Top Three K-Pop Songs of January 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.

January 2018 Overall Thoughts

It’s a brand new year, which means all possibilities are on the table. And compared to the way January usually plays out, this month was surprisingly strong. The solid level of quality (and diversity of sound) gives me hope that 2018 can rebound from last year’s over-reliance on trends.

January was also a unique month. For for the first time that I can remember, most of my favorite songs were actually album tracks. From Infinite’s Wind and Pray, to Rainz’ Open Ur Heart and Target’s Tempest, January’s b-sides often eclipsed their accompanying singles.

On the whole, full and mini albums ruled the month. Infinite’s Top Seed was a constant presence on my playlist, as expected. But when it came to picking my top three title tracks, it wasn’t an easy choice. The top two fell in line pretty quickly, but that third spot was a revolving door of strong offerings and major growers. TRCNG, Momoland, MXM and Rainz all flirted with third place. But in the end, I just had to be super biased and admit which track I’d probably still be listening to in several months’ time — even if I still have some issues with it. We’ll see how things play out in the long run.

Month Cumulative Rating: 7.8

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

J-Pop Worth Your Time

EXO – Electric Kiss (review)

Satori Boys Club – Help You (review) (actually released last year, but I had to include it!)

Honorable Mentions

fromis_9 – To Heart (review)

iKON – Love Scenario (review)

Momoland – BBoom BBoom (review)

MXM – Diamond Girl (review)

N.Flying – Hot Potato (review)

Oh My Girl – Secret Garden (review)