Since the start of The Bias List in January 2016, I’ve always looked back at my three favorite title tracks by K-pop artists each month. Now, it’s time to look even further into the past, one month at a time. And, yes, the top three rankings count toward The Bias List’s personal artist scorecard!
July 2013 Overall Thoughts
For me, July has a reputation for being a stuffed month in K-pop. And, much of that has to do with the legacy of summers 2013-15, which offered an incredible stream of classics. July of 2013 is almost impossibly strong, with too many incredible tracks to fit in a simple top three. That means that some of my honorable mentions are also some of my favorite K-pop songs of all-time, which is a pretty striking distinction. 2013 was no slouch!
Because there were so many good songs this month, my top three constantly changes. Tracks like Kang Seungyoon’s Wild & Young and VIXX’s G.R.8.U have appeared in higher positions on other lists I’ve created in the past, but for this feature I’m basing my ultimate opinion on the “Top 100 of All-Time” countdown I published this summer. However, opinions can certainly be fluid. So many songs here (Ailee’s U&I, Apink’s NoNoNo, MYNAME’s Baby I’m Sorry) are utter classics – the likes of which I’d kill to hear in 2020.
July brought us the debuts of Bestie and sub-unit AOA Black, as well as the second volley in BTS’s debut album. Elsewhere, we saw the long-awaited return of Brown Eyed Girls (with a killer song) and the reinvention of newly-independent F-ve Dolls. K-pop legend Jewelry continued their resurgence, while SHINee added to their incredible 2013 discography with a great OST. Beyond that, there are so many treasures to find in this exhaustive honorable mentions list.
Honorable Mentions
A-Jax – Insane (video)
Ailee – U&I (video)
AOA Black – Moya (video)
Apink – NoNoNo (video)
B.A.P – Hurricane (video)
Bestie – Pitapat (video)
Brown Eyed Girls – Kill Bill (video)
BTS – We Are Bulletproof Pt.2 (video)
Dickpunks – Sunglass (video)
F-ve Dolls – Soulmate #1 (video)
Jewelry – Hot & Cold (video)
Kang Seungyoon – Wild & Young (review)
Kim Hyun Joong – Unbreakable (ft. Jay Park) (video)
Mr.Mr. – Waiting For You (video)
MYNAME – Baby I’m Sorry (video)
SHINee – Green Rain (video)
Stellar – Study (video)
Tahiti – Love Sick (video)
VIXX – G.R.8.U (video)
Xia Junsu – Incredible (ft. Quincy) (video)
2NE1 – Falling In Love (video)
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
question: did Destiny grew into a 10/10 song for you?
Also , my top 3:
1. Infinite – Destiny
2. Beast – Shadow
3. Kang Seung – Wild & Young
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F-ve Doll’s “Soulmate #1” was a retro bop ahead of it’s time! With all the throwback sounds and concepts we’ve gotten in the past few years, I think the song itself would’ve caught on with the general public. Unfortunately, their company MBK doesn’t have the greatest track record on artist management, so I don’t think we would’ve gotten the same member line-up in another place and time.
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It would’ve latched on if MBK (or CCM at the time) didn’t have such a tarnished reputation.
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Love that Tahiti’s “Love Sick” is on here – what an underrated gem. I’d probably swap it out for “Destiny” in my top three, but other than that I think we match!
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f(x) Airplane in Number one for me, followed by Rum pum pum.
This is also the month that “Amor Fati” by Kim Yon Ja came out, which everyone in kpop has covered in concert or danced to or TikTok’d or something. Even Forestella covers this one. If you haven’t heard it, look it up, and then you will go, oh That One! That Song!
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Airplane is technically one of the best K-pop songs ever.
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YES!
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God I love Rum Pum Pum Pum. The single of the album that got me into k-pop. Thanks f(x).
I also adore Kill Bill, I think no group in k-pop really did (or is doing, for that matter) that brand of sensual, darker, more mature pop BEG excelled at.
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1. Infinite – Destiny
2. f(x) – Rum Pum Pum Pum
3. Tahiti – Love Sick
4. F-ve Dolls – Soulmate #1
5. AOA Black – Moya
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