Young Boy was the biggest grower for me! Almost shocking really because one day I didn’t even remember it and the next day a part popped up in my head and then I was going -“oh shit, this is insanely good!”
I remember thinking that with no ONF this year we will miss the bright happy vibe patch in bg songs but I have to say…. Cravity to Treasure to T01 to Nine.i and so many more bgs really decided to switch it up and put out some surprisingly upbeat amazing songs! ❤
Limbo was another favorite – it’s quirky done right and I just burst into laughs (happy enthusiastic ones lol) everytime I think of the chorus 😀
Verivery’s bright sound isn’t what is familiar to me as it was Get Away and Trigger that drew me in initially – but the song is a grower (the chorus is a RUSH) and I’m amused to see it make it as your third even after the more hesitant review XD
Drippin definitely had a solid year! Zero and One are like partners in this amazing synchronized act; loved them both – and I think it’s a perfect end to the year for them!
Vagabond, Freeze Tag, Rollercoaster were all pretty fun though I didn’t get much time to watch the stages this month – and all these groups rock on stage. Kara’s When I Move felt pretty amazing on first listen though it might need time to sink in.
Also I’m kinda 50-50 on Fifty-Fifty lol – I liked their voices a lot! Really strong tones and Lovin Me sounded amazing. But I noticed Higher was the song that was blowing up more and it didn’t hit me as much as the other one – Kinda like a Hype Boy to Attention NJ effect for me lol.
P.S. I should stop writing directly here because I always mess up between comments and replies 😭😭
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Cravity’s Adrenaline is such a masterpiece! Still going strong on my curated list even tho i didn’t played it as much as other groups i stanned.
Party Rock is not my fav but I will definitely tuned in to them next comeback.
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Thrilled to see Nature on here! Limbo was a campy masterpiece that balanced a line between sexy but in a slightly bonkers terrifying way, I’ve had it stuck in my head all month. Girls remains my favourite song from them (yes there is an empty beat drop in the chorus, But it’s one of about five songs where I think there is enough atmosphere and tension built up that for the instrumental to snap is completely earnt and pays off. Plus the video is one of my favourite music videos ever, I love the horror concept so much!) but Limbo is a very strong second.
My other favourites from November would be basically the entirety of Bibi’s new album, it’s a really strong project and full of excellent songs and Birthday by Red Velvet won me over! As a professional homosexual and pursuer of camp aesthetics I am drawn to RV’s weirder songs more often that not (I am a Zimzalabim defender thank you very much.) It’s not my favourite from them but the rest of the minialbum was solid and it was a fun way to end my favourite group’s comebacks this year.
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My favorite song this month is easily Kara’s when I move and it’s not particularly close. That whole album was so good.
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My top 3 is exactly the same 😮 (but different order). Actually most of the reviews I’ve read of yours I agree with a LOT. It seems we have very similar tastes 🙂
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