Top Three K-Pop Songs of July 2018

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.

July 2018 Overall Thoughts

I’ve always seen the month of July as the pinnacle of each year’s K-pop releases. It tends to be populated by a steady stream of summery (read: fun, uptempo) tracks, and in the past two years alone four July singles have placed within my top five at the year’s end. In comparison, this July felt quite underwhelming. There were plenty of songs, and many were pretty solid. But, there was no Star Of Stars or Red Flavor or Very Nice or Navillera — all instant classics from the past two Julys.

This brings me to my biggest complaint — and biggest question — regarding July. Where the hell was SM Entertainment? For the first time since 2011, K-pop’s biggest agency released absolutely no Korean material during one of the hottest months of the year. I can’t conceive of a reason why SM would throw away the entire month, but their absence was definitely felt. By the time Red Velvet’s comeback rolls around on August 6th, it’ll have been forty-one days since the completion of SHINee’s Story Of Light project. You know it’s bad when even YG is releasing a steadier stream of music!

As with so many months this year, my top two slots were easily filled, but that third place was much more of a toss-up. The act that ended up squeezing their way in is no stranger to my monthly best ofs, but will probably be a surprise based on my review alone. While I still don’t think the song was a home run by any stretch, it was certainly a grower. A standout performance took it to another level, and it quickly became one of my most played songs of the month.

With summer entering its second half, I hope there are a few dynamite comebacks waiting in the wings. It’s been awhile since a track has completely bowled me over, and I’m ready to be impressed.

Month Cumulative Rating: 7.8

(compiled by averaging the scores of every k-pop review from this month)

J-Pop Worth Your Time

AAA – Dejavu (review)

Arashi – Natsu Hayate (review)

KAT-TUN – Unstoppable (review)

Kis-My-Ft2 – L.O.V.E (review)

Honorable Mentions

Apink – I’m So Sick (review)

Astro – Always You (review)

Chungha – Love U (review)

GFriend – Sunny Summer (review)